Recipes from
Azerbaijan



Recipes from
Uzbekistan

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Recipes
from Ukraine



Recipes
with sauerkraut


Travel in
Uzbekistan

  Plov   Vareniki
 
  • 250 GRAM RICE
  • 5 THREADS OF SAFFRON
  • 50 GRAM BUTTER, melted
  • 200 GRAM CARROTS, cubed
  • 400 GRAM LAMB, cubed
  • 50 GRAM RAISINS
  •  
    • 400 GRAM FLOUR
    • 1 EGG
    • 1/2 CUP BUTTERMILK
    • 1/2 TSP SALT
    • 300 GRAM SAUERKRAUT
    • 100 GRAM BACON CUBES
    • 1 TOMATO, cubed
    • 1 ONION, chopped
    • 1 CUP SOUR CREAM
    Stir fry the onions and the lamb for 5 minutes. Bring 4 cups of water to the boil and add the rice and salt to taste. Bring this to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the meat mixture, the saffron, the raisins and the carrots and stir well. Put this mixture in an oven dish. Pour the butter over the rice. Close the dish and bake the plov another 30 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.

    I regularly had the original version in Uzbekistan, where they use yellow carrot instead of orange; at home I cannot find anything but orange carrots. Apparently we do not want to disturb the rabbits.

    On the 1st of September, the Uzbeks celebrate Independence Day. In 1991 they struggled free from the reign of the Soviets. Click on culinary calendar for more links between cooking and celebrations.

    Mix the flour with the egg, the salt and the buttermilk and knead well. Roll this dough out and cut it into circles. Stir fry the onion and the bacon for 5 minutes; add the sauerkraut and the tomato, simmer for 10 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool down. Put 1-2 teaspoons of the sauerkraut on each dough circle and close the circles. Cook the vareniki in a large pan of water until for about 5 minutes. Put them in plates, pour the sour cream on top and sprinkle with fried onions.

    Vareniki are also available in other countries, is slightly different forms, like manti in Uzbekistan, chinkali in Georgia and pelmeni in Russia and from the Ukraine there is also galushki.

    You can stuff vareniki also with other things like minced beef, mushrooms or fish.