Ayran aşı (Cold yoghurt soup)

A refreshing and filling dish for those hot summer days.

Jul 08, 2024

∙ Paid

I first had ayran aşı during a lunch break while shooting the photos for my first book. You’d think when you spend all day taking pictures of food, that’s also what you’d be eating for lunch and dinner. While that’s often the case, just as often you feel like eating something completely different.

We do most shoots in the summer, which in Istanbul means it’s hot and humid. If you’ve spent the whole morning cooking and photographing meat and stews, for example, you’re definitely going to want something lighter and fresher for lunch. (Rest assured what’s not eaten on the day goes into boxes for the freezer.)

Seven years later, ayran aşı is still one of my favourite summer foods, especially on hot days. It’s a simple but delightful blend of yoghurt, grains and chickpeas. Herbs add to the freshness. As its name suggest: The meal version of ayran, the salted yoghurt drink so popular alongside kebabs and meatballs.

The only thing that takes time (though no effort) is cooking the grains and chickpeas. If, like me, you’re going to be eating this more than once, cook up a bigger batch. It’ll keep for a week or more in the fridge, assuming you’ve stored it in a clean, sealed container. You can also freeze it. With cooked grains and chickpeas at hand, whipping up a batch of ayran aşı takes only a couple of minutes. And once you get the hang of it, you won’t even need to measure anything.

My version is similar to the one enjoyed by Bahar and myself that summer, with cucumber added for texture and cool freshness. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I do!