Uzbek and Central Asian Cooking

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

2007-06-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

When my mother-in-law comes to visit, she always makes golubtsi, or stuffed cabbage rolls for us. Great to make if you have leftover rice.

One head of cabbage
Boiling salted water
1 onion chopped
2 Tablespoons of oil
2 pounds of ground beef
1 1/2 cups of cooked rice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cans of condensed tomato soup
2 1/2 cups of water

Remove core from cabbage. Place whole head ina large pot (kazan) filled with boiling salted water. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove softened leaves and repeat until all of the leaves are pulled out. Cut thick denter stem from each leaf. Chop remaining cabbage.

Saute onion in oil. Add meat, rice, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Place a heaping tablespoonful of meat mixture on each leaf. Tuck sides over filling while rolling leaf around the filling.

Place half of the chopped cabbage on bottom of a large pot. Fill with layers of the cabbage rolls. Cover with remaining chopped cabbage.

Combine tomato soup with water. Mix until smooth. Pour over cabbage rolls. Cover and bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

Serve cabbage rolls with the sauce

15 servings.

Cabbage Rolls with Mushroom Sauce

2007-06-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

This is not exactly an Uzbek dish, but still popular throughout the former Soviet Union.

1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
2 Tablespons of butter
3/4 Cup cooked rice
1 pound ground meat
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 whole head of cabbage
Boiling Water
2 cups of beef broth
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup

Saute the onion and garlic in butter or vegetable oil in a large skillet. Add rice, meat, salt, and pepper. Stir fry just enough to mix well. Remove from heat.

Remove core from cabbage. This is a very important step. I learned this the hard way. Place the whole head of cabbage in a pot filled with boiling water. Cover the pot and cook the cabbage in the boiling water for three minutes. Remove the soft outer leaves. Repeat until all of the leavesare softened and have been removed. Another important thing to do is to cut off the thick stem from each leaf.

Taking one large leaf at a time, spoon about 1 rounded tablespoon full of meat mixture in center of leaf. Cover with a small leaf. Tuck ends up and just over the edge of the filling. Place one end of leaf fillinf and roll up loosely, Repeat until all filling and leaves are used. Palce cabbage rolls in a large casserole. Do not make more than 2 layers.

Combine beef broth and cream of mushroom soup. Pour over cabbage rolls.

Bake at 350 degrees F about 1 1/2 hours.

Makes 8 servings

From Polish Cookbook by The Culinary Arts Institute

Mastava

2007-05-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

When I asked how to cook Uzbek food, mastava was the first dish I was taught how to cook. It is simple and tasty.

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound beef cut into 1/4 inch cubes (it just tastes better than using ground beef)
1 small onion chopped
1 large carrot peeled and diced
1 large potato peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery chopped
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
6 cups of water
salt and pepper
3/4 cup rice
sour cream

Heat oil until very hot. Fry onion add tomato paste and fry. Add beef and fry until browned. Add carrot and celery. Reduce heat to medium and stir constantly until the vegetables are soft.

Pour in the water. Raise the heat until the water boils. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add potato and rice.

Lower heat and cover, simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Serve in a bowl and put some sour cream in it.

Easy, cheap, and tasty. The best introduction to Uzbek cooking.

Hunza Bread

2007-05-07T16:51:00.000-07:00

The Hunzacots live in Hunza Valley in Northern Pakistan and are known for their health and longetivity. They eat a very healthy diet, and their bread is all over the internet promising good health.

From tedmontgomery.com

2 c. water		2 oz. powdered soya milk
1¾ to 2 lbs. natural buckwheat		(about ¼ c.)
or millet flour		½ tsp. sea salt
¾ c. canola oil		½ tsp. cinnamon
¾ c. natural unrefined sugar		½ tsp. ground nutmeg
8 oz. honey		1 tsp. baking powder
8 oz. molasses		(non-aluminum)

Hunza Diet Breat has a taste that is very satisfying and chewy all on its own, but you also may add, if desired, apricots, raisins, chopped walnuts or almonds, and/or sliced dates to the above ingredients. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Grease and lightly flour cooking pan(s). Ideally, use baking trays with about 1-inch-high sides. Pour the batter in pan(s) ½-inch thick over the base.

