SOUP WITH BARLEY AND CHICKPEAS (Buğdaylı, Nohutlu Çorba)

Here is another soup coming to you for cold winter nights. This soup I serve as the main dish, it has more to it than being just a starter. All the goodness coming from barley and chickpeas. It reminded me of my days in my village too. So plain, so basic and yet has all you would need from a comfort food.

Ingredients:

• 150 g barley
• 100 g chickpeas
• 250 g yogurt
• 1 egg
• Flour, 1 tablespoon
• Butter, 2 tablespoons
• Mint, 1 tablespoon
• Salt

Preparation:

• Wash the barley and chickpeas and immerse in plenty of cold water and leave them overnight. (If you're using tinned chickpeas, there is no need for immersing them, only the barley.)
• The next day, drain the water and transfer all barley and chickpeas in a saucepan. Add 1,5 L water and start cooking.
• Bring to boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes.
• In a bowl, whisk yogurt, egg and flour thoroughly (use a mixer if you like) and add this to the saucepan very slowly by stirring all the time. This step is a bit tricky, make sure to stir all the time and also preferably to the same side (i.e. clockwise all the time) otherwise lumps appear in the soup.
• Continue cooking while stirring till it gets to boiling again.
• After it starts boiling, add salt and let it simmer for 15 minutes. (Do not add salt before it starts boiling. I'm sure there is a chemical explanation to this but not that I know.)
• In a separate pan, heat up the butter and mint and add to the saucepan, swirl.
• Cook for a further 5 min and enjoy your soup.