Armenian recipe
How to make Spas
սպաս
The whole country
A gentle soup of matsun, the Armenian yogurt, with hulled wheat, butter-fried onion and herbs such as coriander and mint. An egg and a little flour are stirred in so the yogurt does not curdle. It is eaten warm in winter and chilled in summer.
Ingredients
- 100 g hulled wheat or pearl barley, soaked overnight
- 500 g plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 700 ml water
- 1 onion, finely chopped, and 2 tablespoons butter
- A handful of chopped coriander and 1 teaspoon dried mint
- Salt
Method
- Drain the wheat, cover with fresh water and simmer for about 30 minutes, until soft. Drain.
- In a pot, whisk the yogurt, egg and flour until smooth, then whisk in the water.
- Heat slowly, stirring all the time in one direction, until it just comes to the boil. Stirring stops the yogurt from curdling.
- Add the cooked wheat and a pinch of salt and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Fry the onion in the butter until golden, stir it into the soup with the coriander and mint, and serve warm or chilled.
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