SAEDNEWS: Kerman Cumin Soup, also called ‘Shorbay Cumin Soup,’ is among the most flavorful traditional Iranian soups and is made without legumes or leafy greens. For a step-by-step guide on how to prepare this delicious soup, stay tuned to our cooking article.
According to SAEDNEWS: to make Kerman cumin soup, which is one of the winter soups due to the warming properties of cumin, you should first cook lamb meat with onion. Also, soak rice with salt and water in another pot and cook it separately until it becomes completely soft and sticky.
Then, mash the cooked meat and add it to the pot with the soft, sticky rice, along with salt, black pepper, cumin, and fried onion, and let it simmer over low heat. Continue reading to find the recipe for this delicious soup with meat.
Lamb meat with bone: 200 grams
Rice: 3 French cups
Onion (for fried onions): 2 large
Green cumin: 2 to 3 teaspoons
Garlic (for fried garlic): a few cloves
Salt, black pepper, and turmeric: as needed
Coriander seed powder and black cumin: as needed
Cooking oil: as needed
Dried mint: for fried mint
Keshk: for garnishing Kerman cumin soup
Kerman cumin soup, made with lamb meat combined with rice, fried onion, and spices such as green and black cumin, can be prepared. You can enjoy this traditional Kerman soup with keshk.
Before starting the recipe for Kerman cumin soup, wash the rice thoroughly to make the water clear. Then, place the rice in an appropriate container with a tablespoon of salt and some water, and soak it for 3 hours. The water should be enough to cover the rice by two fingers.
To give your soup more consistency, it's better to use semi-grain rice. But if semi-grain rice is not available, you can replace it with regular Iranian rice.
While the rice is soaking, cut the lamb meat into large pieces and wash it well. Then, place the washed meat in a colander to drain excess water. Afterward, put the lamb meat (preferably with bones) in an appropriate pot. Wash one onion, peel it, and chop it into small cubes, then add it to the pot with the meat.
Add enough water to the pot to completely cover the meat. Place the pot over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low, allowing the meat to cook for 1 to 1.5 hours until it's tender.
Once the rice has soaked for the necessary time, drain the soaked rice and put it into a different pot. Add some water and a little salt to the rice pot. Then, put the rice, water, and salt on the stove to cook slowly until it becomes soft and sticky.
After the meat and rice are fully cooked, it's time to remove the bones from the lamb meat, put the meat into a suitable container, and mash it well with a meat masher. Add the mashed meat into a large pot, and gradually add the soft, fully cooked rice with its water.
Stir this mixture continuously to ensure the meat and rice are well combined. Then, place the pot back over low heat and let it simmer for another 30 minutes.
If you feel that the soup has become too thick, you can add some boiling water to the pot at this stage. Remember to stir the pot frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
Now, it's time to prepare the fried onions for Kerman cumin soup. For this, slice the washed, peeled onions into thin strips or small cubes. Then, place an appropriate pan on medium heat to warm up.
Add the chopped onions to the heated pan and let them fry briefly without oil, so they lose their excess water. After that, add some oil to the pan and continue frying the onions until they turn golden and soft.
In the final moments, add a little turmeric to the fried onions. Wait a few moments for the turmeric to blend with the onions and release its fragrance and color. Then, turn off the heat.
In another pan, add some oil, heat it up, and fry dried mint in it for 30 seconds, then turn off the stove. Also, finely chop a few garlic cloves and fry them in some oil to prepare fried garlic for the soup.
Now, add some black pepper, green cumin, black cumin, coriander seed powder, and the fried onions you prepared earlier into the soup pot. Stir the contents of the pot well to ensure the spices are evenly distributed. Cover the pot again and let the Kerman cumin soup simmer over low heat for a while longer until the flavors meld together.
After the soup has simmered, taste it and add some salt and pepper if necessary. Then, pour the Kerman cumin soup into serving bowls and garnish it with fried onions, fried garlic, fried mint, black cumin, green cumin, or keshk.
You can replace lamb with bone with boneless lamb, but note that the bones provide a special flavor and help create a richer broth during cooking.
Instead of plain water, you can use lamb broth or meat stock for a more flavorful soup.
In some recipes, Kerman soup is made with only black cumin or only green cumin, but combining both types creates a wonderful aroma and flavor.
If you like spicy food, you can adjust the level of spiciness to your liking.
You can also sauté a tablespoon of tomato paste and add it to the soup if desired.
If you prefer, you can chop some fresh parsley and coriander and add them to the soup towards the end of cooking for a fresher taste and color.
To make the Kerman cumin soup more flavorful and sticky, you can increase the amount of fried onions and replace boiling water with meat stock. Also, using semi-grain rice instead of regular rice and combining green and black cumin are other tricks to improve the soup's consistency and flavor.
To avoid the soup burning, follow these tips:
Cook the soup in a thick, non-stick pot.
Let the soup simmer over low heat and allow the flavors to develop.
Use a flame diffuser to distribute heat evenly.
Stir the soup continuously.
Never leave the pot unattended on the stove for too long.
Adjust the thickness of the soup and make sure it doesn't become too thick or too watery.
