Today we will prepare an authentic soup of Caucasian cuisine, the name of which literally translates as “gray head”. This is a fairly common dish in the Caucasus, and the bozbash recipe can vary greatly. The main difference between dishes and counterparts in the “dressing” category: Turkish peas (chickpeas, lamb peas, and nat) are a mandatory ingredient in thick soup. And in Azerbaijani cuisine, for example, chestnuts are also added (in our country they are usually replaced with potatoes). You can also trace a characteristic feature in the bozbash recipe: additional frying of already boiled (or raw) pulp.
About meat and vegetables
Traditionally, the dish is prepared from lamb - fat brisket (successfully replaced with veal or beef). The vegetable set in the bozbash recipe is very different. It may depend on the region, on the time of year, all sorts of other conditions. In addition to the main ingredients, carrot, turnip, and sweet (Bulgarian) pepper, as well as eggplant and cherry plum, tomatoes and green beans, quince and apples, dried fruits are put in the filling soup. Basil and peppermint, tarragon with saffron, and other spices are used as seasonings.
Distribution area
Bozbash is widespread in Armenia and Azerbaijan, in Georgia. Culinary historians argue about its origin: as a result, the opinion arose that Armenia is the historical homeland of Bozbash recipe. And such dishes as kufta and brocade-bozbash were born in Azerbaijan.
It is noteworthy that in the Azerbaijani version, rather large pieces of lamb are put in brocade-bozbash, and meatballs from lamb mincemeat are already added to the kyufta-bozbash. Also in this country, another variety of dishes is prepared, in which fish is used instead of meat (balyk).
Bozbash: recipe with photo
As ingredients we will use:
- a pound of lamb;
- chickpeas in an amount of 100 grams;
- a couple of medium-sized carrots;
- a couple of onions;
- 3 tomatoes;
- a couple of sweet peppers;
- some potatoes;
- 2 eggplants;
- hot pepper - pod;
- sour quince.
From fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley. From spices: zira, saffron, thyme, black pepper, coriander, basil, salt. It should be noted that the Azerbaijani bozbash recipe includes chestnuts. But here we replace them with potatoes.
How to cook
This soup, like many dishes of Oriental cuisine, must be prepared with the help of a cauldron. If one is not available, you can use a thick-walled cast iron pan.
- We put the container on the stove, pour water and put the prepared meat. Let's boil, reduce the fire to a minimum, remove the resulting foam with a slotted spoon. Add a spoonful of salt with pepper (peas).
- We clean the carrots with onions - one at a time. Throw it whole into the broth to give it a taste and aroma. Cook for one hour. At the same time, we are preparing vegetables for the soup. Peel the onions and cut into rings or half rings. I wash the carrots and sweet peppers, clean and chop the straws.
- We remove the skin from the little blue ones, cut into cubes quite large. Scalp the tomatoes with boiling water, lower them into ice water, remove and remove the skin, which should be removed well after this procedure. Grind the tomatoes in a cube.
- Peel the potatoes, chop coarsely, pour cool water.
- From the quince we remove the inside, cut the fruit into slices.
- Now the meat is coming to readiness, turn off the stove. We take out the lamb and cut it into small slices. Let the broth cool, and then filter. We warm the cauldron (or the cast-iron pot) over the fire, pour the vegetable oil (or drown the mutton fat). We spread the pulp there and fry it until golden brown, constantly mix. Reduce the heat to medium. Introduce the onion to the meat. Cook until it becomes very soft and tender.
- Add the carrot. Continue to mix with a spatula. When the vegetables are ready, sprinkle with zira, coriander. Place tomatoes and bell peppers in a cauldron. Stew the pulp with vegetables for another 10 minutes. Then fill the mass with strained broth.
- Soak chickpeas in advance (6 hours in cool water), then drain and transfer to soup. Add the pod of hot pepper, let it boil. Cook over low heat for another 30 minutes.
- In the final, salt and toss potatoes and quinces. After another 10 minutes, sprinkle the soup with saffron and dried basil. We adjust the acid balance with the samples, as bozbash should have a slightly sour taste. Remove from the oven, cover, let it brew. Serve hot while sprinkling with fresh herbs.
Bozbash: beef recipe
According to the adapted recipe, we will cook the first of beef. We leave only, in fact, the main ingredients: meat, chickpeas, potatoes, carrots, onions, a set of spices and herbs - as in the previous recipe.
Cooking in a simplified system. Soak chickpeas for several hours (or better - for the night). Cook the meat in a pan until cooked (with onions and carrots - whole). Cooking chickpeas. We clean and cut the vegetables into cubes. We take out the meat, disassemble it into parts and lightly fry in vegetable oil separately. Then we collect the soup again.
In a pan we combine all the prepared ingredients. Cook for about half an hour and add spices in the finale. You can acidify the first dish either with lemon juice, or with a green apple or plums (cherry plum). Serve, sprinkled with fresh chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro).