Dovga with Meat

Ingredients

Lamb without bones - 78

onion - 10

yogurt (matsoni) - 200

rice - 25

peas - 15

wheat flour - 8

sorrel - 10

broth or water - 200

herbs

sault, pepper - to taste

Directions

Pass through a meat grinder pulp of lamb together with onions.

Add salt and pepper and mix well.

Form meatballs.

Preboil broth or water.

Put pre-soaked peas into the boiling broth or water and cook until tender.

Add washed rice, sorrel, herbs, meatballs, yogurt (matsoni), and wheat flour into the pan and boil with constant stirring.

Cook until done and serve.

Dovga is a soup made by cooking yogurt with a variety of fresh herbs such as dill, mint, and coriander. It is the national dish of Azerbaijan and can be served either cold in the summer as a refreshment, or warm in the winter. If it’s served chilled, it is often ladled into traditional, deep bowls called kasa, placed right next to the serving plates for the main dish. Unlike regular soups, Azerbaijani soups are more concentrated and dense in consistency. Dovga is also traditionally served at the wedding tables, not as a first course but between meat dishes, acting as a digestion booster.