Spas

Ingredients

Soup

• 1 kgmatsun (Armenian yoghurt), or full-fat natural yoghurt
• 1egg, beaten
• 2 tbspplain flour
• 750 mlwater
• 100 gdzavar (coarse cracked wheat) or 80 g short-grain rice, rinsed
• 1 tspfine salt

Onion butter

• 1large onion, finely diced
• 50 gbutter
• 2 tbspdried mint, crumbled

To finish

• chopped fresh coriander or dill
• black pepper

Directions

1. Simmer the dzavar in 500 ml of the water with a pinch of salt for 20 to 25 minutes, until the grains are tender and have swollen but still have a little bite; rice takes about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile whisk the matsun, egg and flour together in a large bowl until completely smooth, then whisk in the remaining 250 ml cold water; the egg and flour are the stabiliser that stops the yoghurt splitting.
3. Pour the yoghurt mixture into a heavy pan and set over low heat, stirring constantly in one direction with a wooden spoon.
4. Keep stirring for 12 to 15 minutes as it heats. It must come to a bare simmer without ever boiling hard, and you must not stop stirring, or it will curdle into grains and whey.
5. When the surface trembles and the soup has thickened enough to coat the spoon, stir in the cooked dzavar and its liquid and season with salt.
6. In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook the onion for 10 minutes until soft and just golden, then take it off the heat and stir in the dried mint, which will bloom and turn fragrant in the hot butter.
7. Stir most of the mint butter into the soup and simmer gently for 5 more minutes so the flavours settle.
8. Ladle into bowls, spoon the remaining mint butter over the top, scatter coriander and grind over black pepper. Serve hot in winter or chilled in summer, with lavash.

Technique

• Curdling is the only real failure here. Constant stirring, low heat and the egg-and-flour binder are all three necessary, and adding cold yoghurt to a hot pan will split it instantly.
• Spas is also called tanapur, from tan, the drinking yoghurt. Made without the grain and served cold it becomes a summer soup; with dzavar and served hot it is winter food.
• Dried mint, not fresh, is the authentic finish. Fresh mint tastes green and thin against the sourness of matsun.
• It is meat-free by tradition and a Lenten staple in the Armenian Apostolic calendar, which is why the base is plain water rather than any broth.

Substitutions

• No matsun: full-fat natural yoghurt with a tablespoon of soured cream stirred in gets close; low-fat yoghurt splits far more easily and is a false economy.
• Barley or pearl spelt can replace dzavar, and some Lori households use whole wheat berries soaked overnight.

Variations

• Chilled summer spas leaves out the grain and adds cucumber and fresh herbs, closer to tan than to soup.
• A Karabakh version stirs in a handful of chickpeas alongside the wheat.

History

Yoghurt soup with wheat berries, stabilised with egg so the matsun does not split; served hot or cold.

Frequently asked questions

What is Spas?

Spas is a soup & stew from Armenia: warm yogurt soup with wheat and mint. Yoghurt soup with wheat berries, stabilised with egg so the matsun does not split; served hot or cold.

How long does Spas take to make?

Spas takes 15 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Spas?

Yes, within limits. No matsun: full-fat natural yoghurt with a tablespoon of soured cream stirred in gets close; low-fat yoghurt splits far more easily and is a false economy. Barley or pearl spelt can replace dzavar, and some Lori households use whole wheat berries soaked overnight.

What is the most important thing to get right in Spas?

Keep stirring for 12 to 15 minutes as it heats. It must come to a bare simmer without ever boiling hard, and you must not stop stirring, or it will curdle into grains and whey.