Gendeme Soup Recipe
Gendeme soup a traditional soup generally made around Ordu and Giresun cities of Turkey. Gendeme is a word that we don't have/use in Turkish. It means wheat in the called regions. I think it has a Persian origin. In short gendeme soup means wheat soup.
Like every local food, the cooking method differs according to the city, district, village, neighborhood or even home. It can be made only with wheat, wheat and beans, wheat and chickpeas, with corn or without corn. I use all of them because I like granular and rich soups, and I never thought it would be better if I don't use any of the ingredients. But it all depends on your taste. You can remove the ingredients you do not like.
The soup is bound with classic Turkish yogurt dressing. If you have not done it before or if you are afraid of curdling yogurt you can check out my yayla soup video. It is in Turkish but İt will give an idea.
Enjoy the recipe...
Ingredients
- 1 cup wheat grains,
- 1/2 cup dried beans (or 1.5 cup canned beans),
- 1/2 cup chickpeas (or 1.5 cup canned chickpeas),
- 1/2 cup canned corn,
- 2 cups of plain yogurt,
- 1 egg yolk,
- 1/2 lemon juice,
- 2 tablespoons of flour,
- 6 cups of boiling water,
- Salt to taste,
- 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil,
- 2 teaspoons of dried mint.
Preparation
- Soak beans and chickpeas overnight,
- The next day, take them in the pressure cooker and add water enough to come about 3 cms above the beans and chickpeas, cook until tender in medium heat,
- Take the washed and drained wheat into a different pot,
- Add 6 cups of boiling water in medium heat until tender,
- Beat yogurt, egg yolk, lemon juice and flour in a separate bowl,
- Take a ladle of boiled water of wheat and add to the mixture,
- Add the warmed mixture back to the soup slowly and beat it quickly,
- Add boiled chickpeas, beans and canned corn and mix,
- Simmer, continuously stirring, until set and remove from heat,
- Add the salt and mix,
- Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan, add the mint, stir and remove from the heat,
- Pour the mint sauce over to the soup and mix.
Enjoy...