Bosnian Tarhana Soup
187kcal
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 oz dried Bosnian tarhana Coarse granular tarhana or trahana; not fine Turkish tarhana powder.
- 1 1/16 cups cold water For soaking; retain all of it.
- 1 3/8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour Original flour: German Type 405.
- 1 1/3 tbsp tomato paste Choose a plain paste without added salt.
- 1 1/3 tsp sweet paprika Not hot or smoked paprika.
- 10 1/2 oz plain tomato passata Unsweetened and without added salt; see notes on US tomato puree.
- 4 cups unsalted beef broth Defatted; do not use salted broth with the same added salt.
- 1 1/2 tsp fine salt Divide between the broth and finishing; see broth note.
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper US spoon measure is rounded.
Equipment
- Kitchen scale Use weight for the dry tarhana; granule sizes vary.
- Measuring cup
- Medium bowl For soaking the granules.
- Heavy soup pot At least 3 quarts for the base recipe; use a larger pot when scaling.
- Whisk
- Flat-edged spoon For stirring across the bottom and corners.
- Ladle
Method
- Measure and soak. Put the measured dry tarhana in the bowl, add the measured cold water, and stir well. Leave for 15 minutes, stirring twice so the granules moisten evenly. Keep all the soaking liquid.
- Make a pale roux. Once the soaking time is complete, melt the butter in the soup pot over medium-low heat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk for about 2 minutes. Keep the roux pale rather than browned.
- Warm the tomato paste. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the sweet paprika for no more than 10 seconds, then immediately add the passata to stop the paprika from scorching. Whisk smooth.
- Add the broth. Whisk in the beef broth gradually, starting with about one-third and adding the rest in two additions. Stir in most of the measured salt, reserving a little for finishing, and add the pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer the tomato base for 5 minutes.
- Add tarhana and its water. Stir the soaked granules again to lift any settled starch, then slowly pour the entire mixture into the simmering soup while whisking. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer; do not boil vigorously.
- Simmer and stir. Cook gently for about 18–20 minutes, stirring at least every 2 minutes with the flat-edged spoon, including the bottom and the corners. Check a granule near the end: it should be tender but still recognizable, without a hard or floury center. Coarser products may need a little longer; follow their doneness cues.
- Finish and rest. With genuinely unsalted broth, stir in the reserved measured salt. If the broth or tarhana already contains added salt, taste first and use only what is needed. Remove from the heat, cover, and rest for 5 minutes. Stir again; the soup should be lightly thickened and easy to ladle, with visible tender granules.
- Serve. Divide the soup evenly among the selected number of servings and serve hot. Offer bread separately. Do not add yogurt, sour cream, lemon, or other acid to this fixed preparation.
Notes
Choose the right tarhana: Use coarse, dry Bosnian tarhana/trahana granules. Fine Turkish fermented tarhana powder absorbs liquid differently and is not a 1:1 replacement. Ordinary pasta, couscous, and bulgur make a different soup. Commercial Bosnian granules also vary in sourness and composition.
Allergens and US shopping: Look in Bosnian/Balkan groceries or specialist US European-food shops. Check the actual ingredient list and allergen statement: wheat/gluten is present, and some granules contain egg or other allergens. Butter adds milk. Check broth ingredients and certification if you require halal products.
Measurements and liquid: Metric preserves the original formula; US quantities are rounded practical equivalents. The soaking water and broth together total 1.2 liters at the base yield, in addition to the passata. Keep all the soaking water. Do not add more dry granules simply because the soup looks loose before its final rest.
Timing: Allow about 10 minutes to measure, 15 minutes to soak, 35 minutes to prepare and simmer the soup, and 5 minutes to rest: about 1 hour 5 minutes. This schedule keeps the soak separate from cooking. Granule size and the time needed to bring the pot to a simmer can change the estimate.
Broth and salt: Use genuinely unsalted, defatted beef broth. Reduced-sodium broth still contains added sodium and is not the same. If that is all you have, withhold most of the recipe salt and season gradually after cooking; do not add the full listed salt automatically.
Tomatoes: Use plain unsweetened passata. In the US, plain unsalted strained tomatoes or tomato puree can work if their consistency is similar; a dense puree may make the soup thicker. Seasoned tomato sauce and condensed tomato soup are different products.
Scaling: 2x makes 8 servings and 3x makes 12. Use a pot with safe stirring headroom. Keep the gentle simmer and individual granule doneness test; a bigger pot takes longer to heat, and cooking times do not simply multiply.
Storage and reheating: Divide leftovers into shallow containers promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F/32°C) at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 2 days. Reheat while stirring to at least 165°F (74°C), bringing the soup to a boil. Add a little water or unsalted broth as needed because the granules continue to thicken the liquid.
Calorie estimate: About 187 kcal per quarter of the base recipe, excluding bread. The model uses dried Bosnian tarhana at 360 kcal per 100 g, defatted unsalted broth at 5 kcal per 100 ml, and USDA food-composition values for unsalted butter, flour, unsalted tomato puree and paste, paprika, and black pepper. The tomato puree is a proxy for passata; brand labels can change the result. Other nutrient values are omitted because a complete matched brand profile was not verified.