Abdoogh Khiar is an easy and refreshing Persian summer soup. To make this seasonal dish you just have to mix a few simple ingredients such as plain yoghurt, cucumber, walnuts, herbs and raisins, then serve it chilled.
Soups have been made since ancient times. In warm climates, or in summer, many cultures make traditional cold soups. Such as Gazpacho of Southern Spain or french Vichyssoise…
These soups tend to be lighter than winter soups and typically contain less fat and meat per serving. Some are purely vegetable based but many use light meat or fish stocks.
Abdoogh Khiar – A popular Persian summer treat
Abdoogh Khiar translates to ” Water, yoghurt drink, cucumber” which are the 3 main ingredients you need to make this dish.
Doogh (Yoghurt drink) is a well-liked cold Persian drink that is simply made of yoghurt, salt and water and often accompanies different Persian dishes such as Abgoosht (Persian lamb stew).
Yoghurt and cucumber are both considered to have cold natures meaning that they lower the body temperature and cool the body down; That’s the reason this Persian cold yoghurt and cucumber soup is a popular summer choice to prevent heat-stroke and refresh your body. You can serve Abdoogh Khiar as an appetizer or a light lunch or dinner.
What are the ingredients for Abdoogh Khiar?
As mentioned before, yoghurt is one of the main ingredients of this vegetarian chilled soup— the thicker and sourer, the better. Another important ingredient for Abdoogh Khiar is a combination of herbs; The combination of these herbs is usually a popular Persian side dish called “Sabzi Khordan“. It is best to use fresh herbs to have a more flavorful and aromatic dish, if not accessible, you can substitute them with dried ones. In this recipe we added a little bit of extra dried mint to our fresh herb for extra flavour.
If you’re using dried herbs, make sure they stay long enough in fridge to rehydrate.
The herbs used in this recipe are:
- Radish (Torobche)
- Chives (Piazche)
- Basil (Reyhoon)
- Tarragon (Tarkhoon)
- Savoury (Merzeh)
- Dill (Shevid)
- Mint (Na’na)
Finely chopped or grated Cucumbers ( preferably small and seedless), raisins, dried rose petals, chopped walnuts and dried or toasted flatbreads such as Lavash or Sangak bread (which you can find in the Mediterranean or middle eastern grocery shops) are other ingredients that are used in this recipe.
How to make Abdoogh Khiar – Persian cold yoghurt & cucumber soup?
- Finely chop the herbs, radishes, raisins, walnuts and cucumbers.
- In a large bowl beat the yoghurt with a fork until smooth.
- Add the cucumbers, radishes, all the fresh and dried herbs, raisins and walnuts and mix well.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
- Remove from the refrigerator and slowly add Enough cold water while mixing until it reaches the consistency you like.
- It would be nice to add a 1/2 cup of crushed ice.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning If needed before serving.
- To serve, ladle abdoogh khiar into a large serving bowl or individual bowls and garnish with dried rose petals.
Abdoogh Khiar
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain thick yogurt Greek style
- 4 small seedless cucumbers finely chopped
- 3 medium-sized radishes chopped
- 25 gr fresh chives chopped
- 25 gr fresh basil chopped
- 25 gr fresh tarragon chopped
- 25 gr fresh savory chopped
- A few sprigs of fresh dill chopped
- 1 tbsp Dried mint
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
- 1/2 cup raisins rinsed, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- flat bread Dried or toasted
- Cold water and ice cubes
- Dried rose petals
Instructions
- In a large bowl beat the yogurt with a fork until smooth.
- Add the cucumbers, radishes, all the fresh and dried herbs, raisins and walnuts and mix well.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
- Remove from the refrigerator and slowly add Enough cold water while mixing until it reaches the consistency you like.
- It would be nice to add 1/2 cup of crushed ice.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning If needed before serving.
- To serve, ladle abdoogh khiar into a large serving bowl or individual bowls and garnish with dried rose petals.Serve with Dried or toasted flat bread.
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