Begova Čorba

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in chicken thighs, about 800 g
• 2.5 litres cold water
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 2 carrots, peeled and halved
• 100 g celeriac, peeled
• 1 parsley root, peeled, or 2 extra celery sticks
• 2 floury potatoes, about 350 g
• 60 g dried okra, or 150 g small fresh okra
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 bay leaf
• 40 g butter
• 3 tbsp plain flour
• 200 ml sour cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Before you cook

• Rinse the chicken thighs under cold water and pat them dry with kitchen paper.
• Peel and halve the onion and the carrots.
• Cut the celeriac and parsley root into rough two centimetre chunks.
• Peel the potatoes and cut each one into quarters.
• Trim the tough cap off each okra pod without cutting into the pod itself, so the seeds stay sealed inside.
• Squeeze the lemon and keep the juice in a small bowl.
• Whisk the sour cream and egg yolk together in a bowl until smooth.

Steps

1. Put the chicken thighs into a large pot and pour the cold water over them.
2. Bring the pot to a rolling boil over high heat.
3. Skim off the grey foam that gathers on the surface and throw it away.
4. Add the onion, carrots, celeriac, parsley root and bay leaf to the pot.
5. Lower the heat until the broth only trembles, cover the pot and simmer for 45 minutes.
6. Put the okra in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over it until covered.
7. Stir the lemon juice into the okra and leave it to stand for 20 minutes.
8. Drain the okra and rinse it under cold running water to wash off the sticky liquid.
9. Lift the chicken out of the broth with tongs and set it on a plate to cool.
10. Lift out the carrots, celeriac and parsley root and set them aside in a bowl.
11. Fish out the onion halves and the bay leaf and discard them.
12. Add the quartered potatoes and the drained okra to the broth.
13. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, until a knife slides easily into the potato.
14. Lift the potatoes out and put them in a blender with the celeriac, the parsley root and one of the carrots.
15. Ladle in a cupful of hot broth and blend until completely smooth.
16. Pour the purée back into the pot and stir it through the broth.
17. Pull the chicken meat off the bones in generous shreds and throw away the skin and bones.
18. Cut the remaining carrot into small dice.
19. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat.
20. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring the whole time, until it smells nutty but is still pale.
21. Whisk two ladles of hot broth into the flour paste until no lumps remain.
22. Pour this mixture into the soup and stir it in well.
23. Simmer the soup for 5 minutes so the flour loses its raw edge.
24. Take the pot off the heat and let it settle for 2 minutes.
25. Whisk a ladle of hot soup into the sour cream and yolk mixture to warm it gently.
26. Pour the warmed cream back into the pot and stir it through.
27. Return the shredded chicken and the diced carrot to the soup.
28. Season with the salt and pepper, then taste and adjust.
29. Scatter the parsley over the top and serve with lemon wedges on the side.