Dovga recipe

Azerbaijani yogurt soup stabilised with egg and flour whisked in cold, then stirred without pause as it heats so the yogurt never splits, and loaded with four fresh herbs and chickpeas.

13 hours and 40 minutesmedium10 ingredients

Ingredients

• 1000 g plain yogurt
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp flour
• 50 g short-grain rice
• 250 g chickpeas
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 bunch dill
• 1 bunch mint
• 100 g spinach
• 1 tsp salt

How to make Dovga

1. Soak 250 g dried chickpeas overnight and boil them until tender, or drain 250 g cooked chickpeas. Rinse 50 g short-grain rice.
2. In a cold heavy pot, whisk 1 kg plain yogurt, 1 egg, 2 tbsp flour and 500 ml water until perfectly smooth. The egg and flour go in cold; they are the only thing keeping the yogurt from curdling.
3. Add the rice, set over medium heat and stir constantly in the same direction with a wooden spoon until it reaches a boil, about 15 minutes. Do not walk away and do not stop stirring.
4. Lower the heat and simmer 10 minutes, still stirring, until the rice is soft.
5. Add 100 g chopped spinach and a generous handful each of cilantro, dill and mint; simmer 8-10 minutes more.
6. Stir in the chickpeas and 1 tsp salt, then take the pot off the heat.
7. Serve hot in winter or chilled in summer; thin with a little cold water if it has set too thick.

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