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13 recipes

Tandir goshtSlow-cooked oven lamb

In Samarkand and Jizzakh, tandir gosht is cooked in a clay tandir oven that is fired until white-hot, then the coals are raked out, big pieces of lamb on the bone are hung inside on hooks, wrapped in leaves of the dzhida tree or grape, and the oven is sealed with clay for hours. The meat comes out smoky, falling-apart tender and crusty at the edges. This home version wraps the lamb in vine leaves and foil and slow-roasts it, finishing uncovered for colour. A common mistake is unwrapping too early; the meat needs the full time to turn tender. Chef's tip: rub the lamb with salt, cumin and a little crushed coriander the night before so the seasoning goes deep.

320 min

Uzbek Meat

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Ugra oshThin noodle soup with lamb

Ugra osh is the noodle soup of Bukhara and Samarkand, where 'ugra' means very thin hand-cut noodles: they are cooked in a clear lamb broth with chickpeas, carrot, radish, tomato and pepper, and the bowl is finished with chopped dill and a spoon of katyk. On meatless days the same soup is made with chickpeas and vegetables alone. A common mistake is cooking the noodles in the soup pot for too long, which clouds the broth. Chef's tip: cook the noodles separately for 2 minutes and add them to each bowl, so the broth stays clear and the noodles don't swell.

130 min

Uzbek Soups

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UnashBean and noodle soup

Unash is a homely soup from Khorezm, in Uzbekistan's far north-west near the Aral Sea: thin hand-cut noodles cooked in a broth of beans, onion, carrot and tomato, then finished in the bowl with a spoon of sour katyk and fresh herbs, so it tastes both rich and tangy. Families in Urgench make it on winter evenings, often without meat. A common mistake is cooking the noodles in the soup for too long, which makes it thick and gluey. Chef's tip: add the noodles only when the beans are fully tender, and serve within 5 minutes so they stay springy.

90 min

Uzbek Soups

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HasipLamb and rice sausage

Hasip is the sausage of Bukhara, made after Kurban Hayit, the feast of the sacrifice: lamb casings stuffed with rice mixed with chopped lamb, liver and heart, onion and cumin, boiled until firm and then sliced and fried until crisp. Bukharan families serve it hot as a first course for guests. A common mistake is overfilling the casings; the rice swells and bursts them in the pot. Chef's tip: fill them only two-thirds full and prick well before simmering, then fry the slices in a dry pan so they crisp in their own fat. The filling must reach 71 °C.

180 min

Uzbek Meat

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ChalopCold yogurt and cucumber soup

When Tashkent summers reach 40 °C, families eat chalop: chilled katyk or suzma loosened with cold water and filled with diced cucumber, radish and a pile of fresh dill, coriander, basil and spring onion. It is served in bowls with torn non bread, alongside plov or grilled shashlik, and some like a little ice in it. A common mistake is using thin, runny yogurt, which makes the soup watery; start with a thick yogurt and thin it to taste. Chef's tip: salt the cucumbers lightly and leave for 5 minutes before adding them, so they season through and stay crisp.

15 min

Uzbek Soups

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MoshkhurdaMung bean and rice soup

Moshkhurda is a thick, warming soup from Tashkent and the Ferghana Valley, made with mung beans and a little rice cooked in a broth with fried onion, carrot, potato and tomato, and finished in the bowl with a spoon of tangy suzma and fresh dill and coriander. Cooked with lamb in many homes, it is also commonly made without meat on light days. A common mistake is serving it without the suzma; the sour, creamy yogurt is what balances the earthy beans. Chef's tip: fry the tomato paste until it darkens, which gives the broth its deep orange colour and rounded taste.

