Domates Corbasi (Creamy Turkish Tomato Soup)
The silky, blushing-red tomato soup served in every Turkish lokanta, crowned with melting strands of grated kashkaval cheese and crunchy croutons.
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Ingredients
800g ripe beef tomatoes, grated or roughly chopped
3 tbsp (45g) butter
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 litre hot water with 1 chicken bouillon tablet (or vegetable stock)
200ml whole milk
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of dried oregano, to finish
100g kashkaval cheese, grated, to serve
Roasted bread or croutons, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, add the flour and stir for 2-3 minutes until it smells lightly toasted but has not coloured.
- 2
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another minute to wake up its sweetness.
- 3
Add the grated tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until they lose their raw smell.
- 4
Pour in the hot stock gradually, whisking so the roux dissolves smoothly, then simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- 5
Blend the soup with a stick blender until completely silky, then pass through a sieve if you want a lokanta-smooth finish.
- 6
Return to a low heat, stir in the milk, sugar, salt and pepper, and warm through for 5 minutes without boiling hard.
- 7
Serve in deep bowls topped with a generous handful of grated kashkaval, croutons and a pinch of oregano.
Walk into any lokanta in Turkey at lunchtime and there will be a cauldron of domates corbasi by the door. It is smoother and creamier than most tomato soups, thanks to a light butter-and-flour roux, and it is always served the same way: steaming hot, buried under a snowfall of grated kashkaval that melts into stretchy ribbons as you stir.
Ripe beef tomatoes give the best flavour, but in a British winter do not hesitate to lean on tomato paste; a generous spoonful concentrates the sweetness the fresh fruit lacks. Cook the roux gently until it smells biscuity before adding the tomatoes, and blend the finished soup well; the texture should be completely silky, like a thin custard.
A teaspoon of sugar balances the acidity and a splash of milk rounds everything off. Top with crisp croutons, plenty of cheese and a little dried oregano. Every ingredient below, from the paste to the kashkaval, is available at Turkish Online Market with UK-wide delivery.
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