"National Dishes From Around The World" an e-book with my recipe in it!

Hi everyone!
Hope you are all in good health, happy and sound!
I am happy to share with you an amazing e-book released by IngredientMatcher's. "National Dishes From Around The World" is their first book and it features recipes of  different national dishes. You can download the book for free! Here is the link:
https://gum.co/nationaldishes/countrychefsRawesome

As I am one of the country chefs, I represent Uzbekistan with my "Tuy Palovi" - Wedding pilaf and it is on page 26.  I love this ebook! It is colorful, recipes look so mouthwatering and the design is just amazing!
Download the book and let me know what do you think about it!

With a big smile,
Malika

Tuy shurva (Wedding soup)

Hi everyone!

I was looking through my photos today and I found this recipe that was waiting to be posted in here:)I tried this soup for the first time in an Uzbek wedding. I liked it so much that I tried to replicate it at home for my dear ones. I am not sure about the name of the soup, because nobody knew when I asked:) so I decided to name it as "Wedding soup".  So here are the ingredients you will need to feed about 4-5 people:

200 grams of minced meat (beef or lamb)

30 grams of melted butter

1/2 cups of short grain rice

One small egg

80 ml of vegetable oil

1 big onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium sized carrot, peeled and cubed

1 small capsicum, cubed

1 big tomato, finely chopped

4-5 quail eggs, cooked in water for 5 min and shelled

Salt, pepper (just a pinch) and cumin seeds (1/2 tsp) to taste

Sour cream for serving

Mix minced meat, rice, melted butter, salt, pepper and cumin seeds and small egg all together. Shape up small oval shaped chunks with your hands. (If meat tends to stick on your hand, just wet your palms with cold water). Set aside.

Heat up oil and  fry onion over medium heat, until golden in color. Add in capsicum and carrots, continue to fry until carrots are half done. Add in tomato, fry until oil will starts to separate out. Pour in 1.2 liters of water and bring to boil over high heat. When it starts to boil, lower the heat and scoop out a little foam. Put in meat balls and cook until rice is done (Scoop out any foam that will float on the surface). At the end, add in salt and boiled quail eggs and cook for about 5 min. Serve as hot with a teaspoon of sour cream on top.

Main thing - Enjoy!

Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Again "Sumalak":)

Hi everyone! I am so happy that I am back here:) How are you? Hope everything is great on your side! Todays post is again about "Sumalak". Spring is the right season for this dish and so, I usually got many comments and emails about "Sumalak" during this season. I am so delighted when my readers send me their photos with the "sumalak" they cook and I really appreciate that they give me a lot of kind feedbacks! I want to say thank you to all my readers! Thank you for your comments, appreciation and your photos!
First of all I want to show you the photos of my wonderful reader Nadira. Her sumalak turned out great! It looks great and she said it tastes great too!

Here's what she wrote to me:

"Thank you for your wonderful recipe! I made Sumalak at home and My Sumalak turned out so yummy and beautifully! My family enjoyed! I really love your blog! 

PS: I want to show the photo of My Sumalak to you. Where can I post the photos! Thank you so much! May Almighty Allah bless you and your family! :-) "

 "Now I am sending My Sumalak photos to you! It tasted really great! Thank you so much for your amazing Sumalak recipe once again! May Almighty Allah bless you and your family! May all your dreams come true! :-)

Best regards,

Nadira :-))"

Thank you Nadira for your appreciation and photos! 

I noticed that Nadira added some walnuts to her "Sumalak" instead of stones. I can tell you that the walnuts in "Sumalak" taste really nice! I also noticed those home baked breads in this photo, I bet Nadira baked them along with "Sumalak", they look yummy too! Nadira you did a great job!!!

I myself been cooking "Sumalak" for three years now. I try to cook "Sumalak" every year, just in 2013 I didn't cook it, because I couldn't find the right wheat for my "Sumalak" (we were outside of Uzbekistan). There is saying in our culture that when you open up your "Sumalak" at the very end (when it is done after closing the lid) the picture on the surface of the "Sumalak" can predict the future. I don't know if it is true or not, but I never could guess the meaning of pictures in my "Sumalak"s :) Here I am posting the photos, I will ask you to guess what it might be telling:) 

Here my "Sumalak" in 2011:

In 2012:

In 2014:

Ingredients and the cooking methods were the same, but as you can see, every time the picture turned out different:) 

This year I didn't planned to cook "Sumalak", I thought I would buy it from local markets. But after trying about 20 different "Sumalak"s , I decided to cook it myself, because I couldn't find the "right" taste that I like. This was my first time cooking "Sumalak" in Uzbekistan! 

My wheat sprouts were so beautiful, it was pity to cut and grind them:) 

While cooking I recommend to stick newspaper all around your stove. "Sumalak" will bubble a lot at the end, so paper will make your work easier-you will not be mad wiping out those sticky dots on your stove and nearby walls:) 

 And one more tip: Cook your "Sumalak" with lots of LOVE, that's how it turns out great and yummy!!!

And finally me :) while cooking "Sumalak" (don't mind my look, I was tired and it was midnight:) )

That's all!: ) Our "Sumalak" turned out so yummy and thick! Better than any chocolate!  

Thank you for your time! 

