Prep. time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

A "medicinal" soup
Rice is a very important ingredient in Turkish soups. It must be well cooked to be pleasing to the palate. Rice soup with yogurt is the Turkish version of chicken soup: a panacea for everything from mild depression to colds and upset stomachs. If the yogurt is homemade, recovery is guaranteed, they say. This soup absolutely has to be seasoned with dried or fresh mint.

1. Wash and dry the rice. Place it in a saucepan with the water and salt. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and yogurt; add the egg and a few spoonfuls of cooking water from the rice to temper the mixture and continue whisking for a few moments.
3. Gradually pour into the saucepan containing the rice soup, stirring constantly until it returns to a boil. Continue cooking for 10 minutes over very low heat.
4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet and sauté the mint until slightly crunchy.
5. Serve the soup sprinkled with mint.

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With the collaboration of the Turkish Embassy, Tourism Office and Cultural Ministry