Bake at about 300° F for 1 hour. After cooking, dry the bread in the oven for about 2 hours at a very low heat—about 90° F. (If your oven temperature does not go below 90° F, try turning it as low as possible and leaving the oven door open until the bread becomes dry.) After it is cooled, tip it out and cut it into approximately 2"×2" squares.

Store the bread wrapped in cloth in a container. You may need to repeat the baking depending on the size of your baking pan and oven until all the mixture is used.

Hunza Diet Bread is made from natural buckwheat or millet flour. It is rich is phosphorous, potassium, iron, calcium, manganese, and other minerals, as nothing has been destroyed in the preparation of the wheat. Thus it contains the essential nourishment of the grain. This is why you must use only natural buckwheat or millet flour to make your own Hunza Diet Bread.

Ishlekli

2007-05-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

This is ishleki, the Turkmen version of "pizza". I was unable to find a good recipe that was clear. Just a bad Russian translation of one. It is similar to lahmajoon. Looking at this picture makes me wish I had a tandoori oven. Whenever I get my own home, I would like to get one so as to get the perfect flavor.

I think you mix some milk, eggs, salt, oil and some flour for the dough. The filling consists of a pound of beef or lamb, tomatoes, and onions. You layer the dough like lahmajoon.

Here is the recipe in Russian.
I got the picture from the website as well. Doesn't it look delicious? Looks sort of like Chorek, Turkmenistan's bread.

Lahmajoon, Armenian "Pizza"

2007-05-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

I ate this once at a Middle Eastern market in Chattanooga, TN. They sell them frozen so that you can heat them up at home. The one I ate was very garlicky, yet delicious. I am sure they have frozen ones available in other local Middle Eastern stores. (or the local halal store) I can't wait to try this recipe.

Dough:
1 packet dry active yeast
1 cup warm water, 110 degrees F
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup vegetable oilBloom the yeast in the warm water for 5 minutes until foam appears. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, then add the sugar and salt, mix with a spatula. Create a well in the center and pour in the oil and the bloomed yeast. Fold together all ingredients until combined.

Rub hands with a little vegetable oil and knead the dough thoroughly for about 10 minutes the dough should be smooth and thick. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough proof for 2 1/2 hours.

Once risen, punch it down, divide the dough into 13 egg-sized balls, and roll each by hand. Roll each ball with a rolling pin into 7 or 8-inch diameter cakes, about 1/8 of an inch thick. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Meat Topping:
1 pound lean ground beef
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon dried mint
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 1/2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 (14-ounce) can seedless chopped tomatoes, well drained and rinsed

Lemon wedges and plain yogurt, for garnish

For the meat topping: combine meat, tomato paste, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, paprika, mint, and allspice in a bowl.

In a food processor, pulse onion and fresh garlic until it has a thick-chunky texture, then add to meat mixture. Next add the bell pepper, jalapeno, and parsley to the food processor and pulse just until fine, then add to meat and onion mixture.

Lastly, add the tomatoes to the food processor, puree, and then add to meat mixture. Mix well by hand or spatula. Let mixture marinate in the refrigerator, covered, for 2 hours.

Spread a thin layer of the meat mixture, about 2 ounces, on to each cake and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and edges of dough start to brown. To serve, stack the cakes on top of each other in a tower. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top, followed by a dollop of plain yogurt, roll up like a wrap and eat. Repeat with remaining cakes.

May individually layer each cake on waxed paper and seal in a plastic freezer bag for future use.

