Begova čorba – Bosnian chicken and okra soup

Cut the peeled carrot and celeriac into cubes about 1 cm across and finely chop the onion. Chop the parsley and set it aside for finishing. Measure the lemon juice without any seeds. Separate two yolks from the whites; save the whites for another recipe. Keep the sour cream and yolks refrigerated until the tempering stage, and leave the okra frozen.

Put the chicken breast, carrot, celeriac, and onion in a pot holding about 4 liters. Pour in all the measured water and add the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently, partially covered, for about 25–30 minutes, until the meat is fully cooked. A very thick fillet may need a few more minutes. Keep all the broth and all the vegetables.

Toward the end of the chicken's cooking time, during the last few minutes of that stage, melt all the butter in a small saucepan. Add all the flour and stir over low heat for about 2 minutes, until the ingredients form a pale, smooth roux. Do not let it brown. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Transfer the cooked breast to a clean plate and pull it into small pieces with two forks. Keep any juice that collects on the plate as well. Leave the pot of broth and vegetables over low heat, and set the meat aside only while you add the roux and cook the okra.

Add hot broth from the pot to the saucepan of roux one ladleful at a time, whisking vigorously. Once the mixture is smooth and fluid without lumps, pour it into the pot and stir well. Scrape the saucepan thoroughly so that all the roux goes into the soup. Proceed immediately to adding the okra; the flour will cook together with it.

Add all the frozen okra directly to the soup and bring it back to a gentle simmer. Cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring gently, until the okra softens and the soup thickens slightly. For the last 5 minutes, add the chicken pieces along with all the juice from the plate. Do not drain the okra or the broth; their natural viscosity and juices stay in the soup.

Whisk the sour cream with the two yolks in a small bowl. Gradually add 2–3 ladlefuls of hot soup, whisking constantly. Briefly remove the pot from the heat and pour in all the tempered mixture while stirring. Return to the lowest heat and warm for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly along the bottom. Do not let it boil vigorously, so that the sour cream and yolks do not curdle.

Remove the soup from the heat. Stir in all the lemon juice, parsley, and pepper. Let it stand, covered, for 5 minutes, then divide among four bowls and serve warm. Cool any leftover soup quickly in smaller containers, keep covered in the refrigerator, and use within 2 days. Reheat only the portion you need until thoroughly hot, gently and with stirring.