"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!!!

Lagmonlik kifta (Meat rolls with dough)

To tell the truth I invented this dish by myself:) But I use classic "Lagmon" and "Kifta" for this recipe, so it is truly Uzbek dish. I like inventing some interesting and pretty meals:) It is fun and it's not boring. For me it seems boring to eat same dishes everyday, so I try to make some different things:) I hope you will like it.
Ingredients:
350 gr meat
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 small potato
30 gr of butter
Salt to taste
1 tsp of ground coriander
1 tsp of cumin seeds
For lagmon:
1 small egg
50 ml of water
1 tsp of salt
Plain flour as needed
Oil for greasing
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of baking soda
First you have to make dough, beat slightly egg and add sugar and water, gradually add in flour to make medium hard dough. Cover it and let it rest for 15 min.

I usually use sea salt as it is more healthier than regular salt. Mix in small bowl 1 tsp of salt ans 1 tsp of soda with 100 ml of water. After 15 min, rinse your hands in salty and soda water and punch the dough, repeat 2 more times and knead it for 2 min. Again cover the dough and let it rest for 15 min. Repeat this punching thing for 3 times more.
Now divide the dough in 6 equal pieces and form small logs from them, grease them with oil, cover with cotton towel and let it rest for 10 min.

After 10 min roll out each piece into the longer logs, and again cover with towel and leave for 10 min. You will see how it will be easier each time to rolling them.

This time try to make long and thiner logs and roll them in flat plate. Grease the plate with oil beforehand. Grease the logs also to prevent sticking to each other.

Now cover them and leave for 15 min. While they are resting make "Kifta"s.
Ground meat, onion, potato, melted butter, salt, spices all together in food processor. If you don't have food processor, them mix minced meat with grated potatoes and add melted butter, salt and spices.
Form slightly long logs from meat and roll them in a flour. You will get 12 logs.

Set them aside. Now take rested "Lagmon" noodles one by one and again try to roll thinner logs and after that, take meat logs one by one and roll noodles around them. Try to work quickly as the noodles will get thinner with each time.
After you finished, place them on greased steamer sheets and cook for 45-50 min. Boil the steamer water beforehand.

After your "Lagmonlik kifta" is ready, fry them on a little oil for giving them more pretty look, or if you don't want just skip frying. I do both:)
Serve them with some side dish and enjoy this pretty and tasty meal! I cooked mashed potato for the side dish today.
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Qovurma mohora (Fried soup with garbanzo beans)

Earlier I posted the recipe of "Mohora" which is prepared by boiling. Today I am posting new recipe of fried "Mohora" soup. It is rich in taste and also very tasty. My mum cooks this type of "mohora" when she is expecting guests, she always uses lamb's meat and of course the quantity was more:). She always uses our natural traditional oven which is heated with firewood for cooking this soup. The smoke of fire wood gives amazing taste to this soup and once you try it you will never forget it. Never none of the guests rejected eating my moms "mohora", bowls always returned so clean:) I miss moms "Mohora":(
Don't forget to soak garbanzo beans for 6 hours. Don't use canned beans as if you use them, your soup will not be clear.
Ingredients:
70 gr of vegetable oil
350 gr meat (beef or lamb) cut in medium sized cubes
2 onions, peeled and sliced thinly
2 medium sized tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 small capsicum, chopped
3 baby carrots, peeled and sliced
1 turnip, peeled and cut in big cubes
2 liters of cold drinking water
300 gr of soaked garbanzo beans
1 tbsp of ground coriander
Salt to taste
Some fresh chopped greens
Heat the oil and fry meat until brown, then add in onions, continue frying until onions are golden, add in tomatoes and capsicum fry until clear in color. Add in ground coriander in this stage. Now add in carrots and turnip fry for 5-6 min. Add in water and garbanzo beans together. Bring water to boil on a hight heat and then scoop out all the foam and reduce the heat. Let it simmer for 1.5 hours. Stir occasionally. Add in salt at the end and simmer for 5 min more, then take from the heat and serve in bowls sprinkling fresh chopped greens on top of it. Enjoy this tasty soup with your loved ones.
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

"Samarqandcha dimlama" (Meat and vegetable stew in clay pot)

This meal is very healthy and tasty, besides it is very easy to make, it takes time but you don't have to watch it:) I use 1.5 liter capacity pot for 3 servings, but you can also cook this dish in individual smaller clay pots. Just divide all the ingredients to 3 and layer in to the pots. I don't like to mess with 3 pots, so I made it in one big pot:) What I like in this dish is it's very healthy as you don't have to use any oil, but it will come out so yummy! But if you want to make it richer you can put some butter at the very end.
Ingredients:
300 gr of meat, cut in small cubes (preferably lamb)
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 capsicum, chopped
2 turnips (I used one yellow and one white turnip), peeled and cut in medium sized pieces
1 medium sized carrot, peeled and sliced in small pieces
1 medium sized aubergine, peeled and cut in small cubes
100 gr of shredded cabbage
1 cup of chopped celery
150ml of water
Salt to taste
Wash the clay pot. Put meat as a first layer, then layer all listed vegetables by turn and pour water. Close the pot and bake in oven for 3 hours. Well it took me 3 hours in my horrible oven, but it can take less time if you have good oven, just check out every 1 hour. But anyway it takes minimum 2 hours. If you are cooking it in small individual pots, then it will take at least 1.5 hour. At the end sprinkle with salt and bake for another 10 min. Serve and enjoy!!!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

Kiftalik mosh ugra (Soup with meatballs, noodles and mungbean)

"Kiftalik mosh ugra" is one of the favorite recipe in Uzbekistan. In different regions the recipe can be different but the base is same - there are always noodles and mung beans in this soup. You can cook this soup with minced beef or lamb, or even with a chicken. You just fry minced meat before putting onion.
Ingredients:
70 ml of oil
250 gr minced meat (beef, lamb or chicken)
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
100 gr of mung beans, washed
70 gr of dried or fresh prepared noodles ("ugra"s)
Some fresh chopped greens (choose your favorite)
Sour cream for topping
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of ground coriander
Mix minced meat with salt and coriander. Form small balls and set aside.
Heat the oil in a pot and put sliced onions first, fry until golden. Add in chopped tomatoes and fry until oil begins to separate out. Add in 2 liters of cold water and put in mung beans. Bring the soup to boil and scoop out any small foam. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until mung bean is soft. When mung beans are soft put in meat balls and on a high heat again bring to boil, stir occasionally. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 30 min. Then add in noodles and simmer until noodles are soft and ready, add in salt and take from the heat. Serve topping with 1 tbsp of sour cream and some chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy lovely and tasty soup!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!

"Yangilik" salati (Salad "Yangilik")

In Uzbekistan we use pickled cucumbers in many different salads and meals. This salad is light and tasty, goes good with soups. Don't skip fresh chopped coriander leaves, as they give main flavor and interesting combination. I would recommend to bake potatoes, rather than boiling them, baked potatoes have more rich flavour, which is important for this salad.
Ingredients:
2 baked potatoes
4 medium sized pickled cucumbers
1 medium onion, peeled
1 can of green beans
1 cup of chopped coriander
2 tbsp of vegetable or olive oil
Salt to taste
Peel baked potatoes and cut in small cubes, slice onions thinly, then mash them with hands and add in to potatoes. Drain all the water from bean can, cut pickled cucumbers in small cubes. Mix all the ingredients together and add salt, chopped coriander and oil, mix once again. Serve and enjoy!
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!