Loviya ho'rak (Meat and kidney bean salad)

"Loviya ho'rak" is one another variety of "No'hot ho'rak". It is very rich in protein, iron and minerals. Usually it is served with sliced onions.
Ingredients:
300 gr of meat, beef or lamb
200 gr of kidney beans
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of ground coriander
1 tsp of cumin
30 gr of butter
Put meat in a cold water about 1.5 liters and bring to boil. Scoop out all the foam that will float to the surface. Boil meat for 2 hours over medium heat with a half covered lid. Stir every half hour. At the end add in spices and salt.
Separately boil kidney beans with 1 liter of water over low heat with a closed lid. Add salt only after kidney beans are soft. If you put salt earlier beans will not soften.
Take out all the meat and cut in big chunks. Drain all the water from beans and put in all the butter. Mix well until butter will melt properly. Put beans on a plate, place meat over it and sprinkle with sliced onions. Onions must be sliced and mashed with 1 tsp of white vinegar.
Serve and enjoy this healthy and high in protein meal.
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Gu'shtli quymoq (Omlet with meat and vegetables)

"Gu'shtli quymoq" is very good for breakfast. It will keep you full until your lunch and it gives you enough strength to be cheerful all day long:) Besides it is prepared fast about in 20 min.
Ingredients:
50 gr of vegetable oil
200 gr of meat, cut in thin strips
1 medium sized onion, peeled and sliced
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut in small cubes
1 small zucchini (optional)cut in small cubes
2 medium sized tomato, chopped well
6 eggs, slightly beaten
1 bunch of fresh coriander leaves chopped
Salt to taste
Heat the oil and fry meat over medium heat with covered lid, until meat is nice golden color, add in tomatoes and onions, continue frying until vegetables are clear in color, add in eggplant and zucchini and fry until oil starts to separate out.

Beat eggs and add in chopped coriander, mix well.

Now set the fire on very low and pour egg mixture on to the fried meat and vegetables, sprinkle some salt,cover the lid and fry until egg is firm.

Serve as hot and enjoy your breakfast or lunch:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Baqlajon va pomidorli salat (Eggplant and tomato salad)

One of my favorite recipes, as I am mad about eggplant:) It's soft and tender, juicy and fresh salad. Try to select harder but dark red tomatoes for it.
Ingredients:
3 medium sized eggplants, sliced
3 medium sized tomatoes
2 eggs, slightly beaten with a pinch of salt
Oil for frying
1 tbsp od coriander or 1 bunch of fresh chopped coriander leaves
Slice eggplants in to the circles. Put the eggplant circles in to the salty cold water for 20 min. Drain well and put on to the paper towel. Fry all of the circles dipping them in to the egg mixture on a little oil, until nice golden color.

Then cut them in strips like this:

Now quarter the tomatoes and cut out seeds, and cut the rest in to the same strips as an eggplant.

Mix together tomato, eggplant, chopped coriander or just ground coriander and salt. Mix carefully, don't mash up tomatoes. Your tasty salad is ready! Serve and enjoy:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Sumalak

Finely today I am posting you the recipe of "Sumalak":)
This dish is always cooked for "Navruz" - our national holiday, when we celebrate the beginning of the new year and new life. It is belived that "Navruz" will bring happiness, luck and joy to our lives. Different dishes are made for this holiday as "Kuk somsa" "Kok chuchvara" and of course "Sumalak". "Sumalak" is our ancient and truly national dish. It is cooked for centuries and the recipes can vary region by region, but the ingredients are always the same: flour, wheat sprouts washed in water and oil. Nothing else. It is very strong remedy, it helps to strengthen immune system, it helps to clear the body of chemical waste, rejuvenates it and strengthen the body. It is believed that when you trying it for the first time, you should make a wish and it will surely come true! "Sumalak" must be cooked by nice and kind people, it is sacred and holy meal for Uzbeks. Usually it is cooked by old women and it is cooked all night long, and closed near to morning. We have believe that angels are also participate while cooking this holy meal. People mostly women sing songs, dance and have fun while cooking "Sumalak". We have different stories about the history of this meal, one of them tells that it is cooked by a woman named Fatima. Fatima had 2 sons and was very poor. Because she was a widow and very poor, they had very little to eat, and her sons always cried from hunger. One day, their mother became very tired of their crying, and sorrowful that she had no food to give them. That evening she was so desperate that she decided to cook a meal from some flour, wheat and water. She also put some stone in it and stir it long. After a while she fell asleep. When she awoke in the early hours of the morning, she saw 30 angels standing around the pot. She rubbed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she saw them licking their fingers. She woke up her sons. In their excitement they ran to the pot and found it filled with a most succulent porridge. From that time forth the boys were never hungry. The name of the meal was called "Sumalak" which, the Uzbek people say, means 30 angels.
Ingredients:
1300 gr wheat
4 kg of plain flour
1 liter of vegetable oil
A lot of drinking water about 18 liters
7 clean small stones:)
You have to prepare one week advance to cook this meal. First you have to clean wheat from foreign seeds and wash well. Put wheat in clean water and soak for 3 days. You have to change water every day. Just wash it and put another clean water.

