Börek Aşı Recipe
Börek Aşı is one of the amazing soups from Kayseri cuisine. Despite being classified as a soup, its hearty and filling ingredients mean it could easily serve as a main dish. The soup is primarily made from mantı (Turkish dumplings) and lentils. If I had invented this dish, I might have called it "lentil dumpling soup," but the people of Kayseri refer to it as Börek Aşı because they roll the mantı dough similarly to how they would for börek from scratch, giving the soup its name. It’s a delightful dish indeed.
If it were up to me, I would have added sautéed onions to this soup as well. It's just a habit of mine—if you're going to sauté some tomato paste, why not start with onions too? But they’ve skipped that step. This method gives the broth a clearer, more soup-like texture, which I think is the intention. The broth gets its consistency from the tomato paste and the flour from the mantı, giving it a slightly thicker texture, but not as dense as a traditional soup like tomato soup.
In my opinion, if you're making the mantı from scratch for this recipe, it becomes quite a labor-intensive dish. However, if, like me, you have mantı ready in your freezer, it becomes a quick and practical recipe. If neither option is feasible for you, the most convenient route would be to use store-bought mantı.
Since mantı absorbs water and tends to swell over time, I recommend serving the soup immediately after cooking to enjoy the mantı while it’s still firm and not too soft.
Enjoy the recipe...
Börek Aşı Recipe with Video
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup green lentils,
- 2 cups mantı (Turkish dumplings),
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste,
- 1 teaspoon dried mint,
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil,
- 6 cups water,
- Extra water for boiling the lentils,
- Salt to taste.
Preparation
- Rinse and drain the lentils, then place them in a pot,
- Add enough water to cover the lentils and boil until softened,
- Drain the lentils and set them aside,
- In a separate pot, heat the olive oil,
- Add the tomato paste and sauté until fragrant,
- Add the water and stir, then bring to a boil,
- Once boiling, add the mantı and cook until softened,
- Add the lentils and stir, letting it simmer for a few more minutes,
- Add salt and dried mint, stir, and remove from heat.
Enjoy your meal!