From foodnetwork.com

Chop Chae

2007-05-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

You have Uzbek guests coming over to visit. You are unsure about cooking Uzbek food, and you know that your friends (or in-laws!!) do not like American food. Well, surprise them with Korean food. Remember, Koreans are a minority in Uzbekistan, brought there by Stalin. Korean food, especially the salads, are popular. I had the fortune of living in Korea so I know how to make Korean food. My mother-in-law loved it! Let me pass on this easy and delicious recipe.

First, you need to go to a Korean store and get dangmyun. (myun means noodles in Korean) These are clear noodles made from sweet potato. You can ask the people in the store for "chop chae noodles". They will understand and help you. You also need soy sauce, sesame oil and dried shiitake mushrooms.

The package of chop chae noodles is huge so I use about half of the package of noodles.

You need very thin beef. This is called bulgogi beef. The korean store usually has it. You can also buy sirloin steak and slice as thin as you can. Marinate 1lb of beef in about a half a cup of soy sauce, teaspoon of sesame oil and a teaspoon of sugar. Do this ahead of time.

Take out a handful of dried shiitake mushrooms and soak in water.

Chop up in thin slices, 2 stalks of celery, 1 medium onion, and 2 carrots. Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large nonstick frying pan and stir fry each vegetable, one kind at a time. (The Uzbeks who watched me cook thought the method weird)

Boil the noodles according to the directions about 10 minutes. Drain and chop up Korean way, with cooking scissors. Then boil some spinach. After the spinach is done, drain.

Stir fry the beef on high heat until cooked. Then lower the heat a little and add the vegetables. Drain the mushrooms, cut them up and then add them. Then add the spinach, and the noodles. Stir fry them all, you may want to add some soy sauce. The noodles should be brown. Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.

Serve on top of short grain rice and kim chi.

This is my own recipe that was a success :-) (well a Korean taught me) It got an ochen vkusno rating!!! :-)

Mchadi, An Easy Georgian Recipe

2007-05-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading "The Foodlover's Atlas of the World" by Martha Shulman. This is a great resource on cooking and foods around the world. She lists main ingredients from 90 different cultures around the world and the geography and climate influence a culture's cuisine. Unfortunately, Uzbekistan is not one of the countries described. There is a very interesting page on the Republic of Georgia however. There I was introduced to "mchadi".

Georgia is divided into Western Georgia, which borders on the Black Sea, and Eastern Georgia which is dry and windy. Western Georgia is rainy and has higher temperatures. Corn is preferred over wheat. Georgians make mchadi out of corn flour. Mchadi is basically like corn bread. New world foods like kidney beans, tomatoes, and green beans are also favorites.

I thought this amazing since I am also from cornbread country. My family is from Western Tennessee, which borders the Mississippi River. It is very hot and humid here. Wheat was not traditionally grown. My grandparents grew up on cornbread and beans. My mother still cooks this meal once a week and it is one of my favorites. We usually pour the peas over the corn bread and eat fried potatoes and green beans as side dishes.

Mchadi is cooked very much like southern cornbread. You just mix the corn flour with water. Put it in a pan with oil and either bake or fry it. My mother puts cornbread and oil in a cast iron skillet and cooks it in the oven. That is only good if your skillet is seasoned though.

Here is an easy recipe for "mchadi". Use it to scoop up gravy, grease from your chicken or vegetables. I also like to eat it with potato soup.

Mix cornmeal & water together well. (about a cup of flour)
Form it into a round ball. Heat a
skillet over low heat. With wet hands, flatten cornmeal ball into a
large pancake abt 1/2-inch thick. Put this into hot, dry skillet & cook
over moderate heat for 5 mins or long enough to form a crust. Turn
pancake over w/a spatula & cook for 5 mins more. Serve warm. Serves 4 to
6.

Serve it to your friends who swear they will never try foreign food and tell them that they just ate Caucasian food!!

