Traditional Greek Lemon Egg Soup - Avgolemono
Silky Greek Lemon Soup
My Greek Comfort in a Bowl
If there’s one dish that defines comfort in my household it’s Avoglemono, though technically the proper name is Youvarlakia. Youvarlakia is a Greek meatball soup and my family’s twist is that the broth is Avoglemono a traditional lemon soup! While traditional versions include rice or sometimes even cooked chicken pieces, our household recipes skips the rice in the broths and lets the meatballs shine in a silky lemon soup.
Growing up, this soup was the cure for everything, from colds, long days, post Easter feasts. It’s rich yet light, tangy yet creamy, and full or the kind of nostalgic magic that only a passed down family dish can offer.
Tips and Tricks
1. Temper slowly to avoid curdling, whisk like your life depends on it
2. Medium to low heat, if the soup get too hot it can form ribbons
3. Use room temperature eggs - let them sit out for 10-15minutes before using
Why Tempering Matters
If you’ve every tried to make avgolemono and ended up with little bits of scrambled eggs floating in you soup, don’t worry you’re not alone. That’s where tempering comes in, and it’s the secret to getting that silky, velvety texture. Tempering is the process of slowly adding in warm broth into your egg and lemon mixture while whisking constantly. This gradually raises the temperature of the eggs so they don’t cook too quickly and curdle. Think of it like gently waking them up, not shocking them with head. NEVER LET IT BOIL. A gentle heat is all you need to thicken the soup, too much heat and you’ll break the emulsion.
Avoglemono
Makes: 4 Serves
Prep Time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
4-6 cups chicken broth
2 eggs room temperature, seperated
Juice of 1 large lemon or 2 small ones
2 teaspoons cornstarch (optional for thickening)
Method:
1.Whisk it up - In a large mixing bowl, whisk 2 egg until light and frothy. Then add, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Which until smooth and creamy.
2. Simmer - In a large pot add your chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil. Once its bubbling, reduce to a simmer.
3.Temper with care - Slowly ladle a bit of the hot broth into the egg mixture, whisking constantly like your life depends on it to avoid scrambling eggs. This will make the soup look cloudy, and avoids the eggs from becoming ribbons. This step makes everything creamy without curdling.
4.Bring it all together - Pour the egg lemon mixture back into the pot and keep on medium-low heat to warm everything through.
5. Serve and Enjoy!