Kurdish Yogurt Soup (Girar / Shwediz)
Known in Kurdish as şwêdiz and as girar/şorbeya girar in many areas; a mild, tangy yogurt soup traditionally served at Kurdish weddings. The key technique is tempering the whisked yogurt into cooled (not boiling) broth and stirring constantly so the yogurt does not curdle. A version with bulgur or rice cooked in the yogurt is also common.
Method
Boil the lamb in salted water uncovered, skimming off the foam as it surfaces. In a separate pot, boil the mushrooms, green beans and soaked chickpeas until tender.
Remove the cooked meat from the bone and chop it into bite-size pieces. Combine the lamb, its cooking water and the vegetables into one large pot and simmer uncovered to reduce.
Smash the garlic finely with a little salt. Whisk the yogurt until completely smooth, then blend in the salt and smashed garlic thoroughly.
When the broth is sufficiently reduced, ladle out the excess liquid, leaving roughly one cup of broth in the pot. Let the broth cool considerably (this prevents curdling).
Gradually stir the seasoned yogurt into the cooled broth, stirring constantly until smooth and warmed through; do not let it boil hard.
Heat 1/3 cup olive oil until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Add dried mint, black pepper and red pepper flakes generously, then remove from heat.
Drizzle the infused oil over the soup and stir gently twice. Serve warm or at room temperature with rice or bread.