Ezogelin Çorbası ("Ezo" the bride soup)

Winter comes early in Bursa, I can see top of Uludağ mountain already cover by snow, it's not even December yet! Hubby asked me to make something hot and freshly tasty for dinner appetizer. So after thinking and searching on my file, I decided to make this Ezogelin Çorbası. It has been quite sometime since last winter I didn't make this soup.

I don't know exactly why this soup named Ezogelin Çorbası which mean "Ezo bride" soup. But some people said this soup originally from Gaziantep where "Ezo bride" attribute to.

Consists of red lentil, rice and fine bulgur. Has a slightly sour and fresh taste of tomato make this soup really suitable in chill cold weather of early November winter...

Serving: 4 ~ 5 

Ingredients:
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 1 medium tomato, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon of short grain rice
• 2 ~ 3 tablespoons  red lentils
• 1 tbsp fine bulgur
• ½ tablespoon dried mint
• ½ tbsp tomato paste or chili paste
• 2 teaspoon red Paprika/ sweet chilly powder
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (or 2 tbsp butter)
• Salt and pinch of sugar
• ± 5 cups hot water (broth)-if you prefer thinner soup, can add 1 cup more



Ingredients B (sprinkle on top):
• Enough margarine / butter
• Enough chili flakes
• Dried mint

method:

1) Wash lentils together with rice and drain. Heat olive oil /butter in a saucepan, saute onion and garlic until fragrant and transparent. Stir in grated tomatoes, stir for few minutes. Mix in  tomato paste, mint, salt and sugar, powdered red pepper, lentil and rice. Stir for few second.


2) Add hot water (broth) , stir well and cook over medium heat until  lentil and rice is tender. Then mix in fine bulgur, reduce heat and cook about 3~5 minutes more. Test the taste. Turn off the heat.


3) Ingredients B: melt the butter, stir in the chili flakes (the amount is depend on how spicy you want to go).


4) How to serve: Pour soup into serving bowl, pour with melted butter+chili flakes and sprinkle with dried mint. Serve immediately while it's warm with bread.


My hubby love to add few drop of lemon juice also.

Afiyet olsun.