AI-generated image
Karalahana çorbası
Karalahana çorbası: Trabzon's collard greens soup with beans and cornmeal
Dark, ribbed karalahana is the cabbage of the eastern Black Sea, and in Trabzon and Rize winter kitchens it goes into a thick soup that is somewhere between a broth and a stew. Shredded leaves simmer with borlotti beans, onion and a spoon of pepper paste, then a handful of cornmeal is whisked in at the end to give the soup body and a gentle sweetness. It is served with cornbread, a wedge of onion and a few chilli pickles. Common mistake: leaving the tough central ribs in; they never soften and make the soup stringy. Chef's tip: the soup is noticeably better the next day, so make it ahead and loosen it with a little hot water when you reheat.
- Total time
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Wash 1 ⅛ lb collard greens or cavolo nero well, then blanch in a large pan of boiling water for 3 minutes to take the bitterness out. Drain.
5 minStep 2: Warm 3 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pot over a medium heat and soften 1 onion for 6–7 minutes, until translucent and just golden at the edges.
7 minStep 3: Add 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste and 1 tsp Turkish chilli flakes (pul biber) and stir for 1 minute, until the paste darkens and smells sweet.
1 minStep 4: Add the greens, 14 oz cooked borlotti beans, 6 ¼ cups hot water or vegetable stock and 1 tsp salt. Bring to the boil, then simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes, until the leaves are soft and silky.
30 minStep 5: Sprinkle in 3 tbsp coarse cornmeal a spoonful at a time, whisking so it doesn't clump. Simmer 8–10 minutes more, stirring often, until the soup thickens and no longer tastes gritty.
10 minStep 6: Taste for salt and serve hot with cornbread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 21 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does karalahana çorbası take?
- About 65 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Soto Banjar
Along the rivers of Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan, breakfast often means soto Banjar eaten at a wooden riverside warung, sometimes after a dawn trip to the floating market. Unlike the turmeric sotos of Java, this broth is pale and clear, perfumed with the sweet spices that traders brought up the river centuries ago: cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom and nutmeg. Shredded chicken, glass noodles, carrot and a boiled egg go into the bowl with rice cakes, and lime and a little chilli sharpen it at the table. Chef's tip: toast the whole spices in the pan for a minute before the paste goes in; it brings out their sweetness without the dusty edge of ground spice.
Indonesian
Sopa da pedra
Almeirim, a market town in the Ribatejo, is the capital of this soup; its restaurants serve it every day, and each bowl arrives with a clean stone at the bottom, after the folk tale of a friar who 'made soup from a stone' by talking villagers into giving him everything else. This is a pork soup: red kidney beans simmer with chouriço, morcela blood sausage and a piece of pork belly, then potatoes, carrots and coriander finish it into a thick, hearty bowl. Chef's tip: cook the sausages whole and slice them at the end, so they stay juicy and don't turn the broth greasy.
Portuguese
Miso soup
Miso soup (味噌汁) is drunk every day in homes all over Japan, at breakfast as well as dinner, beside a bowl of rice. The base is dashi; this vegan version uses kombu and dried shiitake instead of bonito, which gives it a deep, rounded flavour. Silken tofu and wakame seaweed are the classic fillings. It takes ten minutes; just remember not to boil the miso. Chef's tip: add the miso at the very end and never let it boil. Boiling kills the miso's fresh, fermented aroma; Japanese cooks say the soup should only 'smile', with the surface barely trembling.
Japanese