Ordu Pancar Çorbası / Ordu Karalahana Çorbası was registered in Türkiye as geographical indication no. 1451 in 2023. The specification gives a ten-serving formula and a clear sequence: sauté onion with fat and paste, add boiling water and a little salt before the kale, simmer with cooked beans and whole corn, then sift in cornmeal and cook until lightly thickened. This six-serving home version scales those registered quantities and uses vegetable oil, one of the permitted fats, so the base soup remains vegan.
Ordu Pancar Çorbası / Ordu Karalahana Çorbası — Recipe Card
Ordu Kale, Bean and Cornmeal Soup
Makes 6 servings · Makes about 2.8 litres / 12 cups, enough for 6 generous bowls.US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Ordu Pancar Çorbası / Ordu Karalahana Çorbası
Wash and slice the kale
Rinse the kale thoroughly under cool running water, separating the leaves so no grit remains. Dry, remove the thick central stems, stack the leaves and slice them from the stem end toward the tip into ribbons about 1 cm / 3/8 inch wide.
Soften the onion
Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until soft and lightly golden. Add the tomato or pepper paste and cook for 1 minute to remove its raw taste.
Build the soup
Carefully pour in the boiling water. Stir in about 2 g / 1/3 teaspoon of the salt before adding the greens, following the traditional step used to help retain their color. Add the cooked beans, cooked corn and sliced kale, then return the pot to a steady simmer.
Cook the greens
Simmer over medium heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the kale has wilted and begun to tenderize while the beans and corn are heated through.
Thicken without lumps
Keep the soup gently bubbling. With one hand, sprinkle the sifted cornmeal into the pot in a very thin, steady stream; with the other, stir continuously with a wooden spoon or whisk. Continue until all the cornmeal is incorporated and no dry pockets remain.
Finish the simmer
Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 15–20 minutes, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom. Add the remaining salt and the optional pul biber near the end. The kale should be tender, the cornmeal should taste fully cooked rather than gritty, and the broth should be lightly thickened but still spoonable.
Serve hot
Ladle into warm bowls and serve piping hot. Corn bread is a traditional optional accompaniment. If the soup will not be served promptly, cool it in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-kale-and-bean-soup-ordu-pancar-corbasi. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
Make it work in your kitchen
Ingredient Substitutions
These swaps change flavor or texture as described. Keep the original ingredients for the closest version of the dish.
Pul biber
Use the same amount of mild paprika for color and a gentler flavor. For heat, add a small pinch of chili flakes, then taste; chili flakes can be much hotter.
Turkish red pepper paste
Use the same quantity of tomato paste, then add mild paprika to taste. This gives a more tomato-forward flavor and will not reproduce the full pepper flavor.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Registered proportions
The official ten-serving formula uses 600–700 g kale, 4 litres water, cooked corn, cornmeal, cooked cranberry beans, onion, fat, paste and salt. This recipe scales the midpoint to six servings without changing the registered method.
Pancar means kale here
In Ordu, karalahana is locally called pancar. The soup contains dark leafy kale, not red beetroot; its finished color is deep green with a warm tint from the paste.
Kale outside Ordu
The registered product uses kale sourced within Ordu. For home cooking elsewhere, sturdy collard greens are the closest practical substitute; remove their thick stems and allow a few extra minutes if the leaves remain firm. This is a practical adaptation, not a claim of geographical certification.
Heat level
No added chili when the optional pul biber is omitted. One teaspoon of mild Turkish pul biber gives gentle warmth; use hot pul biber or a small whole hot pepper only if you want a spicy version, both of which are permitted variations in the registration.
Two forms of corn
Whole cooked corn provides bite, while cornmeal thickens the broth. Use cornmeal, not cornstarch. Traditionally the kernels may be preboiled dried corn; drained cooked or thawed frozen kernels are a practical home substitute.
Dietary notes
This vegetable-oil version is vegan. The ingredients are wheat-free by composition, but check the labels on cornmeal, paste, beans and spices if cross-contact matters; this recipe does not imply certification or suitability for coeliac disease.
Bean shortcut
Cooked cranberry or borlotti beans best match barbunya. Rinse and drain canned beans before weighing. Pinto beans are a practical substitute, but avoid beans packed in a sweet or seasoned sauce.
How to store and reheat Ordu Pancar Çorbası / Ordu Karalahana Çorbası
Divide leftovers into shallow containers, refrigerate at 4°C / 40°F or below within 2 hours, and use within 3–4 days. Reheat only the portion needed until the soup reaches a full simmer and 74°C / 165°F throughout, adding a little water if the cornmeal has thickened it in the refrigerator. Freeze for up to 2 months; thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Ordu Pancar Çorbası / Ordu Karalahana Çorbası: questions and answers
Does Ordu Pancar Çorbası contain beetroot?
No. In Ordu, the word pancar is also used for karalahana, or black kale. Red beetroot is not part of this registered soup.
Can I use canned beans and frozen corn?
Yes. Drain and rinse plain canned cranberry or borlotti beans, and thaw or briefly cook plain frozen corn. Measure both after draining so the soup keeps the intended balance.
Why did my cornmeal form lumps?
Cornmeal clumps when it is poured too quickly. Keep the soup gently bubbling, add the sifted meal in a fine stream and stir continuously. Small lumps can be pressed against the side of the pot with the spoon.
How thick should the soup be?
It should be hearty and lightly thickened, with the kale, beans and corn suspended in the broth, but still easy to ladle. Add hot water a little at a time if it becomes porridge-like.
