Spice Mix For Kazakh And Uzbek Recipes

UZBEK PLOV (LAMB AND RICE PILAF)

Steps:

• Place basmati rice in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Set aside. Wash heads of garlic. Set aside.
• Heat vegetable oil in a dutch oven or large skillet over high heat until smoking, then add lamb, turning occasionally until the lamb is evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the onions; cook and stir until the onion has softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots; cook and stir until the carrots have softened, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cumin, coriander, barberries, and peppercorns. Drop whole garlic heads into the mixture, stirring to evenly distribute ingredients. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Wash and drain basmati rice with hot water. Pour cleaned rice over the lamb mixture in an even layer. Slowly pour in the boiling water. The rice should be covered with about 3/4 inch of water. Do not stir. Season with salt, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir rice and lamb together, and serve with the garlic heads on top.

SPICE MIX FOR KAZAKH AND UZBEK RECIPES

Steps:

• Mix well and store in an air-tight container.

MANTY FROM KAZAKHSTAN

Steps:

• Place bay leaves and peppercorns in just over 1/3 cup water and boil breifly. Remove leaves and peppercorns, set aside.
• Slowly fry onions until golden. Half way through the cooking, add spice mix, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.
• In a bowl, mix ground meat, onion mixture, and the boiled water. Set aside.
• Mix dough ingredients and kneed well. Shape dough into balls the size of walnuts. Flatten these, and add 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture. Fold dough around the meat to form triangles. Normally, these are steamed, but if you prefer to bake them, add oil or butter to the dough.
• While they are cooking, mix the yogurt with grated garlic and crushed mint, stir well. When manty are ready, place them on a serving platter and cover them with the yogurt sauce. Serve hot.

KUYRDAK FROM KAZAKHSTAN

Steps:

• Cut meat into serving sized pieces and fry with chopped onions. Make balls with bread dough. Add broth, bread dough, spice mix, chopped tomatoes, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then stew about an hour or until tender.
• Meanwhile, fry garlic and spring onions until golden, then add all other sauce ingredients except yogurt and fry another minute or so. Set aside.
• When ready to serve Kuyrdak, add yogurt to sauce and stir well. Remove bay leaves, spoon meat onto a bed of rice and serve sauce on the side, as people will prefer different amounts.
• Variation: Skip the yogurt and oil. Do not cook greens, just sprinkle them over the Kuyrdak. This is how it is served when yogurt is not available.