Çankırı's registered Tutmaç Çorbası combines lentils and small pieces of dough with garlic yogurt, then a topping of cooked mince, butter, mint and ground red pepper. This measured home version uses ready-dried tutmaç and starts the topping with raw beef.
Çankırı Tutmaç Çorbası — Recipe Card
Green lentil and tiny noodle soup with garlic yogurt and a beef, mint and paprika topping
Makes 6 servings · Six medium bowls. About 1 hour with ready-dried tutmaç, including a 5-minute pause before adding the yogurt.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 Çankırı Tutmaç Çorbası
Cook the lentils separately
Put the lentils in a saucepan and cover generously with extra water. Add 3 g / ½ teaspoon of the salt, bring to a boil, then simmer for 25–35 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape. Add water if needed to keep them covered. Drain and discard the cooking water; older lentils may need longer.
Simmer the noodles
Bring the measured 1,500 ml / 6¼ cups fresh water to a boil in a soup pot with the remaining 6 g / 1 teaspoon salt. Add the drained lentils and dried tutmaç. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 4–8 minutes or the packet's time, until the noodles are tender all the way through.
Make the beef topping
While the noodles cook, put the beef in a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking it into fine crumbles, until browned and reaching 71°C / 160°F. Spoon away any large pool of rendered fat. Lower the heat, add the butter and let it melt. Stir in the sweet paprika and dried mint for 15–20 seconds without scorching them. Take off the heat.
Temper the yogurt
Take the soup pot off the heat for 5 minutes. Whisk the yogurt and crushed garlic together in a bowl. Slowly whisk in 240 ml / 1 cup of hot liquid from the soup, a little at a time, then pour the warmed mixture back into the pot while stirring. Return to low heat and stir for 2–3 minutes, until steaming hot and reaching 74°C / 165°F, without a rolling boil.
Finish the bowls
If the noodles have made the soup too thick, loosen it with a little freshly boiled extra water. Divide between six bowls and spoon the warm beef, mint and paprika-butter topping evenly over them. Serve immediately.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-lentil-and-noodle-yogurt-soup-cankiri-tutmac-corbasi. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Dietary notes
Contains milk, wheat (gluten) and eggs from the specified tutmaç. This version includes beef and is not vegetarian or gluten-free. Check the noodle label for any additional allergens.
Heat level
Mild when made with pure sweet paprika. For a hotter topping, replace 1 g of the paprika with 1 g / ½ teaspoon hot pul biber; keep the rest of the recipe unchanged.
Buying tutmaç
Choose small dried squares made for soup. If unavailable, use the same 160 g / 5.6 oz of plain small wheat-and-egg pasta squares. The shape and cooking time may differ, so follow the packet and check tenderness.
Timing and measures
Cooking time includes the lentils, noodles and gentle warming; the topping cooks alongside the noodles. US cups here hold 240 ml and tablespoons 15 ml. Lentil age and noodle thickness can lengthen cooking.
How to store and reheat Çankırı Tutmaç Çorbası
Refrigerate soup and topping in shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 32°C / 90°F. Keep at 4°C / 40°F or below and use within 2 days. Reheat only the portions needed over low heat, stirring and adding a little water as the noodles absorb liquid, until steaming throughout and reaching 74°C / 165°F. Warm gently to limit yogurt separation.
Çankırı Tutmaç Çorbası: questions and answers
Why drain the lentils first?
Cooking them separately lets you check that they are tender before adding the quick-cooking noodles. Discarding the dark cooking water also keeps the yogurt broth lighter in colour.
How can I prevent the yogurt separating?
Use whole-milk yogurt, let the pot rest briefly off the heat and gradually whisk hot soup liquid into the yogurt. Stir the warmed mixture back into the pot and avoid a vigorous boil.
Why is the soup thicker later?
The noodles continue to absorb broth as they stand. Add a little water when reheating and stir gently rather than letting the base catch on the pan.
