Turkish cuisine · Soups & Stews

Tandır Soup

Hearty soup from long-braised lamb and its broth, with onion, red pepper paste and lemon.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 700 g lamb shoulder
• 2 onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp red pepper paste
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• Salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Trim any coarse fat from the lamb shoulder and cut into 3 cm cubes; finely dice the onions and chop the garlic.
2. Heat 2 tbsp butter in a heavy pot and sear the meat in batches over high heat for 5–6 min. per batch until it has a brown crust.
3. Add the onions and garlic, sauté for 5 min., then stir in the red pepper paste and fry for 1 min. until it smells rich and dark.
4. Top up with 1.8 l hot water, bring to a boil, carefully skim off the grey foam and braise covered over the lowest heat for 100–110 min. until the meat falls apart under pressure.
5. Shred the meat roughly with two forks, return it to the broth and season to taste with cumin, salt and pepper; reduce the broth further if you like it stronger.
6. Heat the remaining butter with the Aleppo pepper flakes, drizzle over the soup, sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges to add extra tang.