This is a vegan interpretation of a traditional Turkish soup. Its an incredibly simple dish, an almond milk-based broth thickened with short grain rice and flavoured with shallots and thyme. I first encountered the dish in Caroline Eden’s fantastic cook book Black Sea where she reminisces about being served the soup by friend’s in the town of Safranbolu.
The simplicity and elegance of this soup make it an excellent starter to serve at dinner parties, its visually stunning but doesn’t have the body to be a main dish in itself.
Vegan Shallot Soup (Sogan Salmasi)
This is a vegan interpretation of a traditional Turkish soup. Its an incredibly simple dish, an almond milk-based broth thickened with short grain rice and flavoured with shallots and thyme.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 shallots
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ cup short grain rice rinsed
- salt and white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Top and tail the shallots then gently peel the skin making sure to keep them whole. Fill a bowl with ice water and submerge the shallots for 10 minutes then drain and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a gentle boil over medium heat. Then stir in milk, thyme, shallots and rice.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Once rice cooked stir through the butter and season. To serve, divide the liquid among four bowls then arrange 3 shallots at the centre of each bowl.