Last week’s temperature drop in Seattle resulted in me making soup in the middle of August. Given my love of all things with satisfying broths, breaking the rules around soup is totally acceptable, right? Like that time two weeks ago another temperature drop resulted in me getting ramen for lunch followed by a bun bo hue the day after. As long as you have soup in life, everything will eventually be ok.

This yogurt soup, known as “yayla” soup in Turkish is very common in home cooking and is extremely easy to make. The classic recipe only uses rice, but I had some leftover chicken so I threw it in as well. This is the perfect soup to repurpose leftover rice and that rotisserie chicken you bought last week that you are tired of eating.

Soup holds a big part in Turkish cuisine and eating culture. In home cooking, it is a nourishing and economical meal that can feed a large family. It is also a big part of street culture, with late-night soup restaurants frequented after a long day of work or a night out drinking. To this day, nothing makes me feel more at home than a bowl of warm soup. So without further ado, here is my family’s recipe for Yayla Soup.

Yields: 6-8 servings Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

3 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)

2 cups water

1 egg

1 cup plain yogurt

1 lemon’s juice (about 1/4 cup)

2 cups cooked rice

2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (optional)

1/2 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon dried mint flakes

1/2 tablespoon red pepper flakes (preferably Marash or Aleppo)

Preparation

1. Put the vegetable oil and the flour into a large pot. Cook over high heat, stirring, until the flour is a little toasted for 3-5 minutes.

2. Pour in the chicken stock and water into the pot and give it a stir. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. While the stock is boiling, prepare the yogurt mixture. In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add in the lemon juice and the yogurt and whisk until everything is combined.

4. If you add cold yogurt to hot soup, the temperature difference will cause the yogurt to curdle. To avoid this, take one or two ladlefuls of simmering stock and add it into the yogurt mixture. Stir well. This will help warm up the of yogurt and avoid curdling.

5. While stirring the stock with one hand, slowly pour in the warmed-up yogurt mixture into the stock. Keep stirring. Add in the cooked rice, shredded chicken and salt. Bring the soup to a boil again and simmer for 5 more minutes.

6. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle with all the dried mint and the red pepper.

7. Serve while hot with a couple slices of bread on the side. Enjoy!