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Vegetable mastava
Uzbek rice soup with tomato, chickpeas and sour cream (mastava)
Mastava is the soup Uzbek mothers make on a cold weeknight: rice simmered in a tomato-red broth with carrot, potato, pepper and chickpeas, finished at the table with a spoon of thick suzma or sour cream and a handful of herbs. It is eaten all over the country but is especially loved in Tashkent households in late autumn. The base is fried first, like plov, so the soup tastes rich even without meat; this version uses vegetables and chickpeas only. Chef's tip: fry the tomato paste in the oil until it turns brick-red before adding water — that is where the depth comes from.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a heavy pot over a medium-high heat. Fry 1 onion for 5 minutes until golden.
5 minStep 2: Add 1 carrot and 1 red pepper and fry for 5 minutes, until the carrot softens and smells sweet.
5 minStep 3: Stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste and fry for 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens to brick-red and smells toasty, then add 2 tomatoes and cook 3 minutes more.
5 minStep 4: Add 2 potatoes, 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeas, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground coriander, 1 bay leaf and 6 ¼ cups hot water or gluten-free vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to a steady simmer for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 5: Stir in 2 ⅞ oz medium-grain rice and simmer for 15–18 minutes, stirring now and then so it doesn't catch, until the rice is soft and has slightly thickened the soup. A common mistake is adding the rice at the start: it overcooks and turns the soup to porridge.
17 minStep 6: Season with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper and rest off the heat, covered, for 5 minutes.
5 minStep 7: Ladle into bowls and top each with a spoon of 4 tbsp sour cream or suzma (strained yogurt) and plenty of ½ oz dill, coriander and basil. Serve with obi non.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vegetable mastava take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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