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–+ servings

Chilled wheat and chickpea kefir soup

Prep Time 15 minutes
Chilling time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4 servings
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Ingredients

  • 120 g cooked wheat berries Use cooked pearl wheat, cooled and drained. Cooked pearl barley is an alternative, sold in Taiwan as peeled barley.
  • 130 g cooked chickpeas Cooled and drained. Rinse and drain canned chickpeas before using.
  • 250 ml plain milk kefir Unsweetened and chilled.
  • 200 ml plain yogurt Unsweetened and chilled.
  • 400 ml cooled boiled water
  • ½ bunch fresh mint
  • ½ bunch fresh dill Fresh parsley can replace dill.
  • ½ tsp salt

You will need

  • Measuring jug
  • Sieve
  • Large mixing bowl and whisk
  • Knife and chopping board
  • Covered container
  • Saucepan, if cooking the wheat yourself

Instructions

  • Wash the mint and dill, then pat dry.
  • Finely chop the mint and dill.
  • Whisk the yogurt in a large bowl until smooth.
  • Whisk the cooled boiled water into the yogurt a little at a time until evenly mixed.
  • Stir the chilled milk kefir into the yogurt mixture.
  • Gently fold in the cooked wheat and chickpeas, both cooled and drained.
  • Stir in the chopped herbs and salt.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Gently stir the soup, then divide among four small bowls and serve cold.
    • Start with wheat and chickpeas that are already cooked and cooled; cooking them from dry takes extra time.
    Soak dry pearl wheat overnight, then simmer in plenty of water until tender, usually 40–60 minutes. Check it often, because grains vary. Drain, immediately rinse with cooled boiled water to cool, then drain again before measuring. If cooking ahead, refrigerate promptly in a shallow container.
    The soup thickens as it stands in the fridge. Stir in a little more cold boiled water until it is as thin as you like it.

Storage and safety

Cover and refrigerate at 4°C (40°F) or below. Eat within 2–3 days, counting any time the cooked wheat or chickpeas have already spent in the fridge. If the dairy products’ use-by dates or after-opening instructions give an earlier limit, follow that limit. Discard soup or cooked grains left out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32°C (90°F).