Kurban Chorba is a Bulgarian soup of Turkish origin. It refers to a chunky soup of boiled meat, usually beef or lamb. It’s a very filling and warming soup which was just perfect for the “Snowmaggedon” days in Glasgow where the whole city was pretty much closed for a day and a bit. As I had to work from home for a couple of days it was great to have the time to have and cook a delicious home made comfort food for lunch. I decided on this soup as it was very meaty and just the perfect thing to have while watching the snow fall outside. It also took me about 5-10 minutes to put together and let it cook for an hour on it’s own.
It reminded me of being out in the Bulgarian mountains during winter and stopping at a “Hija” (Hee-zha), Mountain hostels/bothy, after a walk in the cold. Hope you enjoy yet another introduction to Bulgarian cuisine.
Beef Kurban Chorba (Beef Soup)
Serves 4 | Prep time 10 mins | Cook 1 hr | Easy | Gluten-free
Tip: you can also add some tomato puree to strengthen the tomato in the soup, add green beans or peppers.
What you need:
- 30g butter;
- 300-350g beef or lamb meet, cut into chunks (stewing cuts are fine);
- 1 onion, chopped;
- 1 litre – 1 1/2 litre strong beef stock (depending on the size of your pan)
- 2 celery sticks, chopped into chunks;
- 2-3 carrots, chopped into chunks;
- 2-3 potatoes, chopped into chunks;
- 2-3 tomatoes, chopped into chunks;
- handful parsley, finely chopped.
To make the soup:
Melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Add the beef (or lamb) and brown well for 5 minutes. Add the chopped onions and cook while stirring for another couple of minutes until softened. Add the stock, vegetables and seasoning. Cook the soup for about 45 minutes to an hour to allow the meet to soften and cook through. When ready, serve into bowls and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with crusty bread on the side.
I hope you enjoy this simple recipe!
~Em
Food Notes 