National Cuisine

Hospitality has always been a main character trait of Kazakh people. Even if you have just a minute to pop in to a Kazakh house, an owner will still ask you to sit down and offer a fragrant tea with sweets. Respectful attitude to the guests contributed to the fact that traditional Kazakh feast took a shape of a ritual, noninferior, in its philosophical and allegorical content, to world famous Chinese tea ceremony.

Hospitable owner would offer his guest a seat at a place of honor. Traditionally, meal is served at a low round table, called dastarkhan. First and foremost, in order to quench thirst of the guest a hostess would treat him with a bowl of yogurt drink. This can be "kumys" - a drink based on fermented mare's milk - or shubat the main ingredient of which is camel milk. Then, table will be filed with baursaks - balls of dough, pre-fried in boiling oil (Asian analogue of donuts), samsa - triangular pastries with meat, kausyrma - a kind of chebureks, fried doughs filled with meat and onions, raisins, kurt (small, salted cheese balls) and, of course, tea. Here, to be objective, we should say that tea never grew on the territory of Kazakhstan, it was introduced to the steppe of Sary-Arka from the outside, but despite this, tea quickly gained popularity among the local population. And today, in fact, it is one of the main drinks in Kazakh society.

After a long-drawn tea ceremony, assortment of dishes on the festive table will be complemented by meat dishes: kazi, shuzhuk, zhal, zhaya, karta, kabyrga. The above dishes are traditionally prepared from horse meat or lamb. The main dish of Kazakh cuisine, with which owners welcome their guests is besbarmak. Name of this dish is translated from Kazakh as “five fingers” because of a manner to eat the dish by hand. Besbarmak's main ingredients are: meat (lamb or horse meat), pasta (it is cut into small squares), as well as herbs (dill , parsley, cilantro, etc.).

The procedure of cutting meat cooked for besbarmak is a separate special ritual. Typically, this mission is laid on the owner. According to traditions, each part of meat or bone has its own meaning and is served in a special way. Thus, meat from the pelvic bone and tibia is given to senior honored guests. Son or daughter-law gets pruning from a sternum. Cervical vertebra is usually served for unmarried girls. Sheep's head is cooked in a special way and is served separately. The right to cut this element of besbarmak is usually given to a guest of the highest rank.

According to the European classification, all these dishes belong to a group of second dishes and snacks. As for traditional Kazakh first course, sorpa – rich broth completed by seasoned vegetables, spices and herbs - occupies a special place. Sorpa, unlike other first courses, is for drinking, so it is served in bowls.
Tea ceremony completes the meal.

Traditional Kazakh Cuisine Recipes

1. Besbarmak

2. Kazy

3. Shuzhyk

4. Karta

5. Sorpa

6. Кuyrdak

7. Маnty

8. Lagman

9. Baursaks

10. Chuck chuck

 

1. Besbarmak

To prepare the broth: 1270 g of horsemeat (you may take a lamb or beef) 1 onion, salt, spices - to taste

For the dough: 2 glasses of flour, 0.5 glasses of. water, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon of salt.

To prepare the sauce: 1 cup of broth, 1-2 bulbs.

Besbarmak - literally means five fingers. After all, if South Asian people eat with chopsticks, the Central Asian people ate with their fingers. Until now, during national ceremonies associated with the ingestion Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz and Tajiks are trying to eat with their fingers.

This dish is traditionally made of horse meat, but in recent years instead of taking horse people take mutton or beef. Prepared and washed pieces of meat dip in kettle or pan of cold water, bring to a boil, diminishes the fire, skim and low boiling continue to cook until done.

30-40 minutes before the end of boiling the broth is added with salt to taste, bay leaves, onions, black pepper.

Knead the dough, give it to set for 30-40 minutes, then roll a rolling pin into a layer thickness of 1-1.5 mm and cut into squares of 7-8 cm for half an hour before end of meat boiling you can put peeled potatoes into the broth, boil it until tender and together with the meat to shift into a closed container. In a separate bowl put rings of sliced onion, salt, pepper, spicy greens pour the hot broth to the skimmed fat, tight-fitting lid and tantalized. Dipped into the boiling broth and cut into squares pastry cook until tender, then spread it on the platter (lagans), put the meat on top, and the kazi, karta, shuzhyk and zhanbas, and on it - stewed in fat onion rings. Along the edges of dishes you can put boiled potatoes.

 

2. Kazy

200Ingredients: 1 kg of horse meat, 500 g of horse, fat 0.5 m of beef intestines, 25 g of azhgon (zira) 2 teaspoons of black pepper, 25 g of salt.

Preparation of meat. Horse meat cut into strips 2-3 cm wide, 8-10 cm long, to pour salt and spices, rubbing them in the flesh, and covered with a cloth and leave for 1-2 days in a cool place.

Preparation of the intestines. unscrew the intestines inside out , rinse in cold water, rub with salt and let set for 5-10 minutes, then erase so called skin, not touching fat, rinse 4 times in cold and hot water, again erase the mucus, turn out, cut into pieces 50 cm long . Every piece tie one end, with another end put he prepared meat and fat – necessarily in proportion 2:1, and then tie. (If kazy is prepared for boiling and smoking, then one-third of it should consist of horse fat). After this preconditioning, kazy can be jerked, boiled and smoked.

Drying. In summer time to hang out for a week in the sun and wind and put into snow in winter at the same time, and then 2-3 months jerk in a cool dark place.

Boiling. Cooked sausages put into the pot, add water and boil on low heat. When the water boils, remove the foam, pierce sausages in several places and continue to boil. The total time of boiling- 2 hours.

