Dishes of Uzbek cuisine are food that many have known since childhood. It is unlikely that many will name more than two or three dishes, and it will most likely be pilaf, manti or lagman, but Uzbek cuisine is rich and varied.
Most importantly, the dishes are prepared from natural products, there are no complex ingredients, and they taste amazing.
Lagman- this is an Uzbek soup with homemade noodles, a kind of Central Asian version of ramen with a very spicy and fatty lamb broth and a lot of vegetables and meat. Depending on the recipe, lagman can be thinner or thicker. 
Eggplant appetizer “Badamjan”- these are baked or fried eggplants with pieces of bell pepper and radishes, sprinkled with finely chopped herbs and drizzled with oil. 
Chuchvara is a soup with small dumplings, usually served with suzma (a fermented milk product like sour cream) and containing black pepper, onion, tomato paste and bell pepper. 
Pilaf- a delicious combination of rice, pieces of beef, veal or lamb, carrots, onions and a special set of spices. It is easy to cook in large quantities in a cauldron, so this dish is often the basis of a holiday table. 
Salad "Tashkent"- a signature capital salad made from boiled beef tongue, radish and herbs, seasoned with sour cream sauce and garnished with fried onions. 
Manti- a dish of meat and dough that is steamed. The filling is beef, lamb or veal, although there is an option with pumpkin. The filling must be chopped into pieces, otherwise all the juice will leak out. Onions and spices are also placed inside. If desired, a little tail fat is sometimes added for flavor. Manti are eaten with kaymak (not to be confused with curd cheese, which is sold in stores), but it is not found in Russia, so it is better to eat it with sour cream, not forgetting to sprinkle with fresh herbs. 
Samsa- triangular pies made from homemade puff pastry filled with meat or pumpkin, onions, lamb fat and spices. As in manti, the filling is cut into cubes. Samsa is baked in a clay oven - tandoor, but at home you can also cook it in the oven. When the samsa is ready, brush it with egg yolk and sprinkle with black sesame seeds. 
Salad “Achik-chuchuk”, also known as "Achichuk", is fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs. This dish is perfect for vegetarians and fasting people. 
Naryn is a national dish of Uzbek cuisine made from homemade noodles and boiled meat, served with broth. Naryn is usually prepared from lamb, horse meat or kazy (boiled horse meat sausage) and sometimes from veal or beef. The main secret of this dish is that before cooking the meat, it must be covered with salt and dried for 24 hours. This is done to ensure the transparency and richness of the broth. Onions are added to the meat and noodles. In the original recipe, they take regular fresh onions, chop them, rub them with their hands and add them to the dish. You can also fry the onion and brush the noodle dough with the remaining oil. 
Shurpa- rich and fatty soup made from lamb and vegetables. The most famous varieties are kaiitnama, where the meat is placed fresh, and kovurma, where the meat is first fried in oil. 
Dimlama- an Uzbek version of roast, which uses beef, lamb, various vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, as well as fresh herbs and - of course - spices. 
Kutaby- fried flat pies made from the thinnest dough filled with meat, herbs, tomatoes, cheese - individually or together. 
Kabob (kebab)- beef, lamb or veal, strung in small pieces on skewers and cooked over an open fire. As a rule, the meat is pre-marinated. Pieces of lamb alternate with pieces of tail fat, which browns over the fire and acquires a delicate taste, and when serving, all this splendor is sprinkled with fresh, finely chopped onions and herbs and sprinkled with table vinegar. Hot tomato or adjika sauces are suitable. 
Halwaitar is the liquid embodiment of halva. Flour is added to the heated fat or oil, stirred, then sugar is added, and nuts and vanilla are added only at the end of cooking. 
Tea with sweets- this is an Uzbek tradition. There are a lot of options for preparing tea in Uzbekistan, and this drink is certainly served with nuts, dried fruits and other natural and healthy delicacies. By the way, Uzbeks never pour a full bowl for guests, showing that they are very happy and want the guest to sit longer. A full bowl means that the owner is in a hurry to send you away. 
