Tatar-style Azu with pickles

Tatar-style Azu with pickles and potatoes is a dish that has gained great popularity recently. Classic Tatar Azu was made from horse meat, but now it is prepared with lamb, beef, or young veal, even chicken and rabbit meat. What distinguishes Azu from regular stewed potatoes and roast is the presence of pickles in the composition. It is the pickles that give the finished dish a bright, rich flavor that is unmistakable. From our step-by-step recipe, you will learn how to prepare Tatar-style Azu with pickles.

Calories: 135 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Cooking time: 60 minutes.

Yield: 5 servings.

Cuisine: Tatar.

Ingredients

• beef - 400 g;
• potatoes - 4-6 pcs;
• carrot - 1 pc;
• onion - 1 pc;
• pickles - 2-3 pcs;
• tomato paste - 70 g;
• salt - 1 tsp;
• black pepper - 1 pinch;
• spice mix for meat - 1 pinch;
• vegetable oil - 2 tbsp.

Preparation

1. Prepare all necessary ingredients. Clean and rinse all vegetables. For making Azu, you can use beef or young veal.

2. Cut the beef into thin strips or cubes. It is easier to cut meat if it is slightly frozen or not completely thawed after the freezer.

3. Chop the onion finely. Grate the carrot on a coarse grater or cut it into thin strips. I use a lot of carrots, as it pairs very well with meat and cucumbers, and looks very appetizing in the finished dish.

4. Cut the potatoes into sticks, as for French fries.

5. Cut the pickles into strips. It is essential to use pickles, not marinated ones. They will provide the necessary sourness and bright flavor.

6. In a frying pan, heat some vegetable oil, add the chopped meat to a well-heated pan and fry over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, so that each piece browns on the outside but remains juicy inside.

7. Then add the onion and carrot to the pan and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

8. Transfer the contents of the frying pan to a saucepan or thick-walled pot, add pickles and tomato paste. Add salt, pepper, and spices. Be mindful of the salt since the pickles are salty.

9. Now pour in about 300 ml of water, stir, and put on low heat to let Azu simmer for 20 minutes.

10. Meanwhile, heat the frying pan again and add the potatoes. Fry the potatoes over medium heat until they are browned on the outside.

11. Transfer the potatoes to the pot with Azu, add a little more water. Taste for salt.

12. Cook Azu on low heat covered until the potatoes are done. Since they were pre-fried, they will take just a little longer to cook.

13. Tatar-style Azu with pickles is ready. Serve generously sprinkled with fresh herbs. Bon appétit!

Cooking video