Armenian meatball soup (Kololik)

1. Rinse the rice, par-cook it in boiling water for 10 minutes, then drain and cool; very finely chop or grate the onion.

2. Knead the minced beef with the rice, grated onion, egg, salt and pepper until you have a sticky, even mixture; with wet hands shape into balls of about 3 cm.

3. Bring 2 litres of water to the boil in a large pot, add the second onion, finely chopped, and the peeled, diced potatoes and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Carefully lower in the meatballs and simmer gently for 15 minutes, skimming off any foam.

5. Add the grated tomatoes, season with salt and cook for another 10 minutes; off the heat, stir in half the finely chopped parsley and coriander.

6. Serve piping hot sprinkled with the remaining herbs – a hearty, child-friendly soup that's a whole meal with some bread.

Tip: The meatballs hold together if you knead the mixture thoroughly, even for 5 minutes. If you like, sprinkle a pinch of dried mint into each bowl.