Kishk – Lebanese Yogurt Soup

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Fried onion

1. 1
   Ahead of time, whisk the yogurt in a bowl into a smooth mixture with no lumps.

   BowlWhisk
2. 2
   Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStovePot
3. 3
   Add the onion and fry 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 4
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.

To assemble

1. 5
   Add the cumin and fry 1 minute, until fragrant.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
2. 6
   Add the water to the pot and bring to a gentle simmer.

   Stove
3. 7
   Gradually add a few ladlefuls of the hot water to the yogurt mixture, whisking, to even out the temperature.

   LadleWhisk

   💡A few ladlefuls of hot stock warm the yogurt mixture gradually, so it doesn't curdle into lumps when it meets the hot pot.
4. 8
   Pour the yogurt mixture into the pot in a thin stream, stirring constantly.

   Stove
5. 9
   Turn down to low and simmer, stirring constantly, 5 minutes, until the soup thickens slightly. Don't bring to a full boil.

   ⚙ SimmeringStove

   💡Cooked yogurt is never brought to a full boil: a hard boil splits it.

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
6. 10
   Season with salt and black pepper.
7. 11
   Serve hot, with the cilantro on top.

   Ladle