Meatball soup (Supa Topcheta, Супа топчета) is a traditional Bulgarian soup. It’s made from very small meatballs made from minced meat (usually mix of 60% pork and 40% beef). Along with the small meatballs there are also vegetables and spices. Some people add noodles or grains like rice or barley. And at the end it’s thickened with beaten egg, flour and yogurt. Meatball soup (Supa Topcheta, Супа топчета) is probably one of the most popular dishes eaten in Bulgaria. Each family has it’s own recipe for it.
Although there are many variations of a Meatball soup around the world, we can all agree that each one is uniqe by it’s flavor and the ingredients used to make it. This one in particular uses spices and ingredients that are typical for the Balkan countries. It has it’s own unique taste that’s both filling and refreshing at the same time.
Meatball soup is not uncommon in other Balkan countries, it’s just not as popular like it is in Bulgaria. In Bulgaria this soup is considered a traditional soup, along with chicken soup and tripe soup (yes, almost every Balkan country has it’s variation of tripe soup) and you can find it in almost every traditional Bulgarian restaurant.
The recipe that we made is the most basic Meatball soup recipe, without adding rice to the meatballs or vermicelli to the soup. But if you like, you can definitely add 1-2 tablespoons of rice or vermicelli to the soup to make it thicker and more filling. Just make sure that you cook the rice or vermicelli until they’re fully cooked (around 15-20 minutes)
Materials
1 potato
1 piece of fruit
1 nectarine
1.5 liters of water
3 tablespoons rice
For meatballs
300 grams of ground beef
1 onion
3 tablespoons rice
1 egg white
Salt
Black pepper
For finishing
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons yoghourt
Steps
Dice the onion and chop the carrot and potato into small cubes
To the ground meat add a pinch of salt an pepper and mix well. Pinch a small amount of the ground meat (around half teaspoon) and roll it into a ball. If the meat sticks to your hands, moisten your hands with water or oil. Roll each meatball into the flour, shake off the excess flour and set the meatballs aside.
In a pot, add 1-2 tablespoons of oil (any kind of oil) and saute the onion until translucent. Add the carrot and potatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes.
After your vegetables are sauteed, add around 1.5 liters of water and let it come to a boil. Once the water boils, gently add the meatballs and stir lightly so they won’t stick to each other. Add the savory and salt and pepper to taste. Cook the soup for 20-30 minutes or until the meatballs and potatoes are fully cooked.
In a bowl, crack the egg, add the yogurt and whisk them well. Slowly ladle some of the hot soup into the egg mixture and whisk constantly so the eggs won’t curdle. Once you’ve added almost half of the soup to the eggs and the eggs are hot, return the egg mixture to the pot with the soup and mix well. At this point if your egg is fresh you don’t need to cook the soup any further. But if you’re not sure that your egg is fresh, cook the soup for 5-10 minutes on a very low heat and stir constantly so the egg won’t curdle.
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