On the third day drain all the water. Take small pieces of plywood, wash well.

Layer wheat on a plywood evenly. It must be thick, about 3 cm.

Put the plywoods in dark, warm room. Sprinkle water over it 3 times a day. Don't forget sprinkling water or it will dry up and won't rise. From third day sprinkle water for 2 times a day. Approximately on by the end of the third day your wheat will be ready. But it really depends on your wheat. Just depend on your eyes. it must be like this:

You can see that the color of the sprouts is light green. If your wheat's sprouts are like this than they're ready.
On back side you can see the roots, they must be white and thin.

Now, cut the all of the sprouts and grind them in food processor or in a meat chopper.

Pour 10 liters of water in a bucket or just any deep dish. Now place all of the ground wheat sprouts in this water. Wash them well in water, your water will be white as milk. Now pour this milky liquid through the sieve and two layers of the cheesecloth. Squeeze out all of the liquid from sprouts and again wash them in 4 liters of water (separately), again pour through sieve. Repeat this operation one more time. (3 times)You can see that second and the third time water will be not so milky, but slightly white.

Now take your biggest crock pot or pot with thick bottom and pour all of the oil, and pour the first 10 liter of milky liquid on it. Add in all the flour also.

Now mix all together until no crumbs will appear. I used hand mixer to mix it.

Now put your pot on a high heat. Put in stones now. Bring to boil, unceasingly stirring as crumbs will appear easily. After boiling stir 15 min more. You will see that now it is not thick and can boil without stirring. But check and stir every 10 min. I must say that when you first put it on fire, it will crumble a lot, so keep stirring until this crumbles will melt. Don't be afraid, as this was the first time I cooked "Sumalak" just all by myself I was afraid that crumbles kept appear:) They will surely melt don't worry!

Now it will boil and boil, and you will keep stirring and stirring it:) Approximately after 4-5 hours it will thicken and color will begin to get brown like this:

So it's time to pour the 4 liters of milky water (second water where you washed the ground sprouts). Add in and mix well, again stir while bring to boil. Again boil it until it will begin to thicken. After approximately 3-4 hours add in the third 4 liters of water. Again bring to boil and stir unceasingly. Now you will boil it a little longer until it will finely get thick and dark brown. At the end you have to stir vigorously as it can easily stick to the bottom, be careful! Be careful as it is very thick and it can throw out some hot drops, you should better wear some kitchen gloves to prevent burning. It will look like this:

Now, reduce the the heat on very very low, to almost no fire, close the lid and cover it with some towel and leave it for 3-4 hours. Don't open the lid and don't stir! After 3-4 hours (I made it in 3.5 hours)you can open the lead, switch off the fire. Once more mix well and ENJOY this delicious and healthy, tasty and heavenly sweet Uzbek chocolate:)

When you open the lid you can see that oil will come out to the surface.
We believe that before opening the lid you should pray and wish something and then open it and your dream will surely come true!
In Uzbekistan we first of all serve it to our eldest ones. It is served with fresh hot bread and some hot pot of tea. I also like enjoying it with strawberries:) But it is delicious just itself! Hope you will not be afraid to try to cook it. Me myself tried it for the first time and you can see the result! It turned out to be so sweet, that I couldn't stop eating it all day long!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Gusht va ismaloqlik non (Meat pie with spinach)

