Dugun Corbasi (Turkish Wedding Soup)
The celebration soup of Anatolia: tender lamb in a silky yoghurt and egg-thickened broth, finished with a sizzling paprika butter. Rich, tangy and unforgettable.
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Ingredients
500 g bone-in lamb shank or diced stewing lamb
1 small onion, halved (for the stock)
1.5 litres (6 cups) water
3 tbsp plain flour
200 g (1 cup) strained yoghurt
1 egg yolk
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tbsp butter
2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp fine red pepper flakes (optional, for heat)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
Instructions
- 1
Put the lamb, halved onion and water in a large pot, bring to the boil and skim off any foam that rises.
- 2
Cover and simmer gently for about 50 minutes, until the lamb is tender; lift out the meat, discard the onion and bones, and shred or dice the meat finely.
- 3
Return the shredded meat to the strained broth, season with salt and black pepper and keep it at a bare simmer.
- 4
In a bowl, whisk the yoghurt, flour, egg yolk and lemon juice until completely smooth and lump-free.
- 5
Temper the mixture by whisking in three or four ladlefuls of hot broth, one at a time, then pour it slowly back into the pot, stirring constantly.
- 6
Cook over low heat, stirring, for 8-10 minutes until the soup thickens to a silky, cream-like consistency — do not let it boil hard or the yoghurt may split.
- 7
In a small pan, melt the butter until foaming, take it off the heat and stir in the paprika and pepper flakes.
- 8
Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle the sizzling paprika butter over each one and serve immediately with warm bread.
Dugun corbasi — literally "wedding soup" — is the dish that opens celebration feasts across Anatolia, from village weddings to religious holidays. Slowly simmered lamb gives the broth its body, while a terbiye of yoghurt, flour and egg yolk turns it velvety and gently tangy. The crowning glory is the kizgin yag: butter melted until foaming with sweet paprika, poured over each bowl in a crimson swirl.
The terbiye is the only technical moment in the recipe. To stop the yoghurt splitting, whisk it with the flour and egg yolk until completely smooth, then temper it by whisking in ladlefuls of hot broth before it ever meets the pot. Add it back over low heat, stir constantly and never let the soup come to a hard boil afterwards.
Bone-in lamb shank or shoulder gives the deepest flavour, but diced stewing lamb or even beef works well on a weeknight. A strained (suzme) style yoghurt makes the soup extra silky. You can pick up the Turkish staples — strained yoghurt, sweet paprika, plain flour and proper village-style butter — from Turkish Online Market with UK-wide delivery.
Serve it steaming hot with a squeeze of lemon, warm pita and the paprika butter glistening on top. It reheats beautifully over a low flame, as long as you keep it below the boil.
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