Uzbek cuisine is one of the richest in Central Asia. The formation of its culinary traditions was influenced by many factors. At one time, the Uzbeks did not lead a sedentary, but a nomadic lifestyle, so they preferred to cook high-calorie foods using lamb, horse meat, beef, cotton and fat tail fat. They also used a large amount of herbs and spices. All these traditions have survived to this day. Currently, Uzbek cuisine offers many dishes that have gained incredible popularity far beyond the country's borders.
Uzbek pilaf
Pilaf is perhaps the most famous dish. It is present in the menu of many establishments, as well as in cafes of Uzbek cuisine, which can now be found quite often.
Pilaf is a favorite dish for many; it is incredibly filling and high-calorie. Different regions of Uzbekistan have their own characteristics of its preparation. An important product for preparing such a dish is rice. Therefore, you need to choose it with special care. The dish is prepared exclusively from durum rice. Of course, in our area it is very difficult to find, so you can replace it with other types. But in any case, the rice must be of high quality and not overcooked. It absorbs the aroma of spices, meat, vegetables well and at the same time highlights their taste. As for meat, they use exclusively beef or lamb.
To prepare a popular dish of Uzbek cuisine we will need:
- Beef or lamb - 0.5 kg.
- Rice - 450 g.
- 3-4 onions.
- Head of garlic.
- Fat tail fat - 250 g.
- Carrots - 2 pcs.
- Salt.
- Spices - paprika, barberry, a mixture of ground peppers, cumin.
Recipe for Uzbek pilaf
Fat tail fat is cut into pieces and heated in a well-heated cauldron. After the cracklings acquire a golden hue, they must be removed from the dish. The meat is cut into small pieces (size 2 by 2 centimeters). Peel the onions and carrots and cut them into cubes. Next, put the onion in a cauldron with fat and fry until golden brown. Vegetables must be stirred periodically. Then the meat is placed in the dish, which must be distributed over the entire surface. After five minutes, the contents of the cauldron need to be mixed. Now you can put the carrots on top and give them a chance to warm up a little. You can lightly salt it on top. As soon as the salt disappears, this is a signal that the entire contents need to be mixed again. When the carrots become soft, you can add half a pinch of cumin and add a little more salt. Next, pour water into the cauldron so that it slightly covers the carrots. After the liquid boils, reduce the heat and cook for forty minutes. Then add spices and garlic.
Before cooking, rice must be rinsed until the water is clear. As soon as the zirvak (this is the sauce for pilaf) is ready, you can remove the pepper and garlic, then increase the heat and spread the washed rice in an even layer. The liquid should cover the rice; if there is not enough liquid, be sure to add water. It will gradually evaporate during cooking. When the water has almost completely evaporated, this means that the pilaf is almost ready. It must be assembled in a slide, close the lid, reduce the heat, and leave to simmer for another 20 minutes. At the very end of cooking, pepper and garlic are returned to the pilaf.
If you like Uzbek cuisine, the recipes at home are quite easy to implement. Of course, it is unlikely that you will be able to find all the necessary products; you will have to replace some components with something else.
Lagman in Uzbek
The second courses of Uzbek cuisine are incredibly tasty and filling. One of the most popular is Uzbek-style lagman. To prepare such a famous Asian dish, you will need homemade noodles. It is served with a delicious meat sauce called waju. The best dishes of Uzbek cuisine should definitely be tried at home. Your family will surely like them.
Ingredients for lagman:
- Potatoes - 0.3 kg.
- Beef - 0.6 kg.
- Vegetable fat or oil - 35 g.
- Garlic, onion.
- One bell pepper.
- Two carrots.
- Radish.
- Tomato puree - 45 g.
- Salt and spices.
- Broth or water.
- Greenery.
Ingredients for noodles:
- Two eggs.
- Flour - 0.3 kg.
- Water - 100 g.
Lagman recipe in Uzbek
Uzbek home cooking recipes are not complicated. Following them, it’s enough to simply prepare a delicious dish for lunch or dinner to please your family.
