Uzbek Cuisine

When I asked how to cook Uzbek food, mastava was the first dish I was taught how to cook. It is simple and tasty.

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound beef cut into 1/4 inch cubes (it just tastes better than using ground beef)
1 small onion chopped
1 large carrot peeled and diced
1 large potato peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery chopped
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
6 cups of water
salt and pepper
3/4 cup rice
sour cream

Heat oil until very hot. Fry onion add tomato paste and fry. Add beef and fry until browned. Add carrot and celery. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until the vegetables are soft.

Pour in the water. Raise the heat until the water boils. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add potato and rice.

Lower heat and cover, simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Serve in a bowl and put some sour cream in it.

Easy, cheap, and tasty. The best introduction to Uzbek cooking.

The Hunzacots live in Hunza Valley in Northern Pakistan and are known for their health and longetivity. They eat a very healthy diet, and their bread is all over the internet promising good health.

From tedmontgomery.com

Hunza Diet Breat has a taste that is very satisfying and chewy all on its own, but you also may add, if desired, apricots, raisins, chopped walnuts or almonds, and/or sliced dates to the above ingredients. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Grease and lightly flour cooking pan(s). Ideally, use baking trays with about 1-inch-high sides. Pour the batter in pan(s) ½-inch thick over the base.

Bake at about 300° F for 1 hour. After cooking, dry the bread in the oven for about 2 hours at a very low heat—about 90° F. (If your oven temperature does not go below 90° F, try turning it as low as possible and leaving the oven door open until the bread becomes dry.) After it is cooled, tip it out and cut it into approximately 2″×2″ squares.

Store the bread wrapped in cloth in a container. You may need to repeat the baking depending on the size of your baking pan and oven until all the mixture is used.

Hunza Diet Bread is made from natural buckwheat or millet flour. It is rich is phosphorous, potassium, iron, calcium, manganese, and other minerals, as nothing has been destroyed in the preparation of the wheat. Thus it contains the essential nourishment of the grain. This is why you must use only natural buckwheat or millet flour to make your own Hunza Diet Bread.

This is ishleki, the Turkmen version of “pizza”. I was unable to find a good recipe that was clear. Just a bad Russian translation of one. It is similar to lahmajoon. Looking at this picture makes me wish I had a tandoori oven. Whenever I get my own home, I would like to get one so as to get the perfect flavor.

I think you mix some milk, eggs, salt, oil and some flour for the dough. The filling consists of a pound of beef or lamb, tomatoes, and onions. You layer the dough like lahmajoon.

Here is the recipe in Russian.
I got the picture from the website as well. Doesn’t it look delicious? Looks sort of like Chorek, Turkmenistan’s bread.

I ate this once at a Middle Eastern market in Chattanooga, TN. They sell them frozen so that you can heat them up at home. The one I ate was very garlicky, yet delicious. I am sure they have frozen ones available in other local Middle Eastern stores. (or the local halal store) I can’t wait to try this recipe.

Dough:
1 packet dry active yeast
1 cup warm water, 110 degrees F
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup vegetable oilBloom the yeast in the warm water for 5 minutes until foam appears. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, then add the sugar and salt, mix with a spatula. Create a well in the center and pour in the oil and the bloomed yeast. Fold together all ingredients until combined.

Rub hands with a little vegetable oil and knead the dough thoroughly for about 10 minutes the dough should be smooth and thick. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough proof for 2 1/2 hours.

Once risen, punch it down, divide the dough into 13 egg-sized balls, and roll each by hand. Roll each ball with a rolling pin into 7 or 8-inch diameter cakes, about 1/8 of an inch thick. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Meat Topping:
1 pound lean ground beef
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 1/2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 (14-ounce) can seedless chopped tomatoes, well drained and rinsed

Lemon wedges and plain yogurt, for garnish

For the meat topping: combine meat, tomato paste, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, mint, and allspice in a bowl.

In a food processor, pulse onion and fresh garlic until it has a thick-chunky texture, then add to meat mixture. Next add the bell pepper, jalapeno, and parsley to the food processor and pulse just until fine, then add to meat and onion mixture.

Lastly, add the tomatoes to the food processor, puree, and then add to meat mixture. Mix well by hand or spatula. Let mixture marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 hours.

Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture, about 2 ounces, on to each cake and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and edges of dough start to brown. To serve, stack the cakes on top of each other in a tower. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top, followed by a dollop of plain yogurt, roll up like a wrap and eat. Repeat with remaining cakes.

May individually layer each cake on waxed paper and seal in a plastic freezer bag for future use.

