Pushti chuchvara (Pink chuchvara)

I don't know actually if someone cooks this kind of "chuchvara", but I tried today make something creative:) As regular "chuchvara" is Uzbek meal, this is also going to be an Uzbek "pushti chuchvara" which means pink dumplings. I use beetroot juice for the color but if you wish you can use food color also. I disappointed a little when while boiling my "chuchvara"s give their color to the water and become light pink, but still they are pretty:)You will get around 120 "chuchvara" from this recipe, you can keep them in a freezer for two weeks and just put them in boiling water if you want to cook. Serve about 12-15 "chuchvara" for a person.
Ingredients:
140 gr beetroot juice
1 egg
1 tbsp of salt
Plain flour as needed
100 gr of minced meat
160 gr of chicken breasts (minced)
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
60 gr of butter
Salt to taste (about one and half tsp)
1 tsp of ground coriander
Sour cream and some dried or fresh greens for sprinkling
Warm up the juice of beetroot. Add in 1 egg and slightly beat with a spoon, then add in salt, mix well and gradually start adding flour until you form medium hard dough. Cover it and set aside for 15 min.
Prepare the filling, melt the butter, fry onions until golden then mix it with both of meat, salt and coriander.
Roll out the dough thinly and cut 2x2 inch squares, put some filling to each square, fold it and pinch the edges, then pinch corner to corner. Pinch 4 "chuchvara" at a time keeping other squares covered or they will just dry up and then you will not be able to pinch them.



Pinch all of your "chuchvara" and place them on a towel.



Cook them in a boiling water for 10 - 15 min. Take out, top with sour cream and sprinkle with some dried or fresh chopped greens. Or serve it with it's soup adding 1 tbsp of sour cream in it and enjoy:) I hope you will enjoy my invention:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Horazmcha johori shorva (Khorezm Corn soup)

This soup is silky,very tasty and useful. It is mostly prepared in Khorezm region. If you want to make it more thick then add in not two but 4 tbsp of corn flour.
Ingredients:
500 gr of chicken
2 medium sized onions, peeled and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
2 small turnips, peeled
1 capsicum, chopped
3 corns ears (soft one)
2 tbsp of corn flour
Put chicken in 2 liters of cold water, put on a hight heat and bring to boil, scoop out all the scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for an hour under half closed lid. Then add in onions, carrot, turnip and capsicum. Continue to simmer for 30 min. Husk the corn ears and remove the silk, then using sharp knife slice straight down, make sure you are not cutting the cob. Cut out all the kernels and add in to the soup. Cook for another 30 minutes. Stir 3 tbsp of corn flour with 100 ml of cold water. Take out chicken from the soup. Pour corn mixture in to the soup and stirring bring to boil. Add in salt and simmer for 20 min. Serve chicken separately. Pour some soup in to the bowl, sprinkle with some greens and enjoy this delicious soup!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Qush tili

"Qush tili" is our very old recipe of crunchy snack. It is prepared for our holidays. Especially it is cooked for "Navruz" and "Hayit". I remember how my mum used to cook "Qush tili" for this kind of celebrations. She spent a whole day in the kitchen before holidays cooking this kind of meals :O Usually I also cook a lot before holidays, that's our culture!
Ingredients:
3 eggs
4 tbsp of sugar
Half a tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking powder (optional)
Plain flour as needed
1 liter of oil for frying
Beat up all of the eggs very well with a hand mixer. Take a spoon, and take some of egg mixture, if it is easy to take it, then it is ready. It mustn't trickle down.

Then add in sugar, baking powder and salt and beat for 1 min. Put the mixer aside. Carefully start to add flour into the egg mixture, stirring it with hands. Add flour until you form soft dough. Knead it about 5 min then cover and let it rest for 20 min. After, take the dough, divide in two and roll out each piece. You can roll out the dough not dividing it into two pieces, but I found it easy to roll out smaller pieces. After you finished rolling out the dough, cut it with a special figure knife in to the diamond shapes. As thin you roll out the dough the crispier would be your "Qush tili", if you want it to be a little bit softer, then the dough can be thicker. But not thick!

