Arabaşı is not one bowl but two: spiced chicken soup on one side, a jelly-like dough on the other. You cut a piece of the dough with a spoon, dip it in the soup and swallow it without chewing. It is unfamiliar, and it is a table tradition nobody forgets once they have tried it.
Ingredients
For the soup
For the arabaşı batter
Method
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Poach the chicken
Boil the thighs in water, skim and cook for 45 minutes. Shred the meat and strain the stock.
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Cook the dough
Mix the flour into the water without lumps and add the salt. Cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring constantly. It should come to a glossy consistency that clings to the spoon.
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Cool the dough
Pour it into an oiled tray, spread it 2 cm thick and leave it to cool. Cold, it firms up enough to cut with a spoon.
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Build the soup
Cook the flour in butter for 2 minutes, add the tomato paste and pepper flakes and stir for 1 minute more.
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Add the stock
Pour in the strained stock a little at a time, whisking, and add the shredded chicken.
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Finish
Add the vinegar and salt and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve the soup in bowls and the dough on a separate plate.
Tips
- Do not stop stirring the dough, for the whole 20 minutes. Dough that catches on the bottom gets thrown away.
- The vinegar is not optional in this recipe, it is the identity of the soup. Lemon does not taste the same.
- The dough keeps for two days in the fridge; you only need to make the soup fresh and take the dough out.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.