Uzbek dishes are so popular that they can be tasted in almost any country in the world. But real Uzbek food, of course, is found only in one country.
Pilaf
When a person hears about Uzbek dishes, he immediately remembers pilaf. Uzbek pilaf is included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. If you haven’t tried real pilaf, then you haven’t been to Uzbekistan. Because they are treated to dear guests at any feast.
Unlike other countries, where the amount of meat is usually half as much as the side dish, Uzbek pilaf is famous for the fact that it contains the same amount of meat and rice.
Each region has its own type of pilaf. For example, Tashkent pilaf is not at all similar to Samarkand or Chores. Cooking traditions, along with recipes, are passed down from father to son, from ashpan (the so-called person who cooks pilaf) to student.
The most famous type of pilaf is chaikhansky, Wherever you try pilaf – in an expensive restaurant in Tashkent or a small teahouse in Kashkadarya, you will be satisfied.
Shashlik
In Central Asian countries, shish kebab is “kabob,” but in Uzbekistan, even in catering establishments, you will hardly find such a name. And if you ask: “Where can I try kabob?”, most likely they will recommend you kazan-kabob, which has nothing to do with kebab.
Shish kebab is pieces of marinated meat, strung on a skewer and fried over coals. Firewood for barbecue needs fruit wood. The traditional type of kebab is considered to be beef kebab with fat tail fat – when lard and meat are alternated when skewered, and the kebab turns out very juicy.
Kebab meat is always marinated. There are many marinades – each chef has his own secrets, because the taste of the dish depends not only on the quality of the meat and the type of firewood, but also on the marinade.
People in Uzbekistan love beef and lamb kebabs, lula kebab (ground shashlik), jigar (liver kebab), chicken, vegetable, mushroom, and even fish and quail kebabs (bedona).
The shish kebab is served with onions sprinkled with vinegar.
Manti
Uzbek dough dishes are very diverse. Manti is a dish of dough and filling that is steamed. The whole secret is in the right dough and the juiciest filling.
Minced beef is usually used as a filling, less often lamb. There are manta with pumpkin and potatoes. Be sure to add a lot of finely chopped onions to the filling, as well as salt and pepper. If manta is made with meat, fat tail fat must be added there.
The dough is rolled out into portioned pieces, the filling is placed in the center and the manta is formed in the form of an envelope or a bow. Although, in fact, there are many ways to sculpt.
It is somewhat similar to manti, because it is also steamed. But khanum’s taste is completely different.
The dough is kneaded in water (less often in milk), allowed to “rest” a little, and then rolled out into a circle of large diameter. The thickness of the dough should be optimal: not very thick, but not thin either. Minced meat filling with various variations is less common. Sometimes khanum is made with pumpkin.
The dough, rolled into a roll, is placed on the grill of a mantyshnitsa (manto cooker, steamer), which is pre-lubricated with sunflower oil. Cook khanum for about 30-40 minutes, depending on the composition of the filling (longer with meat).
Samosa
If we list the most popular Uzbek dishes, we cannot fail to talk about the most famous Uzbek fast food – samsa. Only, unlike other “street food”, one samsa in Uzbekistan can not only fill you up, but also fill you up.
This dish of Uzbek cuisine is present at every feast. There are mini-samosas that are smaller than a child’s palm, and sometimes there are samosas the size of the palm of boxer Nikolai Valuev.
Uzbek samsa comes with minced meat and minced meat, with and without fat tail fat, with potatoes and pumpkin, with mushrooms and herbs, with chicken and cheese, with peas and even with sweet jam.
You need to divide the dough into 3-4 parts, grease each of them with oil, wrap and put in the refrigerator. Then roll out each piece of dough very thin, brush with melted butter or margarine and roll it onto a rolling pin in layers. Then cut the dough with a knife.
remove it from the rolling pin, divide it into small portions and roll it out. Place the filling on top and connect the samosa in the shape of a triangle or square. Then cover with egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. In addition to the tandoor, samosa can be baked in the oven for about 40 minutes.
Tukhum barracks
To put it simply, these are dumplings stuffed with eggs. But in fact, this is a whole culinary philosophy. The best tukhum-barak is prepared in Khorezm.
First you need to make the dough by mixing flour, water, egg and salt. The dough should be approximately the same as for dumplings.
Prepare the filling separately. Take chicken eggs, break them into a separate bowl, beat them with a fork and add milk, butter and spices.
The dough, which rests for 15-20 minutes, needs to be rolled out into a thin layer and cut into portions. Then cover them up so that you get a square with one open “window”.
Boil water and bring all the preparations closer to it. Pour 1 tablespoon of filling into each square, seal and lower into water.