Easy Hachapuri Recipe

2007-05-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe online somewhere. (I can't remember where, sorry!) It was an obvious Russian recipe that was translated into English using one of those online translators. ("To pour kefir in a bowl, and gradually adding flour zamesit the dough. . ." ) This isn't the loaf of hachapuri (khachapuri) rather the small fried kind you can get from street vendors. This recipe will explain the technique in making square pastries (square samsa) if you wish to make a square shape pastry.

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

3 cups of flour
1 cup of kefir or buttermilk
4 tablespoons of margarine or butter

Filling:

1 1/2 cup of hard cheese like cheddar, havarti, or Monterey Jack (I mix them)
1 cup of soft cheese like ricotta, cottage cheese or goat cheese
1 egg
Greens (parsley or basil)
Salt, pepper

TO MAKE DOUGH

Pour the kefir or buttermilk into a bowl. Gradually add the flour and mix until a dough forms into a ball. Knead dough until it no longer sticks to your hands. You may need to add more flour. Put in a bowl, cover and let sit for 40 minutes.

WHILE WAITING MAKE THE FILLING . . .

Grate the cheeses into a bowl. Add and mix egg, greens, your favorite spices and cottage cheese or any other soft cheese. Set aside.

BACK TO THE DOUGH

After 40 minutes, divide the dough into two parts. Take the dough and roll (an o'qlow makes it easier) until it is very thin. I roll my dough over a plastic table cover. I roll the dough until I can see the design through the dough. About 1 mm. Spread half of the melted butter over the dough. Then roll the dough into a long tube looking roll. Then wrap up and put in the freezer for 30 minutes. (Use the same technique for samsa) Do not let it freeze. You are simply hardening the butter. Do the same to the second part of dough. Spread the rest of the butter on the dough, roll it up like a carpet, wrap it, and put it in the freezer.

Cut pieces of the rolled up dough about 2 in long. Unroll the pieces. They should be about 2 mm thick. Put in the filling and then close up like a square.

You fry this Khachapuri. Put vegetable oil in a pan. Put the pastries in seam down and fry until golden on both sides.

This is very delicious.

(Picture from sloyka.com)

Tovuk Palov

2007-05-04T15:06:00.000-07:00

Tovuk means chicken in Uzbek and this is a very easy recipe for Chicken Plov. The recipe comes from The Art of Uzbek Cooking by Lynn Visson.

1 pound chicken, or two frying chickens cut into serving pieces
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 medium onions thinly sliced
6 carrots peeled and cut into thin strips
5 cups of water
salt and pepper
2 cups rice

Dry chicken (or you will get burned when the oil pops)

ZIRVAK

In a heavy pot like a dutch oven or kazan, heat oil and brown chicken pieces on all sides.

Add onion and saute until golden brown.

Add carrots and cook for five minutes.

Add 3 cups of water, salt and pepper to taste, raise heat to boil.

Lower heat to simmer. Cover and simmer until chicken and carrots are tender. You can add water to keep the zirvak from burning.

PART 2

While cooking the zirvak, soak rice in salted water for 30 minutes.

When the zirvak is ready, place the rice on top of the chicken and CAREFULLY pour in the remaining water. DO NOT MIX RICE AND CHICKEN.

Put heat on high. Bring to a boil. REduce heat a little to prevent burning and watch it until the water has evaporated.

Push the rice towards the center. Then poke holes in several places with the handle of a wooden spoon.

Cook and cover over low heat until rice is done and all the water has evaporated. (remember that is your goal) Do not allow the plov to burn.

Serve rice on a plate and put the chicken on top.

I tried this recipe and thought that it called for too much water. I would put maybe 2 cups of water in the zirvak and a cup and a half on top of the rice. Otherwise you get slimey plov.

Plov for Dummies

2007-05-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

The most popular Uzbek dish is plov or osh. This is also the dish Americans trying to cook Uzbek food usually screw up. That is because it has a certain technique to it that must be practiced and mastered. Most Americans also do not have the fortune of having a native Uzbek or other Central Asian to show them the technique. Once mastered, plov is a very delicious and satisfying dish that the entire family, including those meat and potatoes only relatives, can enjoy.

