Shorbat Khodar (Egyptian Vegetable Soup)

Shorbat khodar is Egypt’s homey vegetable soup, a pot of beef, carrots, zucchini, potatoes, and orzo simmered together with a cinnamon stick that perfumes the whole broth. It is the everyday soup of Egyptian kitchens, made from whatever vegetables are in the fridge and served with a basket of warm bread. Egyptian mothers swear it cures whatever ails you, colds, bad days, and empty stomachs alike, and there is no single recipe, which is exactly the point — every pot is a little different.

The everyday pot that warms every Egyptian home

The cinnamon is the quiet secret: it lends a gentle warmth that no one can quite place, making the broth taste deeper and more comforting than it has any right to. The beef turns tender, the vegetables soft, and the little orzo pearls plump up and catch the broth in every spoonful. It is simple, honest food, the kind you make on a weeknight and find yourself thinking about the next day. Swap in whatever vegetables are in season and the soup will still taste like home.

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