Vermicelli Soup with Fried Hellim
A recipe for Vermicelli Soup with Fried Hellim! Toasted noodles are served in a spiced broth with fried hellim/halloumi pieces.
Servings 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube crumbled
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon tatlı biber salçası (Turkish sweet/mild red pepper paste)
- 8 3/4 cups (900 milliliters) boiling hot water
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 5 1/2 ounces (150 grams) dried durum wheat vermicelli broken into 1 1/4 inch (3 centimeter) strands
- 1 teaspoon dried mint plus extra to garnish
- 1 teaspoon pul biber (Aleppo pepper/Turkish red pepper flakes) plus extra to garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper plus extra to garnish
- 5 1/2 ounces (150 grams) hellim (halloumi cheese) washed and cut into 3/4 inch (2 centimeter) cubes
- 1 large lemon juiced, plus extra to serve
Instructions
- In a large jug, whisk the crumbled stock cube, the tomato purée and tatlı biber salçası into the boiling water until dissolved. Leave to one side.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large pot and place on the stovetop over low heat.
- Once hot, add the vermicelli to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously so that each strand browns evenly.
- Once the vermicelli strands are a rich golden-brown color, take the pot off the heat. The vermicelli will continue to darken a little once removed from the heat.
- Allow the vermicelli to cool down in the pot for a few minutes (to prevent the oil and liquid from reacting and dangerously splattering when the stock is added), then carefully pour in the stock mixture.
- Place the pot back on the stovetop over medium heat, stir through the dried mint, pul biber, sea salt flakes and coarse black pepper, bring the soup up to a boil, then simmer on low-medium heat for 10-12 minutes until the vermicelli is cooked but still has a little bit of bite to it (add another 1/2-3/4 cup, 120-180 milliliters of boiling water to the pot while it's cooking if you feel like the soup needs loosening a little).
- Brush a small frying pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place the pan on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Pat the Hellim cubes dry with paper towels and carefully add the cubes to the hot oil.
- Cook the cubes for a couple of minutes, ensuring to turn them frequently until the cubes are a lovely golden-brown all over. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels (to soak up excess oil).
- Once the soup is ready, stir through the lemon juice, take the pot off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls, add the crispy hellim cubes, sprinkle over a little more dried mint, pul biber and coarse black pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste.