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Turkish

Yayla Çorbası (Turkish Yogurt and Mint Soup)

A comforting Turkish yogurt-rice soup finished with warm butter and dried mint.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 7 September 2026Updated

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Yayla Çorbası (Turkish Yogurt and Mint Soup)

35 mintotal

Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min

Serves
2
Difficulty
Medium
Spice
Mild
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Thirty minutes. The rice takes most of it; the yogurt stage at the end needs your full attention and only a few minutes.

Method

  1. Add the rinsed rice and water to a pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the rice is soft.

  2. In a bowl, whisk the curd, egg, and flour until completely smooth.

  3. Slowly whisk a few spoonfuls of hot rice water into the curd mixture to warm it gently.

  4. Pour the warmed curd mixture back into the pot while stirring continuously.

  5. Cook on low heat, stirring often, until the soup thickens slightly. Do not boil hard after adding the yogurt.

  6. Add salt. In a small pan, melt butter and stir in dried mint for a few seconds.

  7. Pour the mint butter over the soup and finish with black pepper if using.

How to tell it's done

The soup should be creamy and lightly thick, with soft rice grains and no curdled yogurt bits.

Nutrition

Per serving, from 2 servings.

256kcal

Where the calories come from

  • Protein9.1 g14%
  • Carbohydrate27.4 g43%
  • Fat12 g43%
Sugars
5.8 g
Saturated fat
7 g
Fibre
0.4 g
Sodium
1015 mg
Potassium
253 mg
Calcium
205 mg
Iron
0.8 mg

Estimated by calculation from the ingredient list, using USDA FoodData Central. Not a laboratory analysis.

Getting it right

Tip

Temper the yogurt mixture slowly with hot liquid before adding it to the pot; this prevents curdling.

What to serve it with

Serve hot as a light lunch or dinner starter with bread or a simple salad.

Common mistakes

The soup curdles into grainy threads.
Temper the yogurt properly — whisk several spoonfuls of the hot liquid into it before it goes back in the pot — and never let the soup boil afterwards. The flour and egg are there to stabilise it, but they cannot survive a hard boil.
It tastes flat.
The mint butter is not a garnish. Warming dried mint in butter for a few seconds transforms it, and yayla çorbası without that step is thin and milky.

Substitutions

  • Use thick plain curd for the best texture; very sour curd can make the soup sharp.
  • Butter gives the classic finish, but olive oil may be used for a lighter version.
  • Do not replace dried mint with fresh mint in the topping if you want the traditional flavor.

Storing and reheating

Keeps two days in the fridge and thickens considerably; loosen with water. Reheat very gently, stirring, and never let it bubble. It does not freeze — the yogurt splits irretrievably.