Avsor is a winter soup from Bitlis that brings together ingredients dried and stored through the summer: chickpeas, dried beans, cracked wheat, and lamb. It simmers for a long time so the legumes’ starch can thicken the soup; flour or tomato paste is not what gives it body.
Drain the soaking water. Boil the chickpeas and dried beans separately in fresh water, skimming off the foam, for 45 minutes, until they can be mashed. Do not discard the cooking liquid.
Melt half the butter in a pot and brown the cubed lamb until it releases and reabsorbs its juices, then browns at the edges. Add the diced onion and cook until translucent.
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until its raw smell is gone and the oil turns red.
Add the soaked cracked wheat, the cooked legumes with their cooking liquid, and 2 liters of hot water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 40 minutes. The soup should thicken on its own and some of the grains should break down when stirred with a spoon. Add the salt and black pepper at this stage.
Melt the remaining butter, drizzle it over the soup, and simmer for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat.
Soak the chickpeas and dried beans separately in cold water overnight, and soak the cracked wheat for 2 hours. Add the legumes to the tomato-paste base only after they are boiled and tender; acidity from the tomato paste, not salt, can keep them firm. Allergens: based on the ingredient list, contains wheat (gluten) and dairy. Check packaged products for other allergens.
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