INGREDIENTS: The ingredients which must be in osh or plov are oil, onion, carrot, and rice.
Meat is usually in osh but you can substitute kasi (horse sausage), golubtsi (stuffed grape leaves), or even eggs for the meat which is usually meat or mutton. Chicken plov is also very delicious.

There are other variations of plov which use peas, whole garlic, quince or tart apple, raisins, turnip, dried apricot, and potato.

Plov used to be cooked with fat usually from the sheep tail. Nowadays people use sesame oil, cotton oil, or good ol' vegetable oil. Olive oil has too strong of a flavor and is not recommended.

You can also use either regular carrots or yellow carrots especially in Samarqand and Khorazm plov.

TECHNIQUE: There are two steps in making plov. The first is called zirvak. In this step you brown the onion, carrot, and meat in lots of oil in a heavy pot like a kazan. After browning then you add water and spices. Only use half of the salt. Commonly used spices include caraway seeds, cumin, pepper, and red pepper pods. You can also use anise and barberries. For American kitchens, salt and pepper will work just fine. You cook the zirvak until the vegetables are cooked well.

The second step is the tricky step. This is this rice step. First you must soak the rice in salted water for 30 minutes. This is very important. After the zirvak is done, place the rice in a flat layer, and pour over hot water. Add salt and bring to boil. Keep the heat on high until all of the water evaporates. Then gather the rice (DO NOT MIX THE RICE WITH THE ZIRVAK!!) to the middle of the pot. (use a kazan or heavy pot if you have one.) Pierce holes in the rice all the way to the bottom with a spoon and lower the heat. Cover rice with a plate and then put the pot cover on. SIMMER. You should hear a "goop goop" sound as the moisture is mixed into the rice. Keep a close eye on it or it will burn. The goal is to get ALL of the fluid whether in water of zirvak evaporated and cooked into the rice. NUMBER ONE RULE-- Do not mix the rice and the zirvak.

When serving, carefully put the rice on the bottom of the plate. Then top with the zirvak.

VARIATIONS: There are different variations of plov depending on where you are in Uzbekistan. The most common plov is Fergana Plov. There is also Samarqand plov used with yellow carrots so that the rice is still white. In the Burkhorocha method, the rice, meat and vegetables are cooked separately. If you screw up the rice, mix it ith the zirvak and then you make a different dish called Shavla or Shoola. After cooking the Shavla by mixing the rice and the meat and vegetable mixture, fry some onion and top the shavla with them along with fresh cilantro and parsley.

SIDE DISHES: Fresh greens like parsley, coriander (cilantro), and scallions are great to serve with plov. For an easy salad, chop up some onion and tomato. Chopped up tomato tastes great with plov. The best of all is to serve bread. Uzbek bread called non is the best. If you can't get non pita or any other flat bread goes fine. My husband sometimes pours V8 juice on his plov. For dessert eat some grapes or raisins (kishmish) and drink tea or milk.

Please share your favorite plov recipe.

Mashkitchiri from Lynn Visson Book

2007-05-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 carrot diced
1 potato cubed
2 large tomatoes coarsely chopped
(or use can of crushed tomatoes)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
4 1/2 cups chicken stock or water
3/4 cup mung beans soaked overnight
(you can cheat with split green peas)
1 cup rice
2 tablespoons coriander (preferably chopped, fresh cilantro)

Heat oil, saute onions until they turn GOLDEN (very important)
Add carrots and potato until they start to BROWN
Mix tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper to taste
Add 1 1/2 cups boiling stock or water and boil five minutes
Stir in mung beans
Reduce heat and cover for about 40 minutes until beans are soft
Place remaining 3 cups of water or stock in another pot and stir in rice. Boil rice for two minutes reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook for 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. (I will test out just cooking it in a rice cooker and see if that is just as good)

Stir in rice into vegetable mixture, spinkle with coriander or cilantro and serve.

