Bıt Bıt Soup Recipe
Bıt Bıt soup is a delicious soup recipe from Eskişehir cuisine. I do not know exactly where the name comes from, but I guess that it got this name because it is a time killing recipe (bıt bıt is a Turkish word used for time killing things).
Bıt Bıt soup is prepared by cooking tiny meatballs prepared with minced meat and fine bulgur in a seasoned soup with chickpeas. Although it resembles lebeniye soup in a way, there are some differences. The most important one of these is that there is no bulgur in the meatballs of the lebeniye soup. On the other hand, there is rice in lebeniye, but not in bit bıt soup. Another difference is that bıt bıt soup has tomato paste in its seasoning.
This feature actually distinguishes bıt bıt soup from all other seasoned soups. The tomato paste in the seasoning changes the color of the soup and adds a pleasant aroma to the soup.
In order to make the meatballs more practical, you can prepare and cook the meatballs in advance and store them in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days and in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Finally, I would like to make a point that is useful to underline, even though it is explained step by step in the recipe. The most risky thing that can cause soup to fail in seasoned soups is that the seasoning can curdle that is you see tiny white yogurt chunks rather than a smooth consistency in the soup. Curdling the dressing does not affect the flavor of the soup, but it is not preferred because the appearance is not appetizing.
In order not to curdle the soup seasoning, the seasoning must be added to the hot soup by first acclimating it to the heat. For this, a small amount of soup water is added to the seasoning first, mixed quickly and the seasoning is warmed up. Then, without wasting any time, the seasoning is added back to the soup and mixed quickly. Afterwards, the soup is mixed and cooked until it is set. In seasoned soups, salt is one of the ingredients that can cause curdling. For this reason, it is useful to add the salt last, after removing the soup from heat.
Enjoy ...
Ingredients
For meatballs;
- 200 g ground beef,
- 1 cup of fine bulgur,
- 1 egg
- 1 onion,
- Salt,
- Black pepper,
- 1 tablespoon of butter.
For the soup;
- 2 cups boiled chickpeas,
- 2 tablespoons of flour,
- 3 heaped tablespoons of plain yoghurt,
- 1 egg yolk,
- 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste,
- Salt,
- 5 cups of water at room temperature.
For the above;
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 1 teaspoon of dried mint.
Preparation
- For the meatballs, knead the ground beef, bulgur, egg, grated onion, salt and pepper in a bowl,
- Make tiny balls from the mixture,
- Melt the butter in a pan, add the meatballs, shake the pan to prevent meatballs sticking to each other, fry until golden, remove from the pan,
- Add tomato paste to the pan, stir fry it until it smells and turn off the heat,
- For the soup, heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the flour and stir fry until it smells good,
- Add the water, mix until the lump is gone and let it boil,
- Whisk the egg yolk and yogurt in a separate bowl for seasoning,
- Take two scoops of soup water and slowly add to the seasoning and whisk quickly,
- Add the seasoning back to the soup and mix quickly,
- Add chickpeas, meatballs and roasted tomato paste and cook until set, stirring constantly,
- Remove from heat, add salt and mix,
- For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan and add the mint, mix and remove from the heat,
- Pour the sauce over the soup.
Bon Appetit...