Just as we arrived in Yerevan, Doug began to feel down-right rotten due to a nasty head cold. Besides needing a good night’s sleep, he craved a bowl of steaming hot soup. Luckily for us, our hotel, Best Western Congress Hotel, had a rather nice, extremely convenient, restaurant on the premises.
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| Our hotel in Yerevan – Congress Hotel |
Doug noticed ‘spas’ on the menu, and chose it for
medicinal purposes. It’s pretty-much the same as the yogurt soup we’d eaten as kids, so
it was a comforting choice.
speaking; he (unintentionally) passed it on to me!
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| ‘Spas’ from the Congress Hotel’s restaurant |
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| The Armenian Kitchen’s Spas |
– Madzoon (Yogurt) Soup with Grains
hot or cold, but, if you choose to serve this cold, omit the egg yolk!
1/2 cup shelled wheat (a.k.a. dzedzadz) (NOTE: Foundin Middle Eastern stores, BUT, farro, wheat berries or pearl barley may be substituted.)
For a thinner soup add more water or broth; for a thicker soup, add less.)
finely chopped
crush mint – or- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves
parsley, chopped, optional
salted, boiling water until tender – about 25 minutes. Stir occasionally. If there is any excess liquid, drain it. Set cooked wheat aside until ready to
use.
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| Cooked shelled wheat (dzedzadz) |
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| Step #2 |
2. In a 6-quart pot, blend together yogurt, water (or
broth), egg yolk and flour with an electric hand mixer. Cook until mixture reaches a
gentle boil, stirring constantly with a wire whisk or wooden spoon. Stir in
salt and cooked wheat; cook one minute longer.
Remove from heat.
soft, but not brown. Add mint, and parsley, if using.
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| Step #3 |
4. Add onion mixture to soup; simmer for five more
minutes. Serve immediately.
Yogurt soup is such amazing comfort food when it's cold or when YOU have a cold. In the winter, when I get home, I'm hungry, I need something quick, I make this soup. Since I usually don't want to wait for the shelled wheat to cook, I substitute bulgur, rice, or even vermicelli (arishta/sheeriyeh), plus whatever meat or frozen vegetables I happen to have handy. Very satisfying.
I hope you had a great time in Armenia!
We've been eating this soup since childhood, and were so happy to see it on the menu at our hotel. Your substitutions are a great way to save time, thanks!
Our trip was amazing on so many levels!