I love spinach!!! It is very very useful and healthy. This pie is just amazing, it's crumbly, tasty flavorous pie! Your kitchen will smell heavenly while baking this pie.It's good for breakfast and for a quick snack. In Uzbekistan pies and "Somsa"s with spinach and with another greens are often baked in spring, as in spring our body is weak and needs vitamins.
Ingredients:
For dough:
130 gr butter
200 gr sour cream
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
2 tsp of baking powder
Plain flour as needed
For filling:
200 gr minced or finely chopped meat
1 big onion, peeled and chopped
300 gr of spinach, chopped
30 gr of butter, melted
1 tbsp of ground coriander
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 small zucchini, cut in small cubes
Salt to taste
Prepare dough: grate hard butter, pour in sour cream and eggs, stir well, add in salt, baking powder and gradually start adding flour until you form a medium hard dough. It mustn't be soft. Cover it and let it rest in fridge for 20 min.
Mix together meat, chopped onion, spinach, zucchini salt and spices. Pour in melted butter and mix all together. Mix well until smooth.
Now take the dough divide in two equal pieces and roll them out. Put one piece on to the baking sheet and spread all of the filling on top. Cover it with the second rolled piece and carefully pinch the edges well. Bake in preheated oven until nice golden color. Take out, cut and serve as hot. You can also serve some sour cream with this pie. You can top your piece with cream and enjoy it!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Tovuq tabaka (Chicken in the oven)

"Tabaka" is very famous meal that everyone loves:) There are many ways to cook it and they all taste different. Today I am giving you the recipe that is very simple to make and always turns out very good. It is very tender and juicy. You have to take bigger chicken for this kind of "tabaka". You will cook it on the oven and you don't have to watch after.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
100 gr of butter
1 big onion, peeled and sliced
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of pepper
1.5 tbsp of coriander
1 tbsp of cumin seeds
5-6 tbsp of sour cream
Season chicken inside out with salt and spices and leave for 10 min

Take a big piece of foil and place chopped butter and sliced onions.

Now place chicken on to the onions. Top it with sour cream.

Close up the foil well around chicken. There must be no holes. Bake chicken in well preheated oven for 2 hours(more or less depends on your oven). At the end very carefully open up the foil and brown the chicken for 15 min or less. Be careful while opening the foil, steam is very hot! After chicken is ready, take it out and place on another dish. You will have a soup like liquid in the foil, make a gravy from that if you want, just fry 2 tbsp of plain flour on a very little oil and pour this liquid on to it. Boil for 10 min and then serve with chicken.

This chicken is very moist and juicy as it will keep it's juice within itself, surely try it, you will never be sorry. Besides it is a nice dinner when you have a lot of other things to do. You will finish your work and your dinner will wait for you in the oven:) Enjoy!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

"Shashlik"

This "Shashlik" is very tender to bite and good for children. I used yogurt for marination and I think this is the best thing for marination of meat as it will soften it well. You need just plain, not sweet yogurt.
Ingreidents:
1 kg of meat (lamb or beef)
250 gr yogurt
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of ground pepper
1 tbsp of coriander
1 tbsp of cumin seeds
Cut the meat in small pieces, place them on bowl, pour all the yogurt on to it and add salt and spices. Mash with hands or forks. Cover it with plate, put some weight on it and place it in the fridge for at least 6 hours or better for overnight.

The next day take out the meat and pinch them to a special sticks. Place some lamb's tail fat by turn.

Now cook them over heated coal until brown and then serve with some salad:)

Enjoy this delicious ever meat:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Happy Navruz!!!

Hi everybody! Happy "Navruz" to everybody!!! I wish you strong health, happiness and luck!!! May all your dreams come true!!!
I am so sorry that I am inactive in these days:) I am busy with my other works, especially with my "Sumalak". This is the ancient and one of the truly national dish of Uzbek's that is cooked only for "Navruz"! It takes exactly one week for preparing it! 6 days for growing wheat and 1 day yes one whole day for cooking! It took us 16 hours to prepare this dish with my husband. But it's worth it, it is so yummy, better then any quality chocolate!!! And very useful too. So yesterday I was busy with cooking it and of course celebrating "Navruz" our national holiday! "Navruz" means new day, it is believed that it brings, new life, happiness and joy to our lives. It is very long history to tell why and how it was and it is celebrated, so I am giving you just a look for it:) I promise that I will write about it detailed:) later in my book:) Today I am posting only the picture of "Sumalak" and later the recipe and technique:) Today I will post the recipe of another "Shashlik,kabob". So here is my "Sumalak"

Usually "Sumalak" is eaten with fresh hot bread, but I also like it with strawberries:) I wish I could give you some of it, so you can try it:) Any way you can enjoy it if you try to cook it:)

