Dishes of the Kyrgyz national cuisine are distinguished by their originality and originality, which is largely inherent in this nation, which has a nomadic lifestyle. It bears a great resemblance to Kazakh and Uzbek, since these peoples have one ancestor - the Türks, which affected the peculiarities of cooking. But in fact, you can find a huge number of interesting meat dishes here, although at first glance they may seem unusual, because the main ingredients are lamb and horse meat, as well as game, which is uncharacteristic for the Russians. This article will provide simple and tasty recipes of Kyrgyz national dishes with photos that can be prepared at home.
Features of Kyrgyz cuisine
As already mentioned, Kyrgyz cuisine is mainly based on meat products that are seasoned with a wide variety of spices and herbs. In addition, fermented milk products like Ayran, koumiss and many other drinks are especially popular. Well, you can not forget about interesting sweets. Halva, Navat and even various pastries, which are characteristic only for this country, as if immersing people in its history.
It is worth noting: dishes of this cuisine can be divided into those that are consumed daily, as well as holiday and ritual. A sufficiently large amount of national food is served only for some occasion in life. For example, newlyweds at a wedding must be served with ustukans, which are tubular bones with meat, carved from the brisket.
But in general, the Kyrgyz cuisine prefers to keep its original appearance and taste in the products as much as possible, that is, it will be very difficult to find mashed potatoes or chop meat there. Among the most popular dishes you can specify:
- Soups: shorpo (a dish based on lamb broth with potatoes, tomatoes and green onions) and kesme (vegetable soup with noodles).
- Second courses: Beshbarmak (lamb with noodles and spicy sauce), Kyrgyz pilaf and kebab.
- Flour dishes have a special place. The most famous are various cakes, chak-chak, manti, brushwood, khoshans (cakes with minced meat).
Chuchuk
Chuchuk is a Kyrgyz national dish, which is mainly prepared for large holidays in the fall, when residents begin slaughtering livestock. This meat dish is very nutritious, as it is prepared from a large amount of horse meat. It is worth preparing for the fact that it will take a long time to cook the chuchuk, since it is cooked over low heat for about an hour and a half, but the meat is very tender. To prepare this national Kyrgyz dish you will need:
- 1 horse rib, or kabyrga;
- 300 grams of kazy, or horse abdominal fat;
- about 30 cm of the intestine;
- a pair of cloves of garlic;
- onion;
- from seasonings you will need red and black pepper, salt and bay leaf.
Cooking technology
For the proper preparation of chuchuk, the following rules must be observed:
- You should take the rib and fat, and then season them well with salt and pepper. All this must be put in a marinade with garlic, onions and bay leaves. It is best to leave the meat all night so that it is well saturated with tastes.
- Then rinse thoroughly and prepare the gut. The end of the rib is pushed into it by about four centimeters, and then everything is tied. From the other end of the intestine, the kazy begins. This end should be fixed with a stick.
- Then this dish should be taken at both ends and fastened together. Season again with salt and pepper, and then leave for another two hours to absorb spices.
- Chuchuk is laid out in water, and then at a slow boil it is cooked for about an hour and a half. It is served with spicy sauce and green salad. It is worth noting that usually this Kyrgyz national dish is intended for the most important guest as a sign of respect.
Goshkyde
Goshkiyde are one of the most interesting Kyrgyz national dishes. Balls with meat stuffing, that's what they look like. Baking is a kind of analogue of meat pies, which are prepared from steep salt dough. It is worth noting that they are always prepared only in the form of small balls, the diameter of which does not even reach 5 cm. In addition, such pies can have only one filling - a mixture of ground beef with finely chopped onions. But, despite this, this dish has a very interesting taste, which is definitely worth a try.
Ingredients and Cooking Technology
To prepare goshkide you will need:
- 300 grams of flour;
- half a glass of water;
- 250 grams of quality ground beef;
- 1 onion;
- 50 grams of butter;
- black pepper and salt to taste.
First of all, you need to prepare all the necessary ingredients. It will be best to cook ground beef at home, although it can be purchased in the store as well, if there is no desire to work on it.
Then they begin to cook the dough. To do this, add 7-10 grams of salt and a tablespoon of pre-melted butter to the water. The flour is sifted well and added to the liquid too, and then the steep dough is kneaded.
While the dough is resting, you need to prepare the filling. First, the onion is finely chopped, and then it is added to the minced meat. All you need is a good salt and pepper, and then mix.
The dough is divided into 6 parts. Of these, you need to make thick cakes with your hands, on which about a couple or three spoons of the filling are laid out. The edges are folded so that a ball with a filling inside is obtained.
Goshkiyde is baked in an oven preheated to 180 degrees on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Before putting the balls inside, they need to be greased with a beaten egg.
Pies are cooked for about half an hour. Once they are removed from the oven, you need to grease them with butter and serve. Eating this Kyrgyz national dish can be both hot and cold.
Botko
Botko, better known in Russia as porridge, is one of the favorite dishes in Kyrgyzstan. There are several Kyrgyz national dishes made from corn grits, but of these, most often Botko can be found in the diet of ordinary people. It is prepared on the broth, which gives the cereal a pleasant taste and aroma, and also increases its calorie content, which is necessary after a hard day.
To prepare botco with corn grits you will need:
- 1.5 liters of meat broth;
- 300 grams of corn grits;
- 1 tomato;
- 1 onion;
- a small bunch of green onions;
- clove of garlic;
- 100-150 grams of boiled meat;
- bay leaf, pepper, paprika and salt to taste.
Step cooking
For the proper preparation of the original Kyrgyz porridge Botko you must follow these steps:
- The first step is to heat the broth to a boil. Then corn grits are poured into it. For this recipe, it is best to use a whole meal.
- Also in the porridge you need to put the tomatoes, chopped onions, garlic, previously chopped into small cubes. Everything is seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Cooking should be on very low heat until cooked. Then it needs to be cooled and laid out in portions on plates.
- Ready to serve porridge is decorated with chopped green onions, as well as small pieces of chopped meat.
If desired, this Kyrgyz national dish can be prepared on chicken or game broth, then it will get a slightly different taste.
Conclusion
This article presented Kyrgyz national dishes with photos that you can cook at home if you wish. In fact, this kitchen, although it has many similarities with other oriental cuisines, but it also has its own distinctive features that were formed as a result of centuries of evolution. Nomadic people practically do not engage in agriculture, so their recipes mainly use meat and dairy products, which can be obtained from cattle breeding. Although the Kyrgyz cuisine is not particularly popular in Russia, it still has many of its original features that are worth paying attention to.