- Serves 6
- 50g fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 50g fresh coriander
- 40g fresh mint leaves
- 60g fresh chives (or the green part of spring onions)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 40g basmati rice, rinsed
- 80g dried yellow split peas, rinsed
- 60g pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 litre meat stock
- 1 litre pomegranate juice
- 100ml pomegranate molasses
- Salt
- For the meatballs
- 300g minced lamb (up to 20% fat)
- 1 onion, coarsely grated
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 grounf cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- For the toppings
- Fried mint
- 3 onions for crispy fried onion (optional)
- Pomegranate seeds (optional)
Pomegranate Soup with Meatballs
Atoosa Sepehr
30th November 2018
Pomegranate Soup with Meatballs
In Iran, people generally use sour pomegranate juice to make this soup. In this recipe I use sweet pomegranate juice combined with pomegranate colasses to give a sweet and sour taste. If you prefer it sweeter, add a little honey at the end. The fried mint toppinv gives this soup a wonderful flavour. For a vegetarian versian, omit the meatballs and use vegetable stock instead.
Ingredients
Method
Finely chop all the herbs, either by hand or in a food processor (do not overchop them in the processor), and set aside. In a large heavy-based pan, add the olive oil and the onions, stir to mix, and cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes until caramalized (do not rush this stage as the cooked onions form the base of the soup); stir occasionally at first and more frequently as the onions begin to change colour to prevent them from burning.
Add the turmeric, cumin and cinnamon, stir for 30 seconds, then add the rice, split peas, barley, and stock. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to the lowest setting, put the lid on and simmer for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the meatballs: add all the ingredients to a large bowl and knead with your hand until evenly mixed, then shape into small meatballs (about 2-3cm in diameter). Set aside.
Add the chopped herbs, pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses to the soup pan and stir well until fully mixed. Bring to the boil, add the meatballs, bring back to the boil and then turn the heat to the lowest setting, put the lid on and simmer for 50 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Cook for a further 3 minutes on a medium heat without the lid.
While the soup is simmering, make the toppings and set aside. To serve, garnish the soup with the fried mint topping, and crispy fried onion if using, and scatter over some pomegranate seeds if you like.
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