Turkish Lamb and Bulgur Meatball Soup

In Gaziantep, Türkiye, Sulbiye Adanacıoğlu of Gazi Köşk Kebap & Beyran Salonu introduced us to ekşili köfte, a sour meatball soup. The dish—one of the best things we tasted during our trip—married a rich, tomatoey broth with chickpeas, tender chunks of lamb and meatballs made by mixing bulgur with ground lamb and spices. Sumac added tang and a drizzle of mint oil tied everything together. For our version, we skip the chunks of slow-cooked lamb and instead simmer a small amount of ground lamb into the broth to build flavor. In this simpler but equally delicious soup, the meatballs are the focus. (If you prefer beef over lamb, it’s a perfectly fine swap.) To make the mint oil for drizzling, we blend olive oil with both fresh and dried mint. The two are botanically the same, but the flavors are different. If dried mint is not sold in the spice aisle, look instead for pure spearmint tea, either loose or in tea bags; use an equal amount.