Romanian cooking is full of flavour and is incredibly wholesome. When I think of some of the best dishes my mom made, this is one of the ones that springs to mind. Sour soups are very popular in Romania and this Ciorba de perisoare is one you will definitely want to try. In Romanian cuisine, Ciorba translates to a soup that is sour because it has been dressed with either bors, a bran based fermented liquid, or with lemon or pickled cabbage juice. Ciorba de perisoare basically means sour meatball soup.
This Romanian meatball soup is easy to make and makes a perfect winter comfort food. I have provided below a few extra tips and variations in case you want to substitute or change some of the ingredients. So without further ado, here is everything you need to know to make the Ciorba de perisoare.
Jump to RecipeIngredients Needed to Make the Ciorba de Perisoare
The best Romanian meatball soup is made with ground beef. Making the meatballs for this soup is so easy, by just mixing the meat with spices, herbs and an egg to bind it all together.
The beauty of this soup is that you can use any vegetables you’d like for it. My mother usually makes it with peppers, carrots, onions and celery, but I usually put in any extra vegetables that I have left around the fridge.
The ingredient that brings this soup together is the bors, which makes it sour. Bors is a fermented liquid made from water and bran which is heavily used in the Romanian cuisine. It can be easily found in the Romanian shops. If you can’t find it, you can make this soup sour with pickled cabbage juice. But, if you have a Romanian shop nearby and love this soup, make sure to buy the real thing – it costs less than £1 per bottle.
Lovage is another ingredient that you may not find in your normal supermarket. However, if you go to a Romanian, Polish or Turkish shop, you should be able to find small bags with dried lovage, which works as well as the fresh one in this soup.
Recipe Notes and Tips
Sometimes recipes can be simple, other times they can appear a little complex. This is where I hope to help and guide you through this recipe with some helpful recipe notes and tips. Romanian cooking is wholesome and full of flavour, and I want to help you create that. Here are some of the helpful recipe notes and tips that will help with this Ciorba de perisoare recipe.
- Make sure you have all the ingredients to hand before starting to prepare this dish. It will make things much easier as you concentrate on the process.
- When making the meatballs a great tip is to wet your hands before you roll the minced meat mixture. This will stop the mixture from sticking to your hands and fingers.
- Bors is what gives this soup the sour flavour, however, you can control how much bors you put into the soup. You don’t need to use the full amount if that isn’t going to give you the flavour you enjoy. A great tip is to add a cup full at a time and taste the soup as it is boiling away. Once you have reached a flavour you are happy with then don’t add any more.
- If you can’t find lovage in your local store you can chop parsley and celery leaves and combine them together.
Variations to Try
I appreciate that we all like to vary recipes from time to time, and often it might be that you want to know of any substitute ingredients or any additions or changes that you can make that will work well. So here are some of the variations to try when it comes to this Ciorba de perisoare recipe.
- This is a great soup to add different vegetables to. The recipe suggests the use of carrots and celery, but if you have other vegetables in your fridge that could be used then feel free to add them. This is a great recipe to make if you want to use up any leftover vegetables. Potatoes are a great addition to make this a filling meal.
- You could also add some leftover beef from a meal you have previously made such as a roast dinner. You will already be adding the meat you have taken from the bones, so at this stage add some extra beef for heartiness and to make the soup even more filling.
- Minced veal or pork are great substitutions for minced beef. You could also do a combination if you like.
Romanian Meatball Soup
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 500 gr beef mince meat
- 1 small onion finely diced
- 1 bunch fresh parsley chopped finely
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
For the soup:
- 4 L cold water
- beef bones a few
- 2 carrots chopped into cubes
- 2 bell peppers cut into cubes
- 1 celery stick chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 L bors read notes above
- 1 handful rice
- 1 bunch lovage chopped
- sour cream to serve
Instructions
- The first thing you will want to prepare is the beef bones. Start by boiling the bones in the cold water and pick up the foam that rises to the top. When the foam stops rising to the surface, take the bones out. You should use this time to take any meat left off them, and strain the liquid.
- In a new pot, fry the onion in a little bit of oil, then add the carrots and the celery, and saute for a couple of minutes.
- At this point, you will want to add the strained beef bones liquid on top. Let this boil while you start making the meatballs.
- To make the meatballs, you will need to combine the minced meat with the egg, a finely chopped small onion, paprika, salt, pepper and the parsley, which you will also need to chop up small.
- When you have a smooth mix, take small bits of it and roll them in your hands until you make the balls. They should be medium-sized, not too big and not too small. To make the meatballs easily wet your hand in a bowl with water before making each ball.
- At this stage, you will need to take your bors and boil it in a small pot before needing it later in the recipe.
- Return to the simmering pot of soup, and add the can of chopped tomatoes, the peppers and the meat you’ve taken off the bones. Let it boil for 10 minutes and then add the bors, which you have previously brought to a first boil in a separate small pot.
- Boil for another 15 minutes, before gently adding the meatballs, so they don’t break. You should also add the rice at this stage.
- You will know when the soup is ready as the meatballs will start rising to the surface of the soup. This should take around 15-20 minutes, but make sure you keep an eye on it.
- Finish the soup with freshly chopped or dried lovage.
- Serve the soup hot with a dollop of sour cream in it and crusty bread alongside it.
FAQs
There will always be questions about recipes so I hope to answer some of them below. However, please get in touch if you have a question that isn’t covered here or in the recipe notes section.
Can you make this ahead of time?
You can definitely make this Romanian ciorba recipe ahead of time.
How do I store the Ciorba de perisoare?
If you do make this ahead or have any leftovers make sure you store the Ciorba de perisoare in an airtight container. It will last in the fridge for around 3-4 days.
How should I reheat the Romanian meatball soup?
You can place what you want to reheat in a pot and use the stove to reheat. Wait until it is piping hot before serving and enjoying.
I hope you enjoy this Ciorba de perisoare recipe.
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