Spas
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25Total time: 
Recipe photograph by Maja Smend
Spas
This Armenian savoury soup is served cold in the summer and hot in the winter. Usually made with wheatberries, we’ve swapped in pearl barley, but you could also use rice
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25Total time: 
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Nutritional information (Serving)
Calories
378Kcal
Fat
15gr
Saturates
5gr
Carbs
49gr
Sugars
13gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
15gr
Salt
2.4gr
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Nadine Brown
When Nadine isn't busy developing delicious recipes and using her experience as a health food editor to create healthy treats, she's munching and reviewing her way around her beloved home town of Tottenham. Find out what she's cooking and eating on Instagram @n0sh.17
See more of Nadine Brown’s recipes
Ingredients
- 150g pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 600g natural yogurt
- 1 medium egg
- 1 medium egg yolk
- 400ml hot vegetable stock (made with 1 stock cube)
- 10g fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
- ½ tsp dried mint, plus extra to serve
- crusty bread, to serve
Step by step
- Put the pearl barley in a large saucepan, cover with 750ml water and add the salt. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for a further 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wide sauté pan. Sauté the onion for 8-10 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the flour and cook for a further minute. Turn off the heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, whole egg and egg yolk. Slowly whisk in the stock. Stir the pearl barley into the onion in the pan and return to a medium-low heat. Slowly whisk in the yogurt mixture and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often and lowering the heat if needed, until lightly thickened. Turn off the heat and whisk in the parsley and mint. Season to taste.
- Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with the extra parsley and mint, a drizzle of oil and some freshly ground black pepper. Serve with crusty bread.