Adapted from The Art of Uzbek Cooking by Lynn Visson

VERY Ochen Vkusno!!

Shapes of Samsa

2007-05-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

This picture illustrates the two different shapes of samsa. It is more common to shape the samsa into a triangle. It is faster and easier to shape it into a circle around the filling, and roll under. Make sure to pinch the ends and cover with egg yolk so that it won't open.

OCHEN VKUSNA!!

Nukhakhurak

2007-05-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

1 pound dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight (or use canned chickpeas)
2 medium onions coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots coarsely chopped
salt
pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Drain chickpeas well, place in pot with onions and carrots.
Pour in water to cover the vegetables by 2 inches
Add salt to taste. My husband's family uses a lot of salt. I like it more bland and I add seasoned salt or cajun spice instead.
Reduce heat, cover and cook on low for 50 minutes or until chickpeas are soft.
Drain well. Taste for seasoning and add salt or cayenne as needed. (I add more cayenne or use cajun spice.)
You can add scallions just before serving.

Spicy Meat and Potato Samsa

2007-05-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

DOUGH
4 cups flour
pinch salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 3/4 cups water
1 egg well beaten, plus egg yolk

FILLING
1 lb beef chopped into pea sized pieces
2 large onions chopped real thin
salt
pepper
2 teaspoons butter
1 potato chopped

Mix flour, salt, and baking powder in large bowl

Beat water with egg and add to dry ingredients

Work the dough until it can be handled easily, adding water in necessary

Form the dough into a ball and set aside in a bowl for one hour

In a large bowl mix meat, onions, salt, pepper, and mix well with hands

Roll dough on a floured board to 1/4 in thickness. I use a combination of a rolling pin and that long stick called an o'qlow. I guess you can use a rolling pin. Then you melt butter or margarine and spread it on the dough. (it might be a good idea to split the dough into two) Then you roll the dough up and wrap it and stick into the freezer for 15 minutes. You take it out of the freezer then slice the roll into 2 inch pieces. Then you flatten the pieces and roll them into 4 in circles. Put 2 tablespoons of filling into each circle and wrap it either in a triangle shape or a circle.

Beat an egg yolk and sread on each samsa.

Put the samsas in a GREASED baking sheet and bake 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

I tried this recipe and it was a delicious success. The technique I used to make samsa was taught to me by my mother-in-law who is from Tashkent. Samsa is my favorite Uzbek food to make. It is difficult, but very delicious.

Spaghetti/ Uzbekistan

2006-12-17T20:37:00.000-08:00

Uzbek Spaghetti

October 29th, 2006 by Ambar

This is spaghetti made Uzbek style. My mother- in- law taught me. Yes, I am cooking it in a real kazan.

Just heat some oil. Cook chopped onion in the oil until soft and then add a large can of tomato sauce and salt. (my mother-in-law uses a lot of salt) Then I cook the ground beef until brown and then add the cooked spaghetti noodles.

Kids usually love it and it is not recommended for those on diets. Perfect winter food!

Chaka/ Afghanistan

2006-12-17T20:36:00.002-08:00

Chaka

2 cups of plain yogurt, drained in a dampened cheesecloth for 30 minutes

4 to 6 cloves garlic minced

pinch of salt

Mix yogurt, garlic, and salt. Store 2 to 3 days covered in refrigerator.

Maushawa/ Afghanistan

2006-12-17T20:36:00.001-08:00

This soup took me a long time to make but it was worth it. It is perfect for the winter and goes nice with pita bread.