From foodnetwork.com

You have Uzbek guests coming over to visit. You are unsure about cooking Uzbek food, and you know that your friends (or in-laws!!) do not like American food. Well, surprise them with Korean food. Remember, Koreans are a minority in Uzbekistan, brought there by Stalin. Korean food, especially the salads, are popular. I had the fortune of living in Korea so I know how to make Korean food. My mother-in-law loved it! Let me pass on this easy and delicious recipe.

First, you need to go to a Korean store and get dangmyun. (myun means noodles in Korean) These are clear noodles made from sweet potato. You can ask the people in the store for “chop chae noodles”. They will understand and help you. You also need soy sauce, sesame oil and dried shiitake mushrooms.

The package of chop chae noodles is huge so I use about half of the package of noodles.

You need very thin beef. This is called bulgogi beef. The korean store usually has it. You can also buy sirloin steak and slice as thin as you can. Marinate 1lb of beef in about a half a cup of soy sauce, teaspoon of sesame oil and a teaspoon of sugar. Do this ahead of time.

Take out a handful of dried shiitake mushrooms and soak in water.

Chop up in thin slices, 2 stalks of celery, 1 medium onion, and 2 carrots. Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large nonstick frying pan and stir fry each vegetable, one kind at a time. (The Uzbeks who watched me cook thought the method weird)

Boil the noodles according to the directions about 10 minutes. Drain and chop up Korean way, with cooking scissors. Then boil some spinach. After the spinach is done, drain.

Stir fry the beef on high heat until cooked. Then lower the heat a little and add the vegetables. Drain the mushrooms, cut them up and then add them. Then add the spinach, and the noodles. Stir fry them all, you may want to add some soy sauce. The noodles should be brown. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

Serve on top of short grain rice and kim chi.

This is my own recipe that was a success (well a Korean taught me) It got an ochen vkusno rating!!!

I am currently reading “The Foodlover’s Atlas of the World” by Martha Shulman. This is a great resource on cooking and foods around the world. She lists main ingredients from 90 different cultures around the world and the geography and climate influence a culture’s cuisine. Unfortunately, Uzbekistan is not one of the countries described. There is a very interesting page on the Republic of Georgia however. There I was introduced to “mchadi”.

Georgia is divided into Western Georgia, which borders on the Black Sea, and Eastern Georgia which is dry and windy. Western Georgia is rainy and has higher temperatures. Corn is preferred over wheat. Georgians make mchadi out of corn flour. Mchadi is basically like corn bread. New world foods like kidney beans, tomatoes, and green beans are also favorites.

I thought this amazing since I am also from cornbread country. My family is from Western Tennessee, which borders the Mississippi River. It is very hot and humid here. Wheat was not traditionally grown. My grandparents grew up on cornbread and beans. My mother still cooks this meal once a week and it is one of my favorites. We usually pour the peas over the corn bread and eat fried potatoes and green beans as side dishes.

Mchadi is cooked very much like southern cornbread. You just mix the corn flour with water. Put it in a pan with oil and either bake or fry it. My mother puts cornbread and oil in a cast iron skillet and cooks it in the oven. That is only good if your skillet is seasoned though.

Here is an easy recipe for “mchadi”. Use it to scoop up gravy, grease from your chicken or vegetables. I also like to eat it with potato soup.

Mix cornmeal & water together well. (about a cup of flour)
Form it into a round ball. Heat a
skillet over low heat. With wet hands, flatten cornmeal ball into a
large pancake abt 1/2-inch thick. Put this into hot, dry skillet & cook
over moderate heat for 5 mins or long enough to form a crust. Turn
pancake over w/a spatula & cook for 5 mins more. Serve warm. Serves 4 to
6.

Serve it to your friends who swear they will never try foreign food and tell them that they just ate Caucasian food!!

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)

Tovuk means chicken in Uzbek and this is a very easy recipe for Chicken Plov. The recipe comes from The Art of Uzbek Cooking by Lynn Visson.

1 pound chicken, or two frying chickens cut into serving pieces
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions thinly sliced
6 carrots peeled and cut into thin strips
5 cups of water
salt and pepper
2 cups rice

Dry chicken (or you will get burned when the oil pops)

ZIRVAK

In a heavy pot like a dutch oven or kazan, heat oil and brown chicken pieces on all sides.

Add onion and saute until golden brown.

Add carrots and cook for five minutes.

Add 3 cups of water, salt and pepper to taste, raise heat to boil.

Lower heat to simmer. Cover and simmer until chicken and carrots are tender. You can add water to keep the zirvak from burning.

PART 2

While cooking the zirvak, soak rice in salted water for 30 minutes.

When the zirvak is ready, place the rice on top of the chicken and CAREFULLY pour in the remaining water. DO NOT MIX RICE AND CHICKEN.

Put heat on high. Bring to a boil. REduce heat a little to prevent burning and watch it until the water has evaporated.

