Persian Cold Yogurt Soup - Abdoogh Khiar

Stay cool this summer with this Persian Cold Yogurt Soup - Abdoogh Khiar. This tasty yogurt soup is made with simple, natural and healthy ingredients.

Every time I'm write a Persian recipe post, my heart skips a bit.

It's a sign, you know? Unicorns are calling for more Persian food, and I know you are too. So here is my ultimate summer go-to meal, Abdoogh Khiar a.k.a. Persian Cold Yogurt Soup. Trust me, this will make your summer much cooler and more delicious.

A traditional healthy cold soup

Did you know that yogurt (especially plain) helps your body cool down on hot summer days? So does cucumber. This Persian cold yogurt soup is made of a yogurt+water base called "Doogh" and other basic ingredients to balance the cold soup.

Abdoogh Khiar is perfect for hot summer days when you want something light and easy that's not a salad or a sandwich. This chilled yogurt soup is also has herbs and walnuts which balances well with raisins and dried Persian rose petals. You can find the recipe for this cold yogurt soup and many other Persian recipes in my cookbook, The Enchantingly Easy Persian Cookbook. 

I remember that when I was in Iran, we always used to celebrate the beginning of summer with a big bowl of Persian cold yogurt soup. In my family, it was a summer ritual, just like taking a long nap under the air conditioner because summers is Iran are HOT. I mean really hot!

And every day in summer that we didn't know what we wanted for lunch or dinner, of course Abdoogh Khiar was the way to go because you can never, ever go wrong with this cold soup. I know, some of you might think "but seriously? Cold soup? Ugh!" Trust me on this one, I have never given you a bad recipe and this one, like all the other Persian recipes I publish here, has been in my family for generations and definitely tested on my American husband to make sure it's "American Approved." And it totally is!

Notes and tips about Persian cold yogurt soup:

• I use California seedless raisins but if you have like other raisins, go with them.
• For herbs, I use a combination of mint, parsley, dill and basil. What we want here is the flavor and aroma of an herb combination. If you don't have all these herbs at hand, just use a couple of them. You can also use chives, tarragon or even cilantro if you like. I tried cilantro instead of parsley and liked it.
• You can find dried mints in the spice aisle of almost every supermarket.
• Dried Persian rose petals are available in Middle Eastern/Iranian shops or sometimes Turkish shops. You can rub them between your fingers to powder them or use a clean coffee grinder and grind just the petals. This is an optional ingredient. It makes the cold yogurt soup very tasty but it's not necessary.
• The ratio of the ingredients are totally up to you and your preference. I always like my soup to be somehow thicker because the ice melts and makes it just right.
• As for bread, I used lavash bread here. I didn't dry it here but you can simply cut it into small pieces and bake it in the oven (400F) for 10 minutes until crispy and dry. You can also use flour tortilla if you can't find lavash. And if you can't find either of these two, just go with any bread you have. It's going to taste fantastic!

 

Looking for more Persian recipes? Check these out!

• Kabab Tabei - Persian Pan Kebab
• Ghormeh Sabzi - Persian Herb Stew
• Persian One Pot Tomato Rice - Dami Gojeh Farangi
• Maman's Chicken Frittata -Kookooye Morgh
• Adas Polo - Persian Lentil Rice
• Persian Eggplant Soup
• Turkish Yogurt Soup
• Cacik Recipe Turkish Yogurt and Cucumber

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