Write a comment
Makhurda in Uzbek
There is not a single country in the world that does not have its own national dishes. Uzbek cuisine is particularly delicious and famous, presenting us with its traditional soup – Makhurda in Uzbek. It is based on a little-known bean to us – mash, which can easily be found on the shelves of any supermarket. Combining many vegetables, mash, rice, and meat, Makhurda turns out to be very hearty. The step-by-step recipe for Makhurda in Uzbek will definitely be a great addition to your collection!
Ingredients
Show ingredients
- 500 g meat (beef or lamb);
- 70 g rice;
- 100 g mash;
- 2 medium carrots;
- 2 medium potatoes;
- 1 tomato;
- 1 bell pepper;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 1 onion;
- 1 tbsp tomato paste;
- 2 tsp ground paprika;
- 40 g herbs (cilantro, parsley, or dill);
- ½ tsp ground black pepper;
- salt to taste.
Preparation
- First, we prepare the grain: sort the mash, as it often contains stones, rinse it and leave it in a bowl with warm water. Rinse the rice as well and leave it until the cooking time.
- Cut off any excess from the rinsed meat, and cut it into medium cubes. Make sure that no water drips from the meat, so be sure to dry it with paper towels.
- Peel the onion and chop it into medium cubes. Do not chop it too small, as there is a risk that it will burn quickly over high heat. Remove the stem from the bell pepper, extract the partitions with seeds, and cut the pepper into cubes.
- Peel the carrot and potato and also chop them into small cubes. After that, rinse the potato to remove excess starch. Cut the tomato similarly to the other vegetables. It is not necessary to remove the skin from the tomato beforehand.
- Proceed to the next stage of cooking. It is preferable to cook this soup in a kazan, but if you don’t have one, a deep frying pan or pot with a thick bottom will do. You can prepare a browned base for the soup initially in a good frying pan, then transfer it to a pot. Over high heat, heat vegetable oil, there should be enough – about 70 ml. First, sauté the onion until lightly golden, literally for 1-2 minutes.
- Next, add the meat and continue to fry it over high heat without a lid, stirring occasionally. Fry the meat until all unnecessary moisture and protein foam evaporate. It should be very well fried until golden brown.
- Add the tomato with all its juices to the meat. Continue frying the base for the soup for about 5 minutes. The tomato will soften and turn into something resembling a paste. If nothing is burning, do not reduce the heat.
- Then add the bell pepper, which can be of any color. Fry everything for about 3 minutes, not forgetting to stir the contents of the pot.
- After that, add the carrot and fry for another 3 minutes. Do not over-fry; the main thing is to achieve a tasty aroma. Once the carrot has ‘simmered’, add a spoon of quality tomato paste and, stirring constantly, fry it well for about 3-4 minutes.
- As soon as all the vegetables have ‘made friends’, and the moisture from the pot has evaporated, add cold drinking water to it. Cover the pot or kazan with a lid and wait for it to boil.
- Skim off the foam from the broth that rises when boiling, as it brings all the burnt residue and excess fat to the surface. Drain the swollen mash and add it to the soup. Cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat, and wait until the mash grains pop. This process takes about 30 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and previously rinsed rice to the soup. It is preferable to use round-grain, unsteamed rice, as used in traditional recipes. Cover with a lid and continue to boil until it starts to boil, after which we add salt, black pepper, or other spices, as well as paprika.
- Cook the soup until the potatoes are ready, about 15 minutes. In the meantime, finely chop a bunch of herbs, which can be any variety you like. Turn off the heat and add the finely chopped garlic and some of the herbs to the soup. Cover with a lid and let the soup sit for 5 minutes.
- Uzbek mashkurda turns out to be very hearty and thick. This dish can confidently be eaten for several days, as it becomes even tastier after steeping. When serving, add the remaining fresh herbs. The taste of mashkurda is wonderfully complemented by traditional fermented milk drinks – matsuni and katyk. Try to diversify your lunches with delicious Uzbek cuisine!