Smoking. Smoke by thick smoke at a temperature of 50-60 ° C for 18 h, cool at 12 ° C for 2-3 h.

 


3. Shuzhyk

Ingredients: 5 kg of horse flesh, 5 kg of internal fat, 350 gr of salt, 10 gr
of black pepper, at the option - add the garlic.

The prepared meat is rubbed with salt and incubated for 1-2 days in a cool place at 3-4C. Intestines are washed and kept in salt water. Then the meat and fat cut into small pieces and mixed. Add the garlic, pepper and salt and again mix. This content is stuffed in intestines, tie at both ends with string, hang out for 3-4 hours in a cool place.

Shuzhyk smoke to 12-18 hours over the thick smoke at 50-60C, dried at 12C for 2-3 days.

Dried or smoked shuzhyk boil over low heat for at least 2-2.5 hours.

To serve, cut into slices no thicker than 1 cm, spread on a dish, decorate the onion rings, green.

 

4. Karta

Ingredients: 1 karta, salt, green pepper or dill - to taste.

Thickest part of the rectum well washed without removing fat, then gently turn inside out, the fat was in, once again washed and tied at both ends.

It can also be dry-cured and smoked. For drying karta is sprinkled with fine salt and kept in a cool place for 1-2 days, then dried. Smoked at least a day, then dried for 2-3 days.

Krata is boiled at least 2 hours on low heat, previously well washed. Before serving, cut the rings and decorated with green pepper or dill.


5. Sorpa

Ingredients: 500 gr of lamb, 2.5-3 litres of water, 0.5 table-spoons of salt, 4-5 baursaks.

The meat is thoroughly washed in cold water, put in a pan, pour in boiling water and cook on low heat for about 1-1.5 hours. After boiling, remove the foam from the broth and excess fat. At the end of cooking add salt. It is easy to determine the readiness of meat. If the fork easily pierces the meat, so meat is ready. Broth to drain. Strained broth is poured into a deep plate or cup, add the meat and serve baursaks.
 

6.Kuyrdak

Ingredients: 850 g mutton liver, 500 g of kidney, 300 g of heart, 450 g fat tail or 150 grams of fat mutton meat, 2 onions, 2 cups of broth, 1 teaspoon black pepper, salt - to taste.

Fat-tail or fat lamb cut into cubes and fry. Add the heart and kidneys after 15 minutes put the liver and chopped onion, salt and pepper, pour in a little broth and cook until tender.

Serve in a deep dish, sprinkle with herbs. Kuyrdak usually served with tab-nan bread or soft.

7. Manty

For the stuffing: 1 kg mutton or beef pulp, 4 large onions, 100 grams of fat tail, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 0.3 cups of water, 2-3 bay leaves, 3-5 grains of black peppercorns, salt - to taste .

For the dough: 500 g flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, about 1 cups of water.

To lubricate kaskana - 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

You can cook manty from different ground of beef, but lamb is preferred.

Meat for stuffing cut into small pieces or mince with a large grille. Add the sliced onions, black pepper, pour in salt water (immersed in boiling water, bay leaf, salt, pepper and give the infusion). All are thoroughly mixed.

Knead the dough as on the noodles, give him a time of 10-15 minutes. Then cut into balls the size of a walnut. The balls roll into thin round cake, which impose a tablespoon minced meat, add fat tail and paste edges. The dough can be rolled out in large thin layer of which is cut into squares of 10 inches.
Manty shift on a dish, sprinkle with black pepper and serve.

8. Lagman

For the dough: 1 kg flour, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 piala water.

For a broth: 500 grams of meat, 300 grams of fat or fat tail for fire, 300 g of cabbage, 3-4 onions, 3-4 potatoes, 1-2 carrots, 3-4 tomatoes, 5-6 cloves garlic, 2 bell peppers, salt and pepper - to taste.

Prepared dough is rolled out thinly, cut into strips and fold thickness 4-5 mm. Boil in water, remove, wash in cold water, allow to drain.

For gravy meat and fat-tail cut into small slices, potatoes - diced carrots, radishes, cabbage, and Bulgarian pepper - julienne, onion - rings, tomatoes - sliced, garlic - chopped.

In melted oil passer an onion, put the meat and fry it until you stand out juice.

Add the garlic, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and carrots. All are thoroughly mix and fry until soft. Add salt, pepper, radishes and even stew over low heat until fully cooked.

9. Baursaks

For the dough: 3 cups of flour, 10 g yeast, 0.6 cups of water, 0.7 cups milk, 2 eggs, 30 g margarine, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar.

For frying: 1-2 cups of fat.

The dough with the addition of all components is prepared sponge method. The finished dough cut into strands, cut into pieces of 3-3.5 cm in length, give it a time of 15-20 minutes and fry in hot oil.

10. Chuck Chuck

For the dough: 2.5 cups flour, 3 eggs, 1-2 tablespoons of sour cream or milk, a pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons of butter.

For the syrup: 1 piala honey 2-4 tablespoons of sugar.

For frying: 1 piala melted butter or fat.

Eggs, sugar, oil are triturated, add salt, milk or water, add flour and knead the dough quickly. Give a time for 40 minutes then roll into a thin layer of thickness up to 4 millimeters. Cut into strips across the length of 15 millimeters and a width of 4 mm. A kind of fry noodles in boiling ghee until golden brown, back in the strainer, draine.

Honey boiled with sugar until the sample semi-ball. In the boiled syrup dipped chak-chak.

Chak-chak can decorate kernels of walnuts or candy.
 

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