65 min

Uzbek Soups

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Kazan kabobCrisp lamb ribs and potatoes

Kazan kabob is men's food in Tashkent, cooked outdoors in a big cast-iron kazan for a weekend gathering: lamb ribs fried hard in their own fat until crusty, then covered and cooked until tender, with whole small potatoes added to fry in the lamb fat until golden. It is served piled on a platter with raw onion, cumin and fresh herbs. A heavy cast-iron casserole does the job at home. A common mistake is adding water; the dish should fry and steam in its own fat and juices. Chef's tip: salt the ribs well in advance and fry them without moving them for the first 5 minutes, so they get a deep crust.

90 min

Uzbek Meat

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SuzmaStrained yogurt

Suzma is strained katyk, the Uzbek sour yogurt: hung in a cloth bag until thick, tangy and spreadable, then spooned into soups like moshkhurda, dolloped on manti, eaten with herbs and non, or rolled into balls and dried into qurut. Every Uzbek kitchen, from Tashkent to Bukhara, has a cloth bag of it dripping over a bowl. A common mistake is straining at room temperature in summer, which sours it too far; hang it in the fridge. Chef's tip: stir in a little salt before hanging; it draws out more whey and gives a firmer, longer-keeping suzma.

10 min

Uzbek Basics

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Vegetable mastavaVegetable and rice soup

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.

55 min

Uzbek Soups

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DimlamaSteamed lamb and vegetables

Dimlama is what Uzbek families cook at the end of summer, when the markets of the Fergana Valley are piled with cabbage, aubergine, peppers and tomatoes. Everything goes into one heavy pot in layers, lamb at the bottom, and the lid stays on for nearly two hours while the vegetables slowly give up their juice and become the sauce. There is no added water, so the flavour is deep and sweet. People eat it straight from shallow bowls with non bread. The biggest error is lifting the lid to check; the steam escapes, the vegetables stew dry and the bottom can catch. Chef's tip: seal the lid with a damp tea towel or a strip of foil so no steam gets out.

140 min

Uzbek Meat

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Kok choyGreen tea

In an Uzbek chaikhana, from Tashkent's shady teahouses to the courtyards of Khiva, the first thing to arrive is a teapot of kok choy, green tea, with small bowls (piala) and a plate of raisins, almonds and sweets. The host performs qaytarish: pours a bowl, tips it back into the pot, and repeats three times to blend the brew, then serves each guest a bowl only half full, a sign they should stay and be topped up. Green tea is drunk with plov to cut the oil, and all through hot summer days. Chef's tip: use water just off the boil (about 90°C) and warm the pot first; boiling water straight from the kettle makes Chinese green tea taste harsh.

8 min

Uzbek Drinks

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Uzbek chuchvaraTiny dumplings in dill broth

In Tashkent, chuchvara is the little cousin of manti: dumplings no bigger than a thumbnail, folded around a peppery lamb-and-beef filling and dropped into clear meat broth. Families make them in big batches on a slow weekend, freeze trays of them, and eat bowls through the winter with a spoonful of suzma (strained yogurt) or sour cream and lots of dill. The dough is thin and firm, the filling juicy with grated onion, and the broth light enough to drink. Many home cooks roll the dough too thick, which turns the dumplings stodgy; aim for a sheet you can just see the board through. Chef's tip: freeze the shaped dumplings on a floured tray before bagging them, so they stay separate and cook straight from frozen.

105 min

Uzbek Soups

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Uzbek lamb shashlik

Walk past any chaikhana (teahouse) in Samarkand or Bukhara in the evening and you will smell shashlik: chunks of lamb, threaded with little cubes of tail fat, grilled over charcoal and fanned with a piece of cardboard. They arrive on long flat skewers with a heap of raw onion soaked in vinegar, a round of non bread and green tea. The marinade is simple, just onion, cumin, black pepper and salt, so the flavour comes from good lamb and real fire. The usual slip is to pack the meat tightly on the skewer, which steams the middle instead of searing it; leave a little gap between pieces. Chef's tip: grate the onion for the marinade rather than slicing it; the juice tenderises the lamb in a few hours.

40 min

Uzbek Meat

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