Bob Chorba: Traditional Bulgarian Bean Soup Recipe

Step-by-step recipe

1. As I've said, bob chorba can be made from any beans. I prefer small speckled beans, similar to the speckled pinto; here we call them “quail”. I don't know if that's the right name. But the traditional white or speckled beans typical of your region will do just as well. What matters is that the beans cook well and evenly while keeping their shape. The day before cooking, cover the beans with cold water to soak.
   
2. Carrot and onion are in every fridge, and in this dish they provide the thickness and the vegetable mass. Most Bulgarian recipes include celery among the vegetables. If you have no root, 1-2 green stalks will do nicely. You can also add fresh Bulgarian pepper to the chorba. I prefer the dish mildly hot, so I add a small hot pepper and dried sweet pepper, or a spice mix that contains it. Mint is essential, dried or fresh.
   
3. Bob chorba can be cooked in a pot or in a ceramic pot in a wood oven or an oven. There's no real difference. Pour 4 cups of cold water into a pot and add the soaked beans. Bring the water to a boil and skim off the foam that forms. Cook the beans over low heat, covered, until half done. This usually takes 15-20 mins. The water shouldn't bubble hard, just simmer gently.
   
4. Traditional Bulgarian bean chorba recipes can differ in the order in which the vegetables go in and in how the dressing is prepared. I decided on a simple version. Peel the carrot, onion and celery and cut them into large cubes. Remove the seeds from the hot pepper and chop it fairly finely with a knife. Leave the mint sprigs as they are. If you have no fresh mint, you can use 0.5 tsp of dried.
   
6. Add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil to the chorba; sunflower oil will do. Add the cut vegetables: onion, carrot, celery and hot pepper. Drop the mint sprigs and 1 tbsp of dried soup roots into the pot. If you use dried mint, add it just before the end of cooking. Cook the vegetables until the beans are fully done. By then the carrot will be soft, and the onion and celery stalk will have broken down, making the chorba a little thick.
   
7. Scald a large ripe tomato with boiling water and remove the skin and seeds. Chop the flesh with a knife and fry it in 1 tbsp of vegetable oil for 2-3 mins. Add salt to taste, 1 tsp of dried red pepper, 0.5 tsp of dried savory (Bulgarian chubritsa) and, if you like, a pinch of hot pepper. If you use dried mint, add it together with all the spices.
   
8. Add the resulting spicy dressing to the pot and stir. After adding the spices, take the mint sprigs out of the pot and simmer the chorba for up to 10 mins. If for some reason the dish seems not thick enough, mix a little flour with water in a cup and pour it into the chorba. The flour “cooks” very quickly and makes the dish slightly thicker.
   
9. Bean soup bob chorba is served warm or hot, but not scalding. If you like, add more heat or salt. Soups like this are usually not sprinkled with herbs; sprigs of dill and parsley are served separately with fresh white bread. If you like, add some sliced smoked meats to the bowl before serving.
   
10. Bob chorba is a hearty, nourishing first course that warms you up wonderfully in cool weather. If you like spicy dishes, feel free to add chilli. And one more thing, purely for aesthetic reasons: serve it in ceramic or clay bowls.