Recipe: onion soup with fenugreek
In the book The Persian Kitchen, author Yasmin Khan has beautifully portrayed Iran’s rich, nourishing culinary tradition. It is actually more than a cookbook, because Khan takes you on a journey through Iran. In between the recipes, you’ll find wonderful stories about rice fields, tea plantations, coffee bars and Iranian sweets, among other things.
According to an Iranian legend, this caramelized onion soup was eaten by the soldiers who fought under the Parthian king Arsaces in the third century BC. The soup is said to have given the soldiers more strength and endurance. Some Iranian housewives claim that it also helps with a broken heart, so this recipe has probably acquired magical powers over the centuries.
Fenugreek leaves
The soup owes its unique flavor to the slightly spicy dried fenugreek leaves (sometimes sold under the name ‘methi’), which are reminiscent of curry leaves. The soup tastes best when you fry the onions slowly over low heat, so be sure to take your time. Serve the soup with some crusty bread.
How to make onion soup with fenugreek
Melt the butter with 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Add the onion rings, toss them well so that they are coated with a layer of fat, and sprinkle with some salt. Fry them, stirring occasionally, for 30–40 minutes over low heat until golden brown and caramelized. Add 1 tablespoon of extra oil to the onion rings if they become too dry.
Add the cornstarch slurry and fry the onion rings for another 2 minutes.
Add the stock, all the spices, the mint, fenugreek leaves and lemon juice. Bring the soup to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
Poaching eggs
Taste and season the soup with salt and pepper. Crack 1 egg into a cup and carefully slide the egg into the hot soup. Add the remaining eggs to the soup one at a time in the same way. Cover the pan and poach the eggs for a few minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are still slightly runny.
Ladle the soup into bowls, place one egg in each bowl and garnish the soup with the finely chopped parsley just before serving.
Image: Matt Russel
The Persian Kitchen
Yasmin Khan
€ 24,95
Fontaine Uitgevers
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