Submitted by:
James Wrocklage
Category:
Soup/Salad
Country of Origin:
Azerbaijan
Cook time:
45 minutes
Serves:
24
Ingredients:
2 pounds (900 g) plain, low-fat Greek yogurt
2 quart (2 liters) water
1/2 cup short or medium grain rice
1 egg
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch dill (some grocery stores have HUGE bunches of dill. If the bunch of dill is the same size as the bunch of cilantro, remove 1/3 or so of the bunch).
1 bunch parsley
1/2 bunch mint (3 to 4 stalks. Remove leaves and discard stalk.)
4 gloves garlic
1 can (400 g) chickpeas (optional: makes a more filling soup, but not as good for serving cold or in a glass in my opinion).
Salt to taste
Steps:
1. Boil rice in 2 cups water in a 5 quart/ltr or larger pot since all the ingredients will eventually go in this pot. Set aside to cool.
2. While rice is boiling/cooling, wash and finely chop herbs and garlic.
3. After rice is cool (don’t have to wait until cold, just not hot), crack the egg into the rice and mix well.
4. Add yogurt to rice/egg and mix well.
5. Gradually add water rice/egg/yogurt and mix well.
6. Put on medium heat and slowly bring to a boil, stirring NON-STOP. This is the toughest part of this recipe – you really must stir almost constantly in order to get a smooth texture. If you stop stirring for too long, the Dovga will become grainy or the yogurt can curdle and separate from the water. It should take about 20 minutes to bring to boil.
7. Once the Dovga begins to boil, reduce heat, add herbs and garlic (and optional chick peas), and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir frequently, but you no longer have to stir constantly like in Step 6.
8. Turn off the heat and salt to taste. It’s important to add salt only after the Dovga is done cooking and off the heat. Adding salt during cooking can also make the yogurt curdle.
9. Serve hot, immediately, or refrigerate and serve cold. I like my Dovga served in a glass but it is also good as a soup in a bowl.
What makes this recipe special?
The recipe was taught to me by my host mother, Rafiqa, during my Peace Corps service in Azerbaijan (2009 to 2011). Dovga is a very healthy soup with lots of protein. It is also good for digestion.