Push the rice towards the center. Then poke holes in several places with the handle of a wooden spoon.

Cook and cover over low heat until rice is done and all the water has evaporated. (remember that is your goal) Do not allow the plov to burn.

Serve rice on a plate and put the chicken on top.

I tried this recipe and thought that it called for too much water. I would put maybe 2 cups of water in the zirvak and a cup and a half on top of the rice. Otherwise you get slimey plov.

The most popular Uzbek dish is plov or osh. This is also the dish Americans trying to cook Uzbek food usually screw up. That is because it has a certain technique to it that must be practiced and mastered. Most Americans also do not have the fortune of having a native Uzbek or other Central Asian to show them the technique. Once mastered, plov is a very delicious and satisfying dish that the entire family, including those meat and potatoes only relatives, can enjoy.

INGREDIENTS: The ingredients which must be in osh or plov are oil, onion, carrot, and rice.
Meat is usually in osh but you can substitute kasi (horse sausage), golubtsi (stuffed grape leaves), or even eggs for the meat which is usually meat or mutton. Chicken plov is also very delicious.

There are other variations of plov which use peas, whole garlic, quince or tart apple, raisins, turnip, dried apricot, and potato.

Plov used to be cooked with fat usually from the sheep tail. Nowadays people use sesame oil, cotton oil, or good ol’ vegetable oil. Olive oil has too strong of a flavor and is not recommended.

You can also use either regular carrots or yellow carrots especially in Samarqand and Khorazm plov.

TECHNIQUE: There are two steps in making plov. The first is called zirvak. In this step you brown the onion, carrot, and meat in lots of oil in a heavy pot like a kazan. After browning then you add water and spices. Only use half of the salt. Commonly used spices include caraway seeds, cumin, pepper, and red pepper pods. You can also use anise and barberries. For American kitchens, salt and pepper will work just fine. You cook the zirvak until the vegetables are cooked well.

The second step is the tricky step. This is this rice step. First you must soak the rice in salted water for 30 minutes. This is very important. After the zirvak is done, place the rice in a flat layer, and pour over hot water. Add salt and bring to boil. Keep the heat on high until all of the water evaporates. Then gather the rice (DO NOT MIX THE RICE WITH THE ZIRVAK!!) to the middle of the pot. (use a kazan or heavy pot if you have one.) Pierce holes in the rice all the way to the bottom with a spoon and lower the heat. Cover rice with a plate and then put the pot cover on. SIMMER. You should hear a “goop goop” sound as the moisture is mixed into the rice. Keep a close eye on it or it will burn. The goal is to get ALL of the fluid whether in water of zirvak evaporated and cooked into the rice. NUMBER ONE RULE– Do not mix the rice and the zirvak.

When serving, carefully put the rice on the bottom of the plate. Then top with the zirvak.

VARIATIONS: There are different variations of plov depending on where you are in Uzbekistan. The most common plov is Fergana Plov. There is also Samarqand plov used with yellow carrots so that the rice is still white. In the Burkhorocha method, the rice, meat and vegetables are cooked separately. If you screw up the rice, mix it ith the zirvak and then you make a different dish called Shavla or Shoola. After cooking the Shavla by mixing the rice and the meat and vegetable mixture, fry some onion and top the shavla with them along with fresh cilantro and parsley.

SIDE DISHES: Fresh greens like parsley, coriander (cilantro), and scallions are great to serve with plov. For an easy salad, chop up some onion and tomato. Chopped up tomato tastes great with plov. The best of all is to serve bread. Uzbek bread called non is the best. If you can’t get non pita or any other flat bread goes fine. My husband sometimes pours V8 juice on his plov. For dessert eat some grapes or raisins (kishmish) and drink tea or milk.

Please share your favorite plov recipe.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 carrot diced
1 potato cubed
2 large tomatoes coarsely chopped
(or use can of crushed tomatoes)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
4 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
3/4 cup mung beans soaked overnight
(you can cheat with split green peas)
1 cup rice
2 tablespoons coriander (preferably chopped, fresh cilantro)

Heat oil, saute onions until they turn GOLDEN (very important)
Add carrots and potato until they start to BROWN
Mix tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper to taste
Add 1 1/2 cups boiling stock or water and boil five minutes
Stir in mung beans
Reduce heat and cover for about 40 minutes until beans are soft
Place remaining 3 cups of water or stock in another pot and stir in rice. Boil rice for two minutes reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook for 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. (I will test out just cooking it in a rice cooker and see if that is just as good)

Stir in rice into vegetable mixture, spinkle with coriander or cilantro and serve.

Adapted from The Art of Uzbek Cooking by Lynn Visson

VERY Ochen Vkusno!!