Uzbek Cuisine

I found this recipe online somewhere. (I can’t remember where, sorry!) It was an obvious Russian recipe that was translated into English using one of those online translators. (”To pour kefir in a bowl, and gradually adding flour zamesit the dough. . .” ) This isn’t the loaf of hachapuri (khachapuri) rather the small fried kind you can get from street vendors. This recipe will explain the technique in making square pastries (square samsa) if you wish to make a square shape pastry.

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

3 cups of flour
1 cup of kefir or buttermilk
4 tablespoons of margarine or butter

Filling:

1 1/2 cup of hard cheese like cheddar, havarti, or Monterey Jack (I mix them)
1 cup of soft cheese like ricotta, cottage cheese or goat cheese
1 egg
Greens (parsley or basil)
Salt, pepper

TO MAKE DOUGH

Pour the kefir or buttermilk into a bowl. Gradually add the flour and mix until a dough forms into a ball. Knead dough until it no longer sticks to your hands. You may need to add more flour. Put in a bowl, cover and let sit for 40 minutes.

WHILE WAITING MAKE THE FILLING . . .

Grate the cheeses into a bowl. Add and mix egg, greens, your favorite spices and cottage cheese or any other soft cheese. Set aside.

BACK TO THE DOUGH

After 40 minutes, divide the dough into two parts. Take the dough and roll (an o’qlow makes it easier) until it is very thin. I roll my dough over a plastic table cover. I roll the dough until I can see the design through the dough. About 1 mm. Spread half of the melted butter over the dough. Then roll the dough into a long tube looking roll. Then wrap up and put in the freezer for 30 minutes. (Use the same technique for samsa) Do not let it freeze. You are simply hardening the butter. Do the same to the second part of dough. Spread the rest of the butter on the dough, roll it up like a carpet, wrap it, and put it in the freezer.

Cut pieces of the rolled up dough about 2 in long. Unroll the pieces. They should be about 2 mm thick. Put in the filling and then close up like a square.

You fry this Khachapuri. Put vegetable oil in a pan. Put the pastries in seam down and fry until golden on both sides.

This is very delicious.

(Picture from sloyka.com)

This picture illustrates the two different shapes of samsa. It is more common to shape the samsa into a triangle. It is faster and easier to shape it into a circle around the filling, and roll under. Make sure to pinch the ends and cover with egg yolk so that it won’t open.

OCHEN VKUSNA!!

DOUGH
4 cups flour
pinch salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups water
1 egg well beaten, plus egg yolk

FILLING
1 lb beef chopped into pea sized pieces
2 large onions chopped real thin
salt
pepper
2 teaspoons butter
1 potato chopped

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in large bowl

Beat water with egg and add to dry ingredients

Work the dough until it can be handled easily, adding water in necessary

Form the dough into a ball and set aside in a bowl for one hour

In a large bowl mix meat, onions, salt, pepper, and mix well with hands

Roll dough on a floured board to 1/4 in thickness. I use a combination of a rolling pin and that long stick called an o’qlow. I guess you can use a rolling pin. Then you melt butter or margarine and spread it on the dough. (it might be a good idea to split the dough into two) Then you roll the dough up and wrap it and stick into the freezer for 15 minutes. You take it out of the freezer then slice the roll into 2 inch pieces. Then you flatten the pieces and roll them into 4 in circles. Put 2 tablespoons of filling into each circle and wrap it either in a triangle shape or a circle.

Beat an egg yolk and sread on each samsa.

Put the samsas in a GREASED baking sheet and bake 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I tried this recipe and it was a delicious success. The technique I used to make samsa was taught to me by my mother-in-law who is from Tashkent. Samsa is my favorite Uzbek food to make. It is difficult, but very delicious.