Make Madzoonov Kufteh /Armenian Yogurt Soup

I’m not sure who I would be today if it wasn’t for my grandmother’s love. Hélène Yacoubian (née Seykeljian) survived the Armenian Genocide. Her family went into hiding and were forced to abandon their ancestral home in Aintab, Turkey. When my great grand father, a skilled tailor, didn’t return home, they knew he was killed. My grandmother always told us that they knew deep in their hearts he was killed since he would have stopped at nothing to return to them. They eventually fled and luckily survived the march to Aleppo, Syria. My grandmother was raised in Aleppo and went to a school run by French nuns, where she was given her name Hélène.

Her Canadian grandchildren lovingly nick-named her Melma. This was a result of us mispronouncing medz mamma (Grandma in Armenian), and the nick name stuck. She had a love for cooking, which she passed on to us. She loved visits with her many friends and taking care of her flowers and balcony garden. She had a limitless love for her daughters and four grandchildren. She was spiritual and held a strong Christian faith and lived by giving generously to others.  She lived for us. She passed away in 2006 and I miss her every day. She was our anchor and our unwavering champion. She survived a genocide and passed her love and strength on to us so that we would could be strong and give back to the world.

Hélène Yacoubian – World’s greatest grandmother

This is her recipe for madzoonov kufteh. It’s a delicious, nourishing soup made with chicken broth and yogurt, mint and kufteh meatballs. I hope it brings you as much comfort as it brings me.

See also Melma’s recipe for Manti. You can use this yogurt soup base and replace the kufteh with manti.

 Անուշ Ըլլայ!

Ingredients for making madzoonov kufteh

Instructions for making Madzoonov Kufteh

There are three big components to making this delicious meal. First, you make the kufteh, then you make the chicken broth and lastly you combine everything together to make the soup. You can eliminate one component simply by replacing the homemade chicken broth with store bought.

Making the kufteh

Start by sauteing the filling ingredients together and set aside to cool. Next, make the outer shell of the kufteh meatball. Add bulgur, onion and water to a large rimmed tray. Combine and knead with hands so that water is well incorporated and bulgur is well combined with water. Let rest for 5 to ten minutes to allow bulgur to absorb water. If you find the mixture very dry to the touch add water. It should not be soaking wet, just damp to the touch. Add meat and spices. Knead well until combined and has the consistency of play dough.

Shaping the kufteh

Have a bowl of water next to your station. Wet hands, and grab a ping pong ball sized amount of the kufteh shell meat. Start flattening and thinning out the walls, moistening your hands as necessary but not too much so the dough falls apart. Press the shell gently against your fingers and palm to create a ‘bowl’. Make the walls as thin as possible without the risk of it tearing. You can see how I do this in the video below. This technique has been mastered by our tantigs and grandmothers over generations, so don’t be hard on yourself if you find this tricky! Add a teaspoon of the filling, close the ‘bowl’ and roll the kufteh in your palms to seal it off.  Arrange the kufteh on a tray next to each other and not on top of each other.

Set aside what you’ll be using in your soup 10 – 12 kufteh, and the rest you can freeze. Arrange them in a freezer bag on a flat tray and freeze. You can also fry these kufteh from frozen and eat as an appetizer or meal! Simply heat your vegetable oil and carefully drop the kufteh in until they are brown and crisp- approximately 2-3 minutes per side. My kids love these in their lunches.

Freshly made kufteh balls ready for freezing or adding to yogurt (madzoon) soup

Make your own chicken stock

My grandma used to make her chicken stock from drumsticks, and then she would add the pieces of chicken right into the soup. This makes it even more filling and delicious, however making soup stock from scratch and adding chicken to your soup is completely optional. To make the stock, add all ingredients to a pot. Allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and falls off the bone. While simmering, skim the foam (fat) that surfaces. Strain the stock carefully through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. You can do you this in two batches if necessary. Remove meat from chicken and set aside. Discard bones.

Make the madzoonov kufteh

Bring chicken stock to a gentle simmer. In a large bowl, mix yogurt and egg with a whisk to a smooth consistency. Using a ladle, add the hot broth to the yogurt mixture. Keep adding the broth slowly, stirring after each ladle is added. This will warm (temper) the yogurt so that when the yogurt is eventually added to the pot, it will prevent it from separating. Do this a few times.