For lagman we need homemade noodles. To prepare it, add water and eggs to a bowl of flour, and knead regular unleavened dough. Next, it is rolled out in a thin layer and rolled into a tube, which is then cut. The result is long, thin homemade noodles.
Next, put a saucepan with two liters of water on the fire. It is salted and dipped into noodles. Bring the liquid to a boil and boil the noodles until tender. As a rule, this takes no more than four minutes. The finished noodles are washed several times and drained in a colander.
Many dishes of Uzbek cuisine are prepared using sauces, including lagman. Meat is used for waju. It is cut into small pieces and salted. Then peel and wash the onions and carrots, cut them into cubes. Radishes and peppers are also peeled and cut into strips. Next, peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces, chop the garlic. Place a frying pan on the fire, add fat or vegetable oil, add the meat and fry over low heat until golden brown. Then add carrots, bell peppers, onions and radishes. All ingredients are mixed in a frying pan and fried for ten minutes.
After which we transfer all the ingredients into a cauldron, add potatoes, tomato puree, chopped garlic and fresh chopped tomatoes. Vegetables and meat are poured with broth, seasoned with a mixture of black and red peppers and simmered for 40 minutes over very low heat.
A real cook of Uzbek cuisine serves lagman as follows. The noodles are heated in hot water and then placed in a deep plate. It is topped with meat sauce and generously sprinkled with chopped herbs. Uzbek cuisine offers an incredible number of hearty meat dishes. But lagman is especially popular, like pilaf, even outside of Uzbekistan. Such dishes (though slightly adapted to our capabilities) have long been included in the menu of our housewives.
Samsa with onion and beef
Samsa is one of the best dishes that the multifaceted Uzbek cuisine offers. Recipes at home can be slightly modified, since it is not always possible to execute them exactly. Real samsa is baked in a tandoor. Of course, in modern conditions this is impossible to do, so a hearty puff pastry with meat is baked in ordinary ovens.
Uzbek cuisine (recipes are given in the article) is so multifaceted that in its arsenal you can find an incredible number of wonderful hearty dishes.
Samsa can be prepared with a variety of fillings and become a decoration for both festive and everyday tables. To prepare it we need:
- Sour cream - 210 g.
- Boiled water - 100 ml.
- A teaspoon of salt.
- A pinch of soda.
- Flour - 0.6 kg.
For filling:
- Minced beef - 0.4 kg.
- Onion - 0.3 kg.
- Two tablespoons of vegetable oil.
- Salt.
- Hot peppers.
- Sesame.
Samsa recipe
Uzbek cuisine has an incredible number of recipes for making samsa with different fillings. We offer a classic recipe with beef. But it is worth noting that the filling should be put into the dough raw, then the baked goods will turn out incredibly juicy and tasty.
In order to knead the dough, mix water with sour cream, add soda, salt and gradually add flour. Next, knead the dough. It should turn out tender and soft. On the one hand, you need to knead it thoroughly, and on the other, try not to oversaturate it with too much flour. It is acceptable if the dough sticks slightly to the surface, but it should not leave marks on the table.
Next, you can move on to preparing the filling. It can be very different - vegetables, pumpkin, any meat. In our case, take fatty beef, mix it with hot pepper, chopped onion and salt. Add a little vegetable oil to the filling and thoroughly knead the resulting minced meat.
Onions for preparing samsa should not be twisted in a meat grinder. During the baking process, it can turn the meat into a lump. To obtain juicy baked goods, chop the onion by hand into strips or half rings. Meat and onions must be taken in almost equal proportions.
Divide the dough into three parts, leave one of them for work, and cover the other two with a towel. Cut the dough into equal pieces. Dust each of them with flour and roll out into a pancake shape. Place the filling in the center of each circle and form a samsa. It can be triangular, round or oval.
Next, place the samsa on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Now you need to brush the baking surface with egg. You can sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the samsa. Place the baking sheet in the oven for forty minutes. Bake the samsa at a temperature of 190-200 degrees until browned. Now our dish is ready, it is served hot.
