Head and Trotter Soup
Slow-simmered lamb head meat and trotters in a rich broth, with garlic vinegar and pepper butter.
Gaziantep style
Last updated:
Last updated:
Gaziantep Yogurt Soup
Yuvalama
Tiny rice-and-lamb balls, chickpeas and tender lamb in a yogurt broth finished with mint butter. Gaziantep yuvalama is a substantial celebratory dish, often described locally as a meal rather than an everyday soup. This home adaptation uses rice flour for the small balls; traditional preparations may grind soaked rice with meat.
- Prep
- 1 hr 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 40 min
- Rest
- 0
- Total
- 2 hr 55 min
- Servings
- 8
Ingredients
- ¾ lb Lamb shoulder (raw, boneless), small cubes
- 1 cup Chickpeas (cooked), drained
- 2 qt Water
- ½ lb Ground lamb
- 1 cup Rice flour
- Table salt, to taste
- ½ tsp Pepper (black, ground)
- 3 ½ cups Yogurt (plain, strained)
- 1 Egg (large)
- 1 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp Butter (unsalted)
- 1 tsp Mint (dried)
Method
Bring lamb and water to a boil, skim and simmer gently for 60–90 minutes until tender. Keep enough hot water in the pot to cover generously.
Knead ground meat, rice flour, a little salt and pepper thoroughly for 15–20 minutes, adding cool water a teaspoon at a time only if needed for a cohesive paste. With damp hands roll into pea-size balls. Keep the mixture refrigerated between batches.
Test one ball in gently simmering broth; if it breaks, knead the mixture more thoroughly. Add the remaining balls and chickpeas and simmer gently for 12–15 minutes.
Check the center reaches at least 160°F; color alone does not establish doneness.
Whisk yogurt, egg and flour until smooth. Slowly whisk several ladles of broth into this mixture, then stir it back into the pot. Heat gently, stirring, until the soup reaches 165°F; avoid a fierce boil that can split the yogurt.
Warm butter with dried mint for 20 seconds without burning it. Spoon over the stew and serve. Cool leftover rice dishes quickly in shallow containers, ideally within 1 hour; refrigerate and use within 24 hours. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.
Cooking guidance
Check the center reaches at least 160°F; color alone does not establish doneness.
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