Tarhana is essentially a dough made from fermented cracked wheat and yoghurt, that is shaped like biscuits between the palms before being dried in the sun.
Traditionally, tarhana is made in the summer with freshly harvested local wheat and goat's or sheep's milk yoghurt. The tarhana is dried on a paner (woven Cypriot basket) or a large cloth on top of the flat roof of a village home. The dried tarhana is then stored to be used throughout the year.
You simply rehydrate the tarhana and add a few basic ingredients to make a rich and creamy soup that has a slight lemony tang (similar to sourdough bread, due to the fermentation process). Combined with fried halloumi, tarhana çorbası makes for a rich and warming soup. You can also add the halloumi without frying if you prefer, but this offers a different texture and experience when eating.
Tarhana is made in different ways and if you can get the Cypriot variety, that is most ideal for this recipe due to the ingredients used and because it is formed as large, firm ‘biscuits’ rather than thin sheets or crushed powder. If you use other varieties, the cooking time, amount of water and ingredients used may need to be adjusted. This is true even for different Cypriot varieties, so please use this recipe as more of a guide dependent on what tarhana you choose to use.
Serves 4 to 6 | Preparation time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 50 minutes | Additional time: 2 hours to rehydrate the tarhana
Ingredients
250g Cypriot tarhana | 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube |
200g halloumi, cut into 1cm cubes | 3 tbsp olive oil |
½ tsp salt, or as desired | 2L cold water |
½ tsp dried mint | Sunflower oil |
Hob heat settings
Method
Place the tarhana in a large saucepan with 2L cold water. Leave for at least 2 hours for the tarhana to absorb the water before cooking (or until the tarhana breaks apart easily with a spoon).
Give the tarhana a good stir, ensuring it has broken up, before adding the salt, olive oil and stock cube. Cook on a medium-high heat for 40-50 minutes, or until it has a creamy consistency (it will only start to become creamy towards the end of cooking). Stir occasionally so that the tarhana doesn’t settle at the bottom of the saucepan and burn.
While the soup is cooking, add a little sunflower oil to a frying pan and fry the halloumi on a medium-high heat until lightly browned on all sides - about 5-10 minutes. Place the fried halloumi on a plate lined with a kitchen paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
Serve the soup with the fried halloumi, either sprinkled on top or stirred in, and fresh or toasted bread on the side.