Heat up the oil in deep frying pan. Start to fry "Qush tili" putting 10-15 pieces each time (depending of the size of your frying pan) and fry until slightly golden color. Take out from the oil and put on a paper towel. After you finished frying all of the "Qush tili" sprinkle them with sugar powder and enjoy with a hot cup of green tea:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Hamir dolma (Dough rolls with meat and rice)

"Hamir dolma" is one other kind of dolma's in Uzbek cuisine. It is relatively new meal. Make sure that you roll out the dough very thinly as it will be more tender to bite. If the dough is thick then it will be hard to bite it:)
Ingredients:
For dough:
1 egg
1 tsp of salt
70 ml of water
Plain flour as needed
For filling:
300 gr of minced meat
2 onions,peeled and finely chopped
70 gr of short grained rice
40 gr of butter
Salt to taste
1 tsp of ground coriander
Half a tsp of ground pepper
Sour cream for topping
Make the medium hard dough from egg, salt, water and flour. Cover it and let it rest.
Put rice in cold water (about 350 ml) and cook until half ready. Drain all the water. Set aside. Melt the butter and fry onions until golden color, add in salt and spices to the onion. Take out and blend fried onions in food processor. Now mix minced meat, fried and mashed onions and rice together.
Rol out the dough and cut 4x4 inch squares. Put 1 tbsp of filling and roll tightly.


Place all "Hamir dolma"s in to the greased sheets of steamer. Place sheets on to the boiling water and cook for 45 min. Then take from the heat, serve topping with sour cream. Sometimes you can top it with fried tomatoes and onions, if you like. You can change toppings according to your taste. Just don't forget enjoy this meal:)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Pompoqcha somsa (Samsa with yeasty dough)

"Pompoqcha somsa" is soft and tender than other kind of samsas. It's dough is soft to bite and excellent for children as they will surely enjoy it.
Ingredients:
300 ml of milk
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of sugar
1.5 tbsp of dried yeast
30 gr of butter
Plain flour
300 gr of minced meat
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp of ground coriander
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of ground pepper
Salt to taste
1 egg yolk
Pepper or sesame seeds for sprinkling
Warm up the milk and add in butter, stir until butter will dissolve in milk. Add in salt, sugar and yeast. Mix well, then gradually add in flour until you form a dough. Cover it and set aside to warm place for rising, approximately for 1.5 hour.
Prepare the filling, mix meat, onion, salt, spices and stir all ingredients well.
Preheat the oven. Divide the dough to 20-25 equal pieces. You can make them bigger or smaller if you want, that's your choice. I make them in medium size. Roll out each piece to round shape (they must not be thin, roll out approximately half centimeter), put 1 tbsp of filling and pinch the edges. Brush "Pompoqcha somsa"s with an egg yolk, sprinkle some pepper or sesame seeds and bake until golden color. Take out from the oven and enjoy them!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Baqlajon urama gazak (Eggplant rolls)

As I posted earlier I love eggplant! That's why I love this rolls, they are soft on outer side and crunchy inside. I like the taste of a garlic with eggplant. "Baqlajon urama gazak" is a good appetizer.
Ingredients:
3 medium carrots, peeled
3 cloves of garlic, mashed
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
2 big long eggplants
A little oil for frying
Salt to taste
Grate carrots or cut in thin long strips, add in 1 tsp of salt, mashed garlic and 2 tbsp of oil. Mash with hands until carrot will start to give its juice, but don't over mash. Set aside.
Cut eggplants in thin long slices, and put them in cold salty water for 15 min. Drain the water. Heat up heavy pan and drop 6-7 drops of oil and fry both sides of eggplant slices. Repeat with the rest of eggplant slices. Place in 1-2 tbsp of filling on a fried eggplant slice and roll it up tightly. Done! Serve and enjoy this yummy rolls.
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Qiymali atala (Flour soup with meat)

This soup is nourishing, tender and tasty. You will love it! It takes little time and effort to cook it. Besides it is useful for intestines.
Ingredients:
40 gr of butter
4 tbsp of plain flour
600 ml of water
4 tbsp of vegetable oil
200 gr of minced meat
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
Boil the water, pour it in bowl and set aside. In thick pan melt the butter, put flour and fry stirring until flour is light golden. Add fried flour in to the hot water and slightly whisk until no crumble will seen. Set aside.
Heat the oil in another pan and fry minced meat for 10 min, then add in finely chopped onions, continue frying until onions are golden. Now pour the flour mixture on it and stir well. Let it simmer until soup is thick and smooth. Stir occasionally. Don't over boil it. Take from the heat as soon as it is thick as heavy sour cream. Serve and enjoy this delicious soup!!!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!