1 cup navy beans or red kidney beans

1 cup mung beans or split green peas

Soup Herbs: 1 leek, 1 stalk celery, 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs parsley, 2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 cup long grain rice

1lb ground beef or lamb

black pepper and 1tsp red pepper

dash of cinnamon

1/2 cut fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion chopped

2 fresh tomatoes (or 1 large can of tomatoes)

1 1/2 cups chaka

Wash navy beans in large soup pot, cover with cold water and soak overnight (or cheat and just use canned beans) Cover mung beans with boiling water and let soak to expand for one or two hours. Ass other beans to the soup pot and add water an inch above them. Ass soup herbs and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Mash beans lightly. Add Rice and only enough water to cook the mixture. Simmer 20 minutes. (soup will be thick). In a bowl, mix ground meat, cinnamon, pepper and mint. Knead, shape into balls.n a pan heat oil and saute onions until soft, about 2 minutes. Then add meatballs, cook until browned. Stir in tomatoes and enough water to half cover the meatballs. Cook until sauce thickens. To serve, spoon bean-rice mixture into bowl and top with meat ball sauce. Garnish with mint leaves and chaka.

Patlijan Karni Yarek / Armenia

2006-12-17T20:01:00.001-08:00

Patlijan Karni Yarek - Armenian Eggplant

1lb ground beef or lamb
2 onions finely sliced
1 small green pepper chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp all spice
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup plum tomatoes with juice (or canned whole tomatoes)
3 or 4 sprigs parsley
1 large eggplant
4 tablespoons unsalted melted butter
1 tablespoon tomato paste diluted in 1/2 cup water
1 fresh tomato

Heat a heavy pan and mash the meat into the pan until the color changes. Stir in onions and green pepper and stir. Sprinkle in a little salt, pepper, allspice, garlic, tomatoes, and 1/2 parsley. Stir and cook 20 minutes. Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, again in half, and again to make 8 pieces. Sprinkle lightly with salt and invert over a rack for 50 minutes. Then rinse eggplants and pat dry. Set in a baking dish, brush on butter and heat in an oven 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until light brown.

Take out of oven, slash eggplant slices across the center to make a cavity for the filling. Divide the filling among the eggplant slices. Set in a baking dish, pour diluted tomato paste over the pieces. Dot each eggplant piece with a tomato slice. Bake in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes.

If you have extra filling, put it in a tortilla and give it to your kids who don't exactly like eggplant.

From- The New York Ethnic Food Market Guide and Cookbook by Vlima Liacouras Chantiles

Gormeh Sabzi/ Iran

2006-12-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

THIS IS REALLY GOOD!!!

Persian Meat and Vegetables
1 can black eyed peas, drain half of juice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1-2 lbs stew meat
1 onion minced
salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon
scallions
1 large leek
1 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup coriander
1 package frozen spinach

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in pot, then saute meat and onion until onion softens and meat browns. Add salt and pepper. Add lemon juice and then add enough water to cover meat. Cover pot and simmer for about 35 minutes. In a another pan, heat 1 or 2 teaspoons oil and saute scallions, leeks, and parsley, coriander and spinach. Saute until cooked about ten minutes. When meat is tender stir in black eyed peas and the vegetable sauce (the leeks etc) Simmer 20 minutes until all flavors blend. Garnish with parsley and serve warm over rice.

From: The New York Ethnic Food Market Guide and Cookbook by Vilma Liacouras Chantiles

Khachapuri/ Georgian

2006-12-17T14:01:00.000-08:00

Georgian Cheesebread (Khachapuri)

Put two cups unbleached white flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a medium bowl. Put 12 tablespoons of butter into small pieces and place with flour and salt. Beat one egg and 1/4 cup plain yoghourt and add to the flour mixture. Form into a ball and chill for one hour. Grate 1 1/4 pounds of Muenster and Havarti cheeses. Add a beaten egg to the grated cheese. Preheat the oven at 350 deg. F., and grease a large baking sheet. On a floured board roll the dough to a rectangle about 12 x 17 inches. Spread the cheese mixture on half the dough and then fold the other half over to enclose it, sealing the edges. Transfer to the baking sheet, and bake for 50 mins. or until brown.