Dovga

Dovga is one of the pillars of Azerbaijani cooking: a soup built on yogurt and fresh herbs, traditionally served cold in summer and just as good hot in winter.

Azerbaijan sits between Eastern Europe and Western Asia, bordered by the Caspian Sea, Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran — a position that gives it a remarkably rich cuisine, with around 200 distinct specialities.

The secret to this soup is one simple move: the yogurt mixture is never poured straight into the boiling broth. It is warmed first with two ladles of hot soup, stirring without pause, to keep it from splitting.

Generous with dill, parsley, mint and coriander, it's a soup full of freshness, worth trying in summer or winter alike.

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What you need to make this dovga:

Onions, leeks and garlic — finely chopped and sautéed in oil, they form the aromatic base of the soup.
Olive oil — used to sauté the onions, leeks and garlic before the rice goes in.
White rice — it cooks in the broth and lightly thickens the soup.
Chicken broth — the cooking liquid the rice, and later the chickpeas and herbs, cook in.
Yogurt — the base of dovga. It needs to be warmed with a little hot broth before going in, or it splits in the boiling soup.
Egg and flour — whisked with the yogurt, they stabilize the mixture and keep it from curdling during cooking.
Chickpeas — added near the end, they give the soup some body and a bit of protein.
Fresh herbs — dill, parsley, mint and coriander, chopped and added at the end: they're what give dovga its character.
Salt, pepper and chilli flakes — adjust to taste; the chilli flakes go in right at the end.

Why this dovga must be on your menu!

Quick to make: it takes 25 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking, under an hour in total.
Perfect for pulling together a full meal without losing the evening to it.
Works all year round: traditionally served cold in summer, it's just as good hot in winter.
One recipe, two ways to enjoy it depending on the season.
Generous with fresh herbs: dill, parsley, mint and coriander give it all its character.
A real hit of freshness in every bowl.
A way to travel through food: Azerbaijan has around 200 distinct dishes, and dovga is a great way into discovering them.
A nice change from the usual recipes.

Dovga

A yogurt and fresh herb soup, thickened with rice and finished with chickpeas. Eaten cold in summer, hot in winter.

Prep 25 min

Cook 30 min

Total time 55 min

Course: Soups Cuisine: Azerbaijani Keyword: Dovga Calories:

Ingredients

Servings: 8 servings

Instructions

Finely chop the onions, leeks and garlic cloves. Chop the herbs. Rinse and drain the chickpeas.
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the leeks, garlic and salt. Cook for a further 3 minutes, until everything turns translucent.
Add the rice and keep cooking, stirring, for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the rice is tender.
In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt, egg and flour until smooth.
Using a ladle, stir 2 large spoonfuls of the boiling soup into the yogurt mixture, stirring constantly to warm it through. This is what stops the mixture from splitting.
Add the yogurt mixture to the soup and stir. Keep cooking over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the soup has thickened slightly.
Add the chickpeas and the chopped herbs. Stir and simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tips

Warm the yogurt mixture with a little boiling soup before adding it: poured in directly, it would split.
Serve cold in summer, hot in winter — that is the Azerbaijani way.
Crushed chilli flakes go in at the end, to taste.
Do not hold back on the herbs: dill, parsley, mint and coriander are what give this soup its character.

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