Levantine cuisine · Soups & Stews

Shorbat Tarbiyeh

Clear chicken broth with softly cooked rice, finished with a silky egg-lemon liaison.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 2 chicken thighs
• 1.5 l water
• 1 onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 100 g long-grain rice
• 2 eggs
• 2 lemons
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Put the chicken thighs on to cook with the water, the halved onion and the bay leaf, bring to a boil once and carefully skim off the grey foam.
2. Simmer covered over low heat for 30 min., then remove the meat, take it off the skin and bones and pull it into bite-sized pieces.
3. Pour the broth through a fine sieve, bring back to a boil, stir in the rice and simmer uncovered for 15 min. until the grains are completely soft.
4. Whisk the eggs with the juice of one and a half lemons until smooth and, stirring constantly, slowly ladle in two scoops of hot broth to temper the mixture.
5. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the egg-lemon mixture and warm the soup only just below the boiling point until it turns lightly velvety – it must not boil again or the egg will curdle.
6. Fold in the meat and the butter, season to taste with salt, pepper and the remaining lemon juice, and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.