I first had ayran aşı during a lunch break while shooting the photos for my first book. You’d think when you spend all day taking pictures of food, that’s also what you’d be eating for lunch and dinner. While that’s often the case, just as often you feel like eating something completely different.
We do most shoots in the summer, which in Istanbul means it’s hot and humid. If you’ve spent the whole morning cooking and photographing meat and stews, for example, you’re definitely going to want something lighter and fresher for lunch. (Rest assured what’s not eaten on the day goes into boxes for the freezer.)
Seven years later, ayran aşı is still one of my favourite summer foods, especially on hot days. It’s a simple but delightful blend of yoghurt, grains and chickpeas. Herbs add to the freshness. As its name suggest: The meal version of ayran, the salted yoghurt drink so popular alongside kebabs and meatballs.
The only thing that takes time (though no effort) is cooking the grains and chickpeas. If, like me, you’re going to be eating this more than once, cook up a bigger batch. It’ll keep for a week or more in the fridge, assuming you’ve stored it in a clean, sealed container. You can also freeze it. With cooked grains and chickpeas at hand, whipping up a batch of ayran aşı takes only a couple of minutes. And once you get the hang of it, you won’t even need to measure anything.
My version is similar to the one enjoyed by Bahar and myself that summer, with cucumber added for texture and cool freshness. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do!
Ayran aşı (Cold yoghurt soup)
Ingredients
- 100 g pearl wheat, barley or another grain (3½ oz/½ cup)
- 300 g Greek yoghurt, 10½ oz/1¼ cup, or another thick natural yoghurt (preferably Greek or Turkish style)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 300–500 ml cold water, 1¼–2¼ cups, depending on desired consistency
- 250 g cooked chickpeas, from 100 g/½ cup dried, soaked and cooked, or 1 400 g/14 oz can, rinsed and drained
- 3 Middle Eastern cucumbers, partially peeled, then diced
- 2 Tbsp finely sliced mint leaves, plus extra to garnish (optional)
- salt
How I make it
- Bring a small pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pearl wheat (or other grain) and leave to simmer until tender, usually 20–30 minutes (som grains may need longer). Drain, then cool immediately under running cold water. You can also use an ice bath, but I find that to be more hassle than necessary. Drain again.
- Whisk the yoghurt, olive oil, lemon juice and dried mint until lump free and well mixed. Gradually add cold water until you reach your preferred constitency (some like it thick, others thin). Season to taste with salt. I use around ½ tsp, but this’ll depend on how much water you’ve added.
- Add the chickpeas, cooked grains, diced cucumber and fresh mint. Stir gently with a spoon until mixed.
- Divide into bowls. Garnish with extra virgin olive oil and fresh mint.