Bukhara tea
Uzbek cuisine (recipes are given in the article) offers many wonderful dishes. Even the tea is prepared incredibly tasty according to special recipes. We suggest preparing Bukhara tea, which will be incredibly useful during colds and cold weather. In summer, such a drink will quench your thirst well. Tea is not only delicious, but also enriches the body with vitamin C.
To prepare it we will need:
- Half an orange.
- A tablespoon of sugar.
- ½ cup lemon juice.
- ½ glass of orange juice.
- A teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Two teaspoons of green tea.
Recipe for making Bukhara tea
Dry tea should be mixed with sugar and cinnamon, and transferred to a teapot for brewing. Fill the mixture with boiling water to half the volume and let it brew for ten minutes. Then add more water, cover with a napkin and let it brew for another five minutes.
Squeeze the liquid out of the orange and mix it with the prepared juice. Pour the resulting mixture into bowls and add brewed tea. You can also add a slice of lemon and orange to the aromatic drink.
Mashkhurda
Uzbek cuisine is replete with recipes for delicious first courses. One of them is Mashkhurda. This is a hearty homemade stew that is prepared fairly quickly, and the result exceeds all expectations.
For preparation we will take the following products:
- Beef - 0.7 kg.
- Fat tail fat - 160 g.
- Bones - 0.4 kg.
- Vegetable oil infused with red pepper (hot) - 35 ml.
- Mung bean (type of legume) - 370 g.
- Rice - 360 g.
- Two large onions.
- Carrots - 3 pcs.
- Tomatoes - 2-3 pcs.
- Two tablespoons of barberry.
- Spices (a mixture of coriander, cumin and red pepper).
- Parsley.
- Basil (green and purple).
- Salt.
- Turmeric.
- Bay leaf.
Mashkhurda recipe
A lot of fat is used to prepare the dish. And the reason for this is mung bean (a type of legume), which absorbs fat well. However, you can also use ordinary vegetable oil.
Cut the beef into small pieces, carrots into strips, and onions into cubes. Remove the skin from the tomatoes and cut them into cubes. Rice and mung beans should be thoroughly washed before cooking.
Lightly fry the bones in a mixture of fat and vegetable oil, add the meat and cook until beige. Next, put the onion in the cauldron and fry it until transparent. Gradually add tomatoes and spices. As soon as the excess liquid leaves the tomatoes, you can put the carrots in the cauldron, and after five minutes add the mung bean. Pour about three liters of water into the bowl, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the gas and cook for another half hour. Cooking lasts until the mung bean bursts. Then salt the dish, add pepper, rice and bay leaf. The marshkhurd should simmer in the cauldron for another half hour. At the end of cooking, turn off the heat, cover the dish with a lid and leave the dish to steep until the morning.
Mashkhurda must be served with something fermented milk. It's just an amazing combination of flavors. The next day the dish becomes very thick, this should be taken into account when adding water during the cooking process.
Katlama
Katlama - Uzbek puff pastry. There are two varieties of them. Some turn out very fatty because they are fried in a frying pan in oil. And the latter are baked in the oven. The filling used to prepare such flatbreads is very different: traditional melted fat, fried onions, herbs, meat, etc.
Ingredients:
- Flour - 0.5 kg.
- Yeast - 25 g.
- Water - 240 ml.
- One egg.
- Salt.
- A pinch of sugar.
- Sesame.
Katlam recipe
The yeast must be dissolved in warm water, add sugar and allow the mass to rise. Next, pour warm water into the bowl, add flour, yeast, salt and knead the dough. It should come out obedient; if necessary, you can knead it on the table by adding a little more flour. Divide the finished dough into two equal parts, cover with a towel and let it stand for twenty minutes. Then knead each part separately again. Now roll out the dough into a thin layer and grease the surface with a mixture of melted fat and butter. To obtain puff pastries, the dough is cut into thin strips, 5-7 centimeters wide. We roll each of them into one roll, one on top of the other. The dough should be slightly stretched while rolling. From two parts of the dough you will get two such blanks. They need to be covered with a towel and allowed to stand for half an hour. During this time, the fat should be absorbed and the dough should rise. Next, flatten one piece into a flat cake, but it’s better not to use a rolling pin; it’s better to knead the dough with your fingers and palms. It is necessary to form sides in the cake, and press the middle a little so that the dough does not bubble.
