This is such a delicious soup I just have to share it with you. Â It’s a very traditional soup, and it’s one of my favorite soups. This soup is a staple at our house and we make it often. Â ”Ciorba” in romanian usually refers to sour soups with vegetables and some form of meat. Â They are made sour by adding either lemon juice, “bors” which is fermented wheat bran, sauerkraut juice, or sometimes even vinegar. Â Most of the time I just use lemon juice and this gives the soup a very nice sour taste. Â Also Romanians differentiate between “ciorba” and soup, soup is usually clear and has no added acid. Â I grew up with this soup, my mother used to make it quite often, and as I said it’s one of my favorite soups.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb of ground meat (you can use chicken, pork, turkey, beef, whatever you prefer, you may even combine meat, such as beef and pork)
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup of long grain rice
- 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs
- parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 carrots grated, or cut in very small pieces
- 2 stalks of celery cut in very small pieces
- 2 tbsp of tomato paste or 1 cup of tomato juice
- juice of one lemon
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg, beaten
- parsley for garnish
Instructions:
- To start this off it’s very simple. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs and start forming small meatballs about 1 inch in diameter, or even smaller, depends on how much patience you have. The smaller they are the cuter they look.
- In a big pot, heat the oil and then add the vegetables and fry until the onion is clear.
- Add about 8 to 10 cups of water, you may even add beef or chicken broth to this, depending on the meat you’re using. Wait for the soup to start boiling, then add the meatballs one at a time.
- Keep boiling, when the meatballs are done, they will rise to the top, add the the tomato juice or paste, lemon juice, salt and pepper and let the soup simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Very slowly pour in the eggs in a steady stream. To make shreds, stir the egg rapidly in a clockwise direction for one minute.
- When the soup is done, add the parsley. Serve this hot with a bit of sour cream.
I guarantee your family will love and enjoy this.
Enjoy!
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I made the soup today and it was AMAZING! My husband and three kids absolutely loved it! I love making soups and this one is definitely at the top of my favorites! Thank you for a delicious recipe!
Hi Aura,
Glad you liked it, this is also one of my favorite soups.
This might be a dumb question…but do you put the rice in uncooked?
Hi Liz,
It’s a valid question, yes you put the rice in uncooked, it will cook as you keep cooking the soup.
I made the ciorba today, and it was a big hit with my non-Romanian family. I did not change a thing. Growing up Romanian, I do not recall my mother or grandmother using lemons ever. I think the lemon gives it a nice flavor. Thanks so much for posting this and other Romanian recipes. God bless.
Thanks Diana. I’m so glad you liked it. My mom never used lemons either, but my husband convinced me once to use lemons and I never used vinegar since. Hope you try some other Romanian recipes as well.
Absolutely! I plan on making all the Romanian recipes you have posted. I am still hunting down an English recipe for cremesh pastry. I’m sure you get this all the time, but thanks so much for what you do. God bless.
Oh I would love a cremesh right now. Ok, I must find a recipe and try and make it. Maybe for Christmas. Thank you for your kind words.
Perfect for the chilly weather. I love the meaty taste and combination of flavors. Would it be okay if I add more veggies?
Absolutely, you can add more veggies, the soup will just get a bit thicker.