Tahnabour (Yogurt Soup) from Marian Amiraian

3 years ago

Tahnabour - Armenian Yogurt Soup

Sometimes people are lucky enough to be in the right place, at the right time.

Here’s our story: A number of years ago former neighbor Marian Amiraian called to say her children weren’t able to visit and that she prepared a giant pot of Tahnabour she’d planned to serve them. Since her family couldn’t come, Marian wondered if Doug and I would be interested in having some.

Interested? Was she kidding?? Of course, we were! We lived a hop, skip, and a jump away, and were only too happy to help Marian out. After keeping a small portion for herself, we were treated to the rest. It made a perfect lunch – and then some, and boy, was it DELICIOUS! We thanked Marian over-and-over again!

Tahnabour -Armenian Yogurt Soup

Slightly tangy, rich and minty soup that soothes one's soul!

2 cups chicken broth (lower sodium or unsalted)
1 handful quick-cooking barley
1 16-oz. container of plain yogurt (Not Greek-style)
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
½ medium onion, finely minced
1 Tbsp. dried mint, crushed
salt, to taste

Place chicken broth in a large saucepan, add a handful of quick-cooking barley, and cook until barley is tender, about 12-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a mixing bowl, add the plain yogurt, and whisk in one beaten egg until well combined. Set aside.
Meantime, in a skillet, melt 2 Tbsp butter, and saute the minced onion, over a low heat until onions begin to caramelize, about 5-7 minutes; stir in 1 Tbsp. dried, crushed mint. As soon as the onion and butter turn a light brown, remove skillet from heat.
Once the chicken broth and barley have cooled, vigorously whisk the yogurt-egg mixture into the saucepan, then stir in the onion-mint mixture. Season with salt according to your taste. Heat ever-so gently, stirring constantly, until a slight simmer has been reached, about 5 minutes.
Serve immediately.

NOTES:

When heating leftover Tahnabour, use a low heat, stirring often, to prevent curdling.

To make this a heartier soup, add kufteh meatballs.

Main Course, Soup