Azerbaijani Dumpling Soup

by Cathy Katin-Grazzini

Serves 4-6 | Prep time 2 hours | Cook time 30 minutes

Dyushbara stuffed dumplings are as tiny as you can make them. Beloved throughout Azerbaijan, traditional dyushbara are stuffed with mutton and served in a meaty broth. But we can do better!

In our plant-based version we’ll use whole durum wheat or white whole wheat and homemade soy yogurt for the dough instead of white flour, eggs, and oil. And we’ll stuff the tortellini-like dumplings with spinach, potato, garlic and dill, instead of mutton. Then we cook the dumplings in an aromatic vegan broth. In classic Azerbaijanii tradition dyushbara is accompanied by a vinegar-garlic sauce to dip the dumplings into if you like. Any excuse for a cooking party is my idea of fun, so invite some friends over and make a dyushbara party of it!

Pasta

300 grams (about 2 1/8 cups) whole durum wheat (chappati) flour or whole white wheat flour ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric 1/2 teaspoon shiro (mild, white) miso paste 200 grams (about 2/3 cup) soy yogurt, drained well

Filling

2 medium organic russet potatoes, whole and unpeeled 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut in quarters A small handful of fresh thyme, rosemary, sage sprigs, singly or combined 1 pound fresh spinach, steamed, cooled, squeezed to yield ¾ cup, chopped finely OR ¾ cup defrosted and squeezed frozen chopped spinach 1 head garlic, dry roasted and peeled 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped OR 1 tablespoon dried mint Freshly ground black pepper, to taste 3 tablespoons shiro (mild, white) miso paste, or to taste

Broth

1 large yellow onion, peeled and cut in quarters 2 stalks celery, cut in 2-inch sections 1 carrot, cut in 2-inch sections 1 entire leek, well cleaned and cut in 2-inch sections 2 cloves garlic, peeled 2 bay leaves 1 big handful fresh dill and/or parsley, roughly chopped 1 tablespoon tomato paste, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water ¼ teaspoon saffron filaments, crushed 3 quarts water Freshly ground black pepper to taste 4 tablespoons shiro (mild, white) miso, or to taste, diluted in the hot broth

Optional finishing sauce

½ cup red or white wine vinegar mixed with 2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced

Photo by Giordano Katin-Grazzini

Directions To Make the Pasta

In a food processor add the pasta ingredients and run it for 1 ½ minutes or until it gathers into a ball. Add a little more flour or yogurt as needed to create a soft, pliant ball of dough. Knead to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plastic bag and allow the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

To Make the Filling

Peel the loose outer leaves off the head of garlic and roast it in the oven at 375°F/190°C for 30 minutes. Cool and peel. Add the onion and herbs to a medium saucepan filled with water, season with shiro miso to taste, bring to a boil. Slide in the potatoes and simmer until tender before they begin to split. The potatoes are ready when they slide off an inserted knife. Do not overcook. Drain. Return the potatoes to the dry pot, heat over a low flame for a minute to dry them thoroughly. Remove the potatoes, set aside and as soon as they are cool enough to handle press them through a potato ricer into a clean bowl. Alternatively, you can peel them and mash them well until no lumps remain. The potatoes should be quite dry and crumbly. Steam the spinach or defrost it, if frozen. Squeeze out as much water as you possibly can. Chop. Add the spinach to the potatoes. Mash the roasted, peeled garlic cloves with a fork and stir them into to the mix. Now add the nutritional yeast, chopped herbs, and season with pepper to taste.

To Make the Broth

Crush the saffron pistils in a mortar and pestle. Steep them in 2 tablespoons very hot water for 15 minutes. Dissolve the tomato paste in 2 tablespoons water, stir until smooth. In a medium soup pot, add all broth ingredients except the tomato paste, saffron and herbs, cover with water 2 inches and bring to a boil. Lower flame, cover, simmer for 2 hours or until veggies are extremely soft and the broth is fragrant. Add the dissolved tomato paste, saffron and its soaking liquor, and the chopped herbs. Cook for a few more minutes to blend the flavors. Strain and discard the soup vegetables. Season with pepper and miso to taste.

To Make the Dyushbara Dumplings

Remove half the dough and return the rest to the plastic bag. Press the dough to flatten and roll it to about 2mm in thickness, about 1/16, flipping and dusting with flour to prevent sticking as needed. Cut the dough in 3 cm strips (about 1 1/8”), then cut them perpendicularly to create squares. Cover them with a slightly damp kitchen linen or plastic wrap to prevent drying. Add a tiny lump of filling to on square at a time, keeping the rest covered. Fold the dough into a triangle, pressing the edges well to seal them.

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