Qiyma kabob (Kebabs with minced meat)

"Qiyma kabob" is good for children, as it is soft to bite. You don't have to marinade the meat for "Qiyma kabob" too long, after combining ingredients let it rest in fridge for 1 hour. Always buy new, fresh and juicy meat. If you don't have food processor at home, buy minced meat. But it would be better if you mince it at home together with all ingredients. I love different kind of "Kabob"s, they are very very tasty and you will really enjoy eating them. Besides, it's a nice family activity, where we all participated, my husband's cooking, me preparing ingredients and my daughter tasting it:)
Ingredients:
1 kg of meat (or minced meat, beef or lamb)
2 slices of bread soaked in 100 gr of milk
1 egg
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of coriander seeds
1tbsp of cumin seeds
150 gr of fat of lamb's tail
Grind meat all along with the rest of ingredients until smooth. Cover and put into the fridge for 1 hour. Then take it out and form medium sized logs and pinch kebab sticks through them. Cook over heated coals until browned and enjoy with sliced and mashed onions:) Don;t forget to put some vinegar on onions. Make sure to drink hot green tea before and after eating this heavenly tasty meat, as it contains lamb's tail fat. Tea will help to digest it.
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Piyozli patir non (Layered bread with onions)

Once you will try this heavenly tasty bread, you will be dependent on it:) Surely try it and you will never forget the taste! It not so difficult to make and it goes good with soups and stews. I love the smell of this bread while cooking it!
Ingredients:
500 ml of milk
50 gr of butter
1 egg
1 tbsp of salt
1 tsp of sugar
Plain flour as needed
150 gr of butter for greasing (you can use more or less)
6 medium sized onions, peeled ans sliced
1 egg for brushing
Sesame seeds or any other your favorite seed for sprinkling
Heat up milk and add in butter, salt, sugar. Mix well and let it cool a bit. Slightly beat an egg and add in milk mixture. Gradually add in flour and make the dough. It must be not so hard but not so soft. Cover it and let it rest for 1 hour. Don't skip waiting! After one hour, take the dough, knead it well for 5-6 min. Divide in to 3 equal pieces. Roll out each the dough in thin flat circle.

Finely grease with butter, then layer onions evenly on the surface.

Roll out around itself, forming long log. Roll again around forming snail. Put on your baking sheet and press it well with hands, trying to flatten it. Punch it well with "chakich" or a fork and brush with beaten egg, then sprinkle with some sesame seeds or any other seed you like.

Bake in preheated oven until golden in color. Serve while hot with hot soup or stew or just with hot tea with honey and butter, yum!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Garmdori va suzmalik gazak (Dip with chili yogurt)

In Uzbekistan it's a salad, but you can also use it as dip. in Uzbekistan usually it is eaten with main dishes dipping bread in it. I usually cut some vegetables and love to dip them in this yummy salad. It is hot and refreshing. Use fresh yogurt and cottage cheese (tvorog).
Ingredients:
200 gr of plain yogurt
1 tbsp of chili powder
100 gr of cottage cheese
2 cloves of garlic
Half a tsp of salt (optional)
Mash garlic, grate the cottage cheese. Mix garlic, grated cheese, chili powder and yogurt. Mix vigorously. It must be smooth and without crumbs. Serve and enjoy!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Lochira (Tashkent flat bread)

"Lochira" is crunchy, flat and delicious bread, which goes very good with Uzbek soups. Usually it is baked in special "Tandir" as many other Uzbek breads, and while baking in hot "Tandir" it naturally has it's curves on sides. But as I don't have any access to "Tandir" I baked it in regular oven in tart shaped dish. In so called "Choyhona"s (tea house) people eat it with different sweets like "Holva", "Qand", "Novvot" or dried fruits and of course with a hot green or black tea:) I remember how my dad used to take me to that kind of tea houses, while he was meeting with his friends, I enjoyed sweet "Novvot choy" (tea with crystallized sugar)with "Lochira" prior to delicious meal so called "Qora osh" (Black pilav). I also remember how I admired birds in cages and tried to feed them with bread crumbs:) That was nice tea house with a small river where I caught little tadpoles. That was one of the nice childhood memoirs:)
Ingredients:
600 ml of full fat milk
50 gr butter
1.5 tbsp of salt
Plain flour as needed
1 egg
Black sesame seeds for sprinkling
Melt butter in warm milk, add in salt and mix well. Gradually add in flour to form nice tight dough. Cover it and let it rest for 20 min. After divide the dough in to 6 equal pieces.

