North Africa · Soup

Kishk Sa'idi (Sun-Dried Fermented Wheat and Buttermilk Soup with Shredded Chicken)

Name: Kishk Sa'idi (Sun-Dried Fermented Wheat and Buttermilk Soup with Shredded Chicken)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Egypt
Ingredients: 150 g authentic Kishk Sa'idi dried balls; 500 g bone-in skinless chicken thighs; 1200 ml water; 1 piece medium yellow onion, quartered; 3 pieces whole cardamom pods, cracked; 1 piece bay leaf (waraq lora); 40 g clarified butter (samnah baladi); 2 pieces medium yellow onions, sliced thinly into half-moons; 3 cloves garlic, finely crushed; 250 ml whole milk (laban haleeb); 15 g all-purpose flour (daeeq); 5 g fine sea salt; 2 g ground black pepper

A velvety, tart Upper Egyptian soup made from fermented wheat spheres, rich poultry broth, milk, and golden caramelized onions.

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upper-egyptiansoupcomfort-foodfermented-grainwinter-dish

The story

In the arid expanse of Sa'id (Upper Egypt), Kishk Sa'idi represents the pinnacle of rural preservation, prepared during summer by fermenting parboiled bulgur with buttermilk before rolling into balls and sun-drying on rooftops. During the cold winter farming season, households reconstitute these nutritious spheres into a warming, restorative soup. The distinct sourness comes from months of lactic fermentation, perfectly offset by sweet, slow-browned onions.

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