HyeFeastLA: Armenian Yogurt Soup with Meatballs

LOS ANGELES — If you’re looking for traditional comfort food, make a bowl of this nourishing Armenian Yogurt Soup with Meatballs (Madzoon ov kofte), often called tanabour (usually made with barley) or spas. It’s a dish from HyeFeastLA that is sure to satisfy. Lena Ghadanian Artunian, a third generation chef, has been cooking since the age of 7. She is a gifted creator, private chef, and food blogger. Born in Lebanon into a culturally rich family, Lena developed a keen interest in food at a young age. Her family owned Zouhour Restaurant since 1970 in Aleppo, Syria, then to Beirut, Lebanon, before coming to the U.S. in 1978.

“My grandfather and father owned Zouhour Restaurant in North Hollywood. Later, my father opened and operated Mihran’s Restaurant in Tarzana for over 20 years. It was ranked the Top 10 Best Middle Eastern Restaurant in the San Fernando Valley by the Los Angeles Times. My father passed away due to a heart attack in 2011 at the age of 60. I promised myself I would keep his memories and traditions alive by cooking the recipes that I learned from him and my family.”

Lena shares old family recipes, often forgotten today and difficult to find, and how to reproduce them with the proper skill and knowledge. “Dried mint is often used in Middle Eastern cooking; its flavor is quite different from that of fresh mint, so if you can’t find it, it’s better to omit it than to substitute fresh. Chicken broth gives this soup added depth, but it can be replaced with water or vegetable broth. You can serve this dish as an alternative to chicken soup to soothe cold and flu symptoms. It can also be served cold during the hot summer months,” adds Lena.

Chicken Broth Base:

1 whole organic chicken, rinsed

1 bay leaf

Kufteh (Meatballs):

1 lb. extra lean eye round beef, finely ground (found in Armenian or Middle Eastern markets as chikufteh meat)

1 1/2 cups fine #1 bulgur (soaked and knead until softened)

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a flat sheet pan and mix with some water until well combined. Dip hands in a bowl of ice cold water, then roll meat-bulgur mixture into a golf ball about 3/4-inch to one inch in size. Make a small hole in each meatball, add some of the butter with onion stuffing (below) inside, seal with your fingers, and round it off with your palms with some water.

Butter and Onion Stuffing:

1 stick unsalted butter, cubed in small pieces

2 tablespoons finely chopped onions

Sprinkle the salt, Aleppo pepper, black pepper, and some dried mint on the butter pieces, and mix together.

Yogurt mixture for the broth:

2 cups plain yogurt

2 tablespoons labneh

1 beaten egg

1 tablespoon flour or cornstarch

Dried mint, if desired

With a hand or immersion blender, mix the above ingredients from the yogurt mixture until it is smooth and without any lumps.

Once the chicken has boiled, remove the chicken, bay leaf, and onions, and clean the broth with a mesh strainer. Shred the chicken and set it aside. Add the meatballs to the boiling broth and let them cook for 10-15 minutes, until they float to the surface. Remove meatballs using a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel. Add a teaspoon of crushed dried mint and Aleppo pepper to the broth.

Slowly add the chicken broth one ladle at a time into the yogurt egg mixture until it is a smooth consistency; this process is called tempering. Once all of the yogurt broth has been added, stir with a wooden spoon so yogurt does not separate. Add the meatballs back into the broth and continue to cook at a low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring continuously. Serve immediately.

Lena learned to master traditional Syrian, Lebanese and Armenian recipes and did not stop even after her father’s death. She felt responsible for keeping her family’s legacy alive. To make her dream come true, she began HyeFeastLA 12 years ago on Instagram. Lena had a strong determination when it came to her mission: to share her family’s recipes while helping others establish meaningful connections with traditional Middle Eastern cooking and skills. For information about private cooking classes or special orders, contact Lena at: (818) 421-0119 or at hyefeastla@gmail.com.

Lena offers private cooking class packages for individuals and groups interested in learning how to cook like a professional.

For this recipe, go to:

https://m.facebook.com/armenianandmiddleeasterncooking/posts/10159154963550794/

https://www.facebook.com/armenianandmiddleeasterncooking/photos/a.285910765793/10158261645170794/?type=3

For Lena’s recipes, see: https://hyefeastla.com/

Connect at:

https://www.facebook.com/HyeFeastLA/

https://www.instagram.com/hyefeastla/

https://www.youtube.com/@hyefeastlacookingshow/about

https://hyefeastla.com/cooking-classes

See:

https://euronewsdaily.com/an-archive-of-tastes-this-is-how-hyefeastla-by-lena-artunian-is-helping-people-connect-with-old-family-recipes/