With a lot of joy and happiness, 

Malika

Happy New Year my dears!!!

Hi everyone!!!
Time passes in speed of light! It is already a New Year-2014!!! New Year is a magical holiday! It is amazing how people in all over the world are united celebrating it! I believe that in this kind of magical days all our prayers are heard, because there is so much positive energy that fills the earth with LOVE! And when LOVE is there, everything works only for good!
 My dearest ones! I hope that this year-Horse will bring us only JOY, HAPPINESS, LOVE!!! I am wishing you a New Year that fulfills your dreams! May this year bring victory and success to all of us!!!
I LOVE YOU ALL!!!
Yours,
Malika
 

Buhorocha bahsh palov (Pilaf with greens)

                                     

Hi everyone!!! Its summer in Uzbekistan, weather is so pleasant, days are so hot and I am enjoying it for sure:) I love summer, maybe its because I was born in this beautiful season:)

We just got back to Uzbekistan. My Tashkent is so beautiful! Fruits are so sweet! Flowers, trees are so amazing! I have all of my friends and family around me, calling me everyday, just to hear my voice and I feel so loved and happy! I love you all so much!!! I thank Universe for everything!!! I want to believe that you are also happy and joyful...I pray for that...

So, I am here with another recipe which is being requested for many times:) This kind of pilaf is very popular in Bukhara region and it is mostly made in spring times, when greens are fresh. It helps to strengthen immune system and gives all needed vitamins and nutrition that human body needs in spring time. Greens are used instead of carrots (mostly spinach, coriander and dill are used, but you can also use your favourite greens).

Ingredients:

150 ml of clarified butter or vegetable oil

300 grams of meat (beef or lamb), cut in big chunks

2 onions, peeled and largely chopped

Big bunch of spinach, bunch of fresh coriander (all together 350 grams of chopped greens)

2,5 cups of rice

Salt to taste

1 tbsp of ground coriander

1 tsp of fresh ground pepper

Method:

      Finely heat the oil and brown meat over high heat.

      Add in onions and fry until onions are soft.

   Lower the heat and evenly layer all of the greens on top of the fried meat and onions.

        Finely wash the rice and immediately layer over greens, mix carefully and add in 1 cup of water.  

           Set the heat on high and wait until it will come to boil. You will see how greens will start to give their juice and cover up the rice, which is the reason why we don’t put much water.    Add in salt and spices.   Observe your pilaf; if juice of the greens and poured water will not be enough to cover the rice for 2 cm, then you can add in a little more water. Or if greens are too juicy and will give too much juice, you can reduce the water carefully with the spoon. This is the tricky stage, as you can't predict the juiciness of the greens.  Let it boil and wait until all the liquid is evaporated.    When all water is evaporated, mix only the top of pilaf, set the heat on low, cover the lid and cook for about 20 min. Open up the lid after 20 min and again mix only the top of the pilaf and cook for 10-15 min more or until rice is properly cooked.

      When pilaf is ready, finely and carefully mix all of the pilaf. You will see how the colour will turn out to be  slightly greenish. Mmmm, this pilaf tastes just heavenly!!!  Serve it with fresh salad made of just tomatoes and onion on side.

      Enjoy! With lots of love!!!

      Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Olma va olhu'ri sharbati (Compote with apples and plums)

Hi everyone! Long time no posting:) as always I am so sorry guys for my "holiday out":) Time is just amazing thing, you won't look up and bumps! - three or four month are passed just like a second... But thankfully it is passed with a lot of fun and love! Hope you are also having a good time and trying to see good in everything..
Summer is coming, hot days are expected, so that means a lot of drinking:) I love compotes, because they are natural, healthy and tasty! It is better not to drink those soft drinks, because they are full of chemicals and preservatives, sugar free soft drinks have aspartame which is not good for health, so it is better to make your own drink:)
Usually I make compotes out of different fruits like apples, plums, apricots, pears, cherry's, berry's and so on. So today's post is about  apple and plump compote:) Enjoy and have fun making it!

Ingredients:

500 grams of apples, quartered and cleaned from seeds

500 grams of hard plums, washed carefully

Sugar to taste

  Boil 1.5 liters of water. When water starts boiling, put in apples and plums, set the heat on smaller then medium and simmer for 20 min. At the end add in sugar for your taste.  Take from heat and let it cool down completely. Put in fridge and serve chilled.

Yoqimli ishtaha!

About measuring...

Hi everyone!!! Happy December to you all! I believe everything is fine with your side. Today, I want to talk about one disadvantage with my recipes, I hope you don't mind:)
Many people ask me, why I don't give exact measurements for the flour to my dough-related dishes. I agree that it is my biggest flaw. I never measured the amount of the flour, as I always concentrate on the softness or hardness of the dough. I add flour gradually, more at the beginning, less at the end, mixing and kneading it each time with my hands. In the beginning, the dough is very runny but gets thicker each time as I add flour. Usually, I make a medium-hard dough, which means it is not sticky, not too soft, and not too hard. You can easily press your finger in it, but it's not sticky. I understand it is hard for beginners, but by the time you will see it, you will also stop measuring the flour:)

In the meantime, I will try to do the measuring for my upcoming recipes. 

Thank you for your support and patience!