Take one piece and cover the rest. Roll out the dough and place in to the tart dish, punch it with special "chakich" or a fork, brush with slightly beaten egg and sprinkle with seeds.

Bake in preheated oven until nice golden color. Take out and bake the rest pieces and enjoy this bread with a nice hot soup:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Yongoqli chim chi (Korean carrot salad with walnuts)

This recipe is almost the same with the earlier recipe of "Koreyscha sabzili salat", but here we will add some walnuts.
Ingredients:
4 red carrots, peeled
4-5 cloves of garlic
Salt as taste
3 tbsp of vegetable or olive oil
200 gr of crushed walnuts
Grate or cut carrots in thin long strips, mash the garlic cloves and add in to carrots, also add salt and oil. Mash again until carrots are half soft. Add in walnuts, mix and put in fridge for 2 hours. Later serve and enjoy orangy, healthy, yummy salad:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Kabob shashlik (Kebab)

In Uzbekistan, there are so many ways to cook "Kabob"s! "Shashlik" can be made of lamb, beef or chicken. It can be made of whole or ground meat. You can also add some vegetables to make your meat even juicier and flavorful. The main secret of delicious "Kabob-Shashlik" is lamb's tail fat and the marination. You have to marinade meat beforehand. There are different recipes of marination-yogurt with spices, sprinkling water with spices, vinegar with spices and etc. can be used for marination.  Choose your favorite. Today I am posting the recipe of marination the meat in sprinkling water. Try to buy fresh, soft and tender meat.
Ingredients:
1 kg of meat (lamb or beef)
2 big onions, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp of coriander
1 tbsp of cumin seeds
1tbsp of salt
1tsp of chili powder
1 tsp of ground pepper
500 ml of sparkling water
Cut meat in 15-20 gram pieces. Put in a deep bowl and season with spices and onion, finely mash with hands. Add in sparkling water, cover with flat dish, put some weight on it and put in cold dark place for at least 5 hours or in a fridge for overnight. (If the weather is too hot, put your meat in the fridge).

Cube lamb's tail fat just before cooking. Cut pieces must be the same size as meat pieces.
Drain all the liquid from meat. Skew the meat pieces to grill sticks, alternating with fat pieces.

Cook "Kabob-Shashlik" on a heated coal, rotating every minute until browned.

You will see how heavenly will it smell, just YUM!
Peel some onions, slice and mash them with 1 tsp of white vinegar, wash under cold water and serve along with "Kabob-shashlik". Enjoy without thinking about calories:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

"Kamalak" gazagi (Salad "Rainbow")

This salad is so colorful and beautiful, that every time you look and eat it you will surely enjoy it:)Besides it's very healthy and useful. Low calorie and helps to digest heavy food like meat and eggs. I call it "Kamalak" because it has so many colors.
Ingredients:
1 yellow capsicum
1 red capsicum
1 green capsicum
1 big tomato
1 medium cucumber
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 tsp of Chinese salt
Wash and clean all the vegetables. Don't peel them. Cut all the vegetables in small cubes. Mix in a bowl with salt, oil and Chinese salt. Serve and enjoy:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Kartoshka pyuresi (Mashed potato)

I understand that it is simple and ordinary dish but anyway I decided to post the recipe, just to show how I make it:). Mashed potato puree is very popular in Uzbekistan and is preferred side dish for many people.
Ingredients:
4-5 potatoes, peeled and cut in medium pieces
Water for boiling
50 grams of butter
Salt to taste
1 egg
Canned green peas
Put potatoes into boiling water and cook until potatoes are very soft. Add in salt and cook for 5 min more. Drain the potatoes, saving a cup of water in this process.

Add in butter and enough water that was saved (add water gradually, to make the paste thick and smooth) into cooked potatoes and finely mash them. Well your mashed potato is ready at this stage, but if you want to serve it beautifully as I did, do the next thing: add 1 egg to mashed potatoes and mix well until no lumps. Grease the baking sheet. Preheat the oven. Put mashed potatoes in pastry bag with a special tip (that you use for decorating cakes) and squeez out some mashed mixture shaping a rose. Bake these "roses" until they are slightly golden in color. Put some green peas in to the middle and decorate with fresh green leaves. Enjoy your beautiful and yummy roses!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!