Place a strainer over your gently simmering chicken broth. Slowly pour the prepared yogurt mixture through the strainer. Continuously mix and return to a gentle simmer. Keep whisking while the yogurt is simmering.

Drop 10 to 12 kufteh balls into the yogurt soup. Kufteh is cooked when they float to the surface (approx. 5-10 minutes). Add the cooked chicken pieces from the broth you made (if using) and the dried mint. Once chicken is heated through and kufteh is cooked, serve! This recipe will serve 3-4 people.

In this recipe, you can replace the kufteh with manti. Find the recipe here.

Print Recipe

Madoonov kufteh: Armenian yogurt soup

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

Loading...

Main – Armenian

By Sylvia Hagopian / Armenian Dish – Serves: 3-4

Prep Time: 1 hour – Cooking Time: 1 hour – Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

• Kufteh filling
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1-pound lean ground beef
• 1 small onion, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• Kufteh shell
• 1 ½ cups bulgur #1 fine
• 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
• 1 onion, grated
• 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 cup water
• Madzoonov kufteh
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 750 gram (3 ¼ cups) plain Balkan yogurt
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of dried mint
• 10 - 12 kufteh
• Chicken pieces from broth (optional)

Instructions

Chicken broth

1

Add all ingredients to pot. Allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes or until chicken is tender and falls off the bone. While simmering, skim the foam (fat) that surfaces. Strain the stock carefully through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl. You can do you this is two batches if necessary. Remove meat from chicken and set aside. Discard bones.

Kufteh filling

2

Sauté filling ingredients and set aside in a bowl to cool. For the kufteh shell, add bulgur, onion and water to a large rimmed tray. Combine and knead with hands so that water is well incorporated and bulgur is well combined with water. Let rest for 5 to ten minutes to allow bulgur to absorb water. If you find the mixture very dry to the touch add water. It should not be wet, just damp to the touch. Add meat and spices. Knead well until combined and has the consistency of play dough.

Forming kufteh

3

To make Kufteh, have a bowl of water next to your station. Wet hands, and grab a ping pong ball sized amount of the kufteh shell meat. Start flatting and thinning out the walls, moistening your hands as necessary but not too much so the dough falls apart. Press the shell gently against your fingers and palm to create a ‘bowl’. Make the walls as thin as possible without the risk of it tearing. You can see how I do this in the video. This technique has been mastered by our tantigs and grandmothers over generations, so don’t be hard on yourself if you find this tricky! Add a teaspoon of the filling, close the ‘bowl’ and roll the kufteh in your palms to seal it off. Arrange the kufteh on a tray next to each other and not on top of each other. Set aside what you’ll be using in your soup and the rest you can freeze. Arrange them in a freezer bag on a flat tray and freeze.

Madzoonov kufteh

4

Bring chicken stock to a gentle simmer. In a large bowl, mix yogurt and egg with a whisk to a smooth consistency. Using a ladle, add the hot broth to the yogurt mixture. Keep adding the broth slowly, stirring after each ladle is added. This will warm the yogurt so that when the yogurt is eventually added to the pot, it will prevent it from separating. Do this a few times.

5

Placer a strainer over your gently simmering chicken broth. Slowly pour the prepared yogurt mixture through the strainer. Continuously mix and return to gentle simmer. Keep whisking while the yogurt is simmering.

6

Drop 10 to 12 kufteh balls into the yogurt soup. If you'd like a heartier soup, add more kufteh! If you add chicken, you can use less kufteh. Kufteh is cooked when they float to the surface (approx. 5-10 minutes). Add the cooked chicken pieces from the broth you made if using and the dried mint. Once chicken is heated through and kufteh is cooked, serve!

Notes

If you like your madzoonov kufteh thicker and creamier, simply add more yogurt. Adjust to your taste and preferences. You can also fry these kufteh from frozen and eat as an appetizer or meal! Simply heat your vegetable oil and carefully drop the kufteh in until they are brown and crisp- approximately 2-3 minutes per side. My kids love these in their lunches.