Yarma is wheat with the husk removed and the grain coarsely cracked. The starch it releases as it cooks thickens the soup by itself, so no flour or roux is needed. The price is time: anything under an hour and a half will not soften it.
Ingredients
For the soup
For the top
Method
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Fry the meat
If you are using meat, cook it in butter for 10 minutes until it takes its liquid back up.
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Add the onion and paste
Fry the onion for 4 minutes and the tomato paste for 1 minute.
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Add the wheat
Drain the soaked wheat, add it and stir for 2 minutes.
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Cook it long
Pour in the hot water and cook over a low heat for 60 minutes. Stir now and then; the wheat settles on the bottom.
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Add the chickpeas
Add the cooked chickpeas and boil for 10 minutes more. Add the salt.
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Pour over the butter
Melt the butter, stir in the mint and drizzle it over the soup.
Tips
- Do not skip the soaking; unsoaked wheat will not fully soften even in two and a half hours.
- The risk of catching on the bottom is high, so use a heavy-based pan.
- It thickens a great deal as it stands. Add two or three ladles of hot water when reheating.
Nutrition
Values are per serving and approximate.