Iraqi turnip soup is an ancient recipe and loved all over the country. This version is a red version, there are also green and white versions as well. The soup has a tangy tart flavor that is delicious. The recipe calls for 10 semolina kubba, however, I used the potato chap (kubbi) we made for the appetizer. It is nearly the same other than the outside is semolina and rice instead of potato. It worked out beautifully. To be honest, turnips were not part of my upbringing, and I can not recall ever eating a turnip before. It is a lovely vegetable similar to potato in texture but with a little zing. Almost the flavor of horseradish. This soup is hearty and could easily be a meal by itself. We served a small portion as the soup for our Iraqi meal. You can serve it with additional lemons as some love it very tart. Enjoy!
- 8 cups boiling water
- 3 Tbsp ground rice
- 4 stock cubes
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ tsp chili
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 3 medium-large turnips
- ¾ cup lemon juice
- 10 pieces semolina kubba (or Potato Chap)
- 2 cups shredded fresh chard
- 1 cup chopped coriander
- Peel and cut the turnips in into chunks . There should be about 2 to 3 cups of turnip.
- Over medium-high heat, add 4 cups of boiled water to the ground rice and stock cubes.
- Stir non-stop for 5 minutes so the rice will not clump.
- Add the tomato paste, chili, pepper, and another 4 cups of boiled water.
- Continue to stir for another 5 minutes.
- Add the turnip, and let simmer uncovered over medium to medium-low heat for 45 minutes, stirring once in a while.
- Add the lemon juice, then drop in the kubba or kubbi one by one, making sure not to overlap.
- Do not stir at this point and let simmer covered this time for another 15 minutes, until the kubba float.
- Stir in the chard, and coriander, simmer an additional 5 minutes.
- Serve the soup hot off the stove, perfect for a cold winter day.
