Name: Azerbaijani Pomegranate & Spinach Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: Servings: 6
Cuisine: Azerbaijani
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons cumin seeds; 4 tablespoons vegetable oil; ¼ cup toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts or pine nuts (optional); 1 tablespoon ground angelica petals; 1 cup pomegranate seeds (1 large pomegranate); 4 cups vegetable stock* or water; 1 cup fresh mint leaves, shredded; 1 cup chopped fresh parsley; 1 cup chopped fresh dill; 1 pound baby spinach, washed and drained; ½ cup rice, picked over & rinsed; 4 cups pomegranate juice or 1 cup pomegranate paste diluted in 4 cups of water; 2 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; ¼ teaspoon cinnamon; 1 tablespoon sugar (optional); 1 tablespoon angelica powder; 1 teaspoon dried mint; 2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled; 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced; ½ cup brown lentils; ⅓ cup yellow split peas

Preparation info

Servings:
6

Difficulty
Easy
Ready in
1 hr 20

Appears in

Silk Road Cooking

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2000

About

This soup is popular all the way from Tabriz in Iran to Samarkand in Uzbekistan. Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo, a Spanish diplomat who visited Tamerlane in Samarkand in 1403, wrote, “When it came time for them to partake of the rice and soup, they all three gathered round one bowl using one spoon amongst them, which when one had done with, another would take up, and so sharing together.” Perhaps more diplomats and politicians should eat their soup this way.