Now the finished cake needs to be greased with beaten egg and sprinkled with sesame seeds. We transfer the workpiece to parchment and send it to the oven. Typically the cake is baked for twenty minutes. After cooking, the tortilla seems very hard and dense, so you need to cover it with a towel. This little secret will help make your baked goods soft and crumbly.
Instead of an afterword
Uzbek cuisine has countless recipes for delicious and satisfying dishes. They are incredibly popular far beyond the country's borders due to their taste. If you are a fan of this kind of food, then based on the recipes given, you will be able to independently master the basics of preparing real Uzbek dishes.
The features of Uzbek cuisine, like many other national cuisines, are determined by the specifics of local agriculture. Grain farming is very well developed in Uzbekistan, so noodles and bread are of utmost importance in local cuisine. Sheep farming is also widespread in Uzbekistan, so the most popular type of meat is lamb, which is included in most main dishes of Uzbek cuisine. Horse meat and camel meat are used less frequently.In general, Uzbek traditional cuisine consists of fatty, aromatic and moderately spicy dishes. However, Uzbek cuisine must be divided into two parts, since it is very susceptible to seasonality: in the summer they eat mainly fresh fruits and vegetables and dishes using them, in the winter - dried fruits, pickled vegetables, and fatty meats. Seasonings are very actively used: hot red pepper, black pepper, basil, coriander. It is impossible to imagine local cuisine without vegetables, the most popular of which are carrots, pumpkin, tomatoes, potatoes, and garlic. The most popular vegetables are grapes, watermelon and melon.
If Ukraine is associated with borscht, then Uzbekistan is associated with pilaf. This is undoubtedly the most popular and most famous dish of Uzbek cuisine, which is, roughly speaking, pieces of meat with rice, carrots and onions. There are dozens of varieties of pilaf known in Uzbekistan, which differ both in the method of preparation and in the situational nature - there are different types of festive and ceremonial pilaf. Pilaf is not just a dish, it is a real cultural symbol of the country. According to tradition, if pilaf is prepared for guests, then the owner of the house must certainly cook it. This tradition is still observed in many families today.
However, jokes that Uzbek cuisine consists of hundreds of dishes, 99 of which are varieties of pilaf, are hardly appropriate. Uzbeks do not live by pilaf alone; they have something to be proud of even without this dish. Other well-known dishes of Uzbek national cuisine: shurpa (a soup made from a large piece of fatty meat and fresh vegetables), lagman (a noodle-based dish that can be served as both a soup and a main course), manti (large steamed dumplings) , mastava (vegetable soup with lamb and rice), chuchvara and samsa (stuffed dough pies, served both as an appetizer and as a main course), dimlama (meat stew with vegetables) and a great variety of kebabs and kebab.
While the choice of soups and hot dishes of Uzbek cuisine is quite wide, the range of desserts is indeed very limited. A typical meal ends with fresh fruit or dried fruit compote; less often, nuts or halva are served at the table. Sweet pastries are less common than in other countries in the region.
The traditional Uzbek national drink, like in many other countries of Central Asia, is green tea. For Uzbeks, green tea is a drink that has not only gastronomic but also cultural significance. This drink always accompanies a meal; it is a symbol of hospitality. If the owner of the house offers tea to a guest, it means that he is happy about this guest. Green tea is considered traditional, but black tea is no less popular in Tashkent.
Alcohol is consumed much less in Uzbekistan than in European countries, but wine is popular relative to other Muslim countries. There are more than a dozen wineries in Uzbekistan that produce quite decent wine from local grapes.
Uzbek national cuisine is not only dishes, but also a special ceremony of eating and table setting. Many Uzbek families still use special serving utensils and observe table etiquette, which allows them to preserve the national flavor and turn an ordinary meal into a real ceremony.
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