Armenian-Style Bozbash
A rich Armenian soup with tender lamb, chickpeas, potatoes, and sweet-and-sour dried apricots.
Ingredients
- lamb700 g
- dried chickpeas250 g
- water2800 ml
- potato600 g
- onion200 g
- tomato paste2 tbsp
- dried apricots80 g
- clarified butter50 g
- parsley15 g
- cilantro15 g
- basil15 g
- ground black pepper0.5 tsp
- ground red pepper0.5 tsp
- salt1 to taste
Instructions
Rinse the chickpeas, cover with cold water and leave for 10 hours; then drain and boil the chickpeas until soft, about 60–90 minutes.
Cut the lamb into 30–40 g pieces, cover with 2.8 L cold water, bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and simmer covered over low heat for 60–90 minutes until partially cooked.
Remove the lamb and strain the broth. In a thick-bottomed pot, heat the ghee and sear the lamb until lightly browned.
Add the finely chopped onion and sauté for 5–7 minutes until golden, then stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the hot strained broth, add the cooked chickpeas and the potatoes cut into large chunks. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Add the dried apricots, black pepper, and red pepper; cook for another 10–15 minutes, until the lamb and potatoes are completely tender.
Season with salt 10 minutes before it's done, then stir in the chopped parsley, cilantro, and basil at the end. Remove from heat, let the bozbash rest for 10 minutes, and serve hot.