Lamb and Vegetable Soup, also known as Shurpa (Sho’rpo) is a well-known Central Asian soup. I’ve prepared it to many of our American friends and every time I get very good compliments on how heart warming, rich and tasty this soup is. There are different types of Shurpa and you can use different vegetables. Another type involves pre-frying the ingredients (qovurma sho’rpo), which I am not very much fond of. I love the one which is slow cooked (simmered). Thus, I decided to share this recipe with you. I should note that everyone makes shurpa differently. If you stumble upon a different type of shurpa, do not be surprised. I chose the one with relatively basic ingredients. Most often there are chickpeas (garbanzo beans) added to give it an authentic taste. But my husband is not a big fan of garbanzo beans in this soup, so I don’t add them. If you want to try, be my guest :)
Uzbek Cuisine
Naan Recipe
I have a special relationship with Naan (we call it “Non” in Uzbek language) – I like it with everything! In fact, my whole family likes bread with everything. Indian Naan and Uzbek Non share something more than the similarity of the names. They are both baked in a clay oven and resemble in taste. Naan translates from Persian as bread and it is very popular in many Middle-Eastern, South Asian and Central Asian countries.
Manti Recipe (Meat Dumplings)
Anyone up for dumplings? :) I know we are up for them a lot. Well, maybe once in a couple of weeks for sure. Manti (a.k.a. dumplings) are very native to Uzbek people. Although a lot of people associate dumplings with Oriental kitchen, the roots of this dish go to Central Asia and nomadic tribes of Timurids and Chingizids. It is believed that the latter spread the idea to other regions of the world while traveling.
Meat Pie
I got this super-duper meat pie recipe from my sister-in-law(my brother’s wife), who inherited it from her mother. Ultimately, it was brought to my attention by my sister Kamola. We love this meat pie so much that it finds its way to our stomachs quite often. The crust is just to die for. With a perfect crispness, it melts in your mouth, leaving you craving for more! I have been planning to document it for a while now. In fact, I thought that I had already posted it a while ago and I was surprised to find out that I never did… Well, anyway, here it is ladies and gentlemen!
Lagman Recipe
Lagman (similar to Lo-mein) falls right under the category of perfect, hand-made noodles that will please any child or adult with their softness and flavor. The broth of Lagman is rich, tasty and healthy. It is a Central-Asian dish, with the roots connecting to Chinese and Koren kitchens. There are multiple variations of this dish. I decided to start with the most simple one and gradually introduce you to more complicated ones. You just have to try it out! It might look a little complicated at first. But once you get used to the process, it will become a breeze, I promise! :)
Meat Tortellini Recipe
Tortellini, also known as “Pelmeni” in Russian and “Chuchvara” in Uzbek, is an amazingly delicious dish. I love two types of tortellini: one filled with meat and the other type filled with different greens and herbs. They are fairly easy to make. Once you get used to rolling the dough, you can easily make them every other day :) I make them at least once a week, because my two boys are in love with them.
Norin recipe
Norin is a very popular dish in Uzbekistan. Norin is a combination of thinly-sliced home-made noodles, aged meat (previously marinated and dried) and herbs. Of all regions in Uzbekistan, Norin is widely available in Tashkent, the capital of the country. While my parents were visiting us here, I asked them to help me out to create a step-by-step recipe of this traditional dish. They conveniently agreed and I snapped many, many pictures of the process. I love Norin, in fact, a lot of Uzbeks do :)
Uzbek Palov Recipe
“Palov”, also known as “Osh” is a classical main dish of Central Asian countries. It is rich, filling and very tasty if prepared right. Nowadays there are many ingredients like garbanzo beans, barberries, eggs, quince, pomegranate incorporated to this dish. But the main ingredients like onions, rice, oil and meat remain unchanged.
Nohat Shorak Recipe
Today I decided to cook and take pictures of one of the favorite meals of my husband. The process is very easy but you have to have a pressure cooker for this particular recipe. You will also need to like chickpeas, meat and tomato combination. This meal is widely known in Uzbekistan but I’ve only heard of its existence after moving to U.S. :) From what I understood, different regions make it differently and ingredients vary, too.