🍲 Begova čorba (Bosnian bey's soup)

Name: Begova čorba (Bosnian bey's soup)
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Bosnia and Herzegovina · Sarajevo
Ingredients: 600 g chicken thighs or breast, bone-in; 150 g okra, small pods, trimmed; 2 carrots, diced; 1 small celery root or 2 celery stalks, diced; 1 onion, finely chopped; 150 ml cooking cream; Juice of 1 lemon; 1 tbsp vegetable oil, salt, pepper, chopped parsley

Origin: Bosnia and Herzegovina · Sarajevo

262kcal

per serving · 350 g

75kcal

per 100 g

18 gProtein5 g / 100 g

14 gFat4 g / 100 g

14 gCarbs4 g / 100 g

Begova čorba, the 'bey's soup', is a velvety Bosnian chicken soup with okra, carrot and celery, enriched with cream and brightened with a squeeze of lemon just before serving. The chicken is shredded into the broth, the okra gives it body and a silky texture, and the lemon keeps it fresh rather than heavy. It is often served as the opening course of a festive meal.

Diets

✓

No porkfor halal, the meat must be halal-slaughtered

✓

Gluten-freeno wheat, barley or rye in a typical recipe

✓

Keto-friendly4 g carbs per 100 g

Not vegetarianbecause of: chicken

Not veganbecause of: chicken, cream

Contains dairybecause of: cream

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Eggs ⚠ Milk ⚠ Celery

What it is made of

chickenokracarrotcelerycreamlemon

Recipe

6 servings90 min

Ingredients

600 g chicken thighs or breast, bone-in
150 g okra, small pods, trimmed
2 carrots, diced
1 small celery root or 2 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
150 ml cooking cream
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp vegetable oil, salt, pepper, chopped parsley

Method

Cover the chicken with 2 litres of water, bring to the boil, skim, add salt and simmer for 40 minutes. Lift out the chicken and shred the meat.
Soften the onion in the oil, add the carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the vegetables and the okra to the broth and simmer for 20–25 minutes until tender.
Return the chicken, lower the heat and stir in the cream without letting the soup boil.
Take off the heat, add the lemon juice, season and sprinkle with parsley.

How to make it lighter

Use breast meat and skim the fat off the broth once it cools.
Swap half the cream for extra broth — the okra still keeps the soup silky.
A big bowl is filling for few calories: make it the main course with a side salad.

History

As the name suggests, the soup is usually associated with the beys, the Ottoman-era nobility of Bosnia, and is considered one of the classic dishes of Sarajevo's traditional kitchen. Today it is a standard first course at weddings, family celebrations and Ramadan iftar meals in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →