What is the Uzbek tandoor-kabob? How to cook it? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article. Tono-kavap, or tandoor-kavap, or tandoor-kabob - the name of the famous Central Asian dish of fried meat (kebab), which is baked in a special oven - tandoor. Uzbeks consider him their national people. How to cook tandoor-kabob at home, read below.
How to cook?
For the preparation of the tandoor-kaboba according to the Uzbek recipe, as a rule, the meat of fat tail sheep is used, in the mountainous regions - the meat of goats. The dish is often seasoned with juniper needles (as various types of juniper are called in Asia, especially the false Cossack species), which gives it a specific taste.
It is made in tandoor with localized access of air, which is achieved by tightly clogging the neck of the furnace and high temperature. Then the meat is transferred to an iron pan.
Favorite food
Since ancient times in the lands of Uzbekistan, the favorite dish of travelers, nomads and warriors was lamb meat, cooked in an unusual way. The method that was carried out in the field was very simple. They dug a hole in the ground to a depth of 1 m and about the same diameter, put firewood into it.
Here, while the fuel burned to the coals, a ram was cut, it was chopped into large pieces, sprinkled with salt, and put on thick wooden skewers. Meat prepared in this way was lowered into a hot pit, and poles were laid on top of it, covered with a nightmare, covered it with a thick layer of earth and waited.
Over time, the tandoor-kabob became a favorite dish not only among travelers, but also among the sedentary inhabitants of Maverranahr, who still cook lamb in tandoor (clay ovens).
Dispute
Residents of different regions of Uzbekistan sometimes argue: "Whose tandoor-kabob is tastier?" In fact, this debate is rhetorical, as well as, for example, the debate about the merits of Tashkent, Ferghana or Bukhara pilaf. Indeed, in the manufacture of each of them has its own nuances, which, in the end, does not detract from the culinary advantages of this or that kind of “king” of Uzbek dishes.
But speaking of the tandoor-kabob, it should be noted that the population of Mesopotamia, and especially the Shakhrisabz-Kitab oasis, surrounded by mountains and located in the Kashkadarya region, treats its creation with special trepidation and believes that it has perfected its skills.
People are sure that their mutton is much more tender and juicier than “overexposed”, “dry” meat cooked outside their region.
How to cook in the oven? Meat preparation
The tandoor-kaboba recipe is quite simple. Let's try to make this dish in the oven. If you do not have branches of mountain juniper, you can find juniper or thuja in your city. Ideally, of course, having juniper would be nice.
First prepare the meat. For this dish, the chest of the ram, leg or shoulder blade is suitable. Cooks of Uzbekistan sometimes cook a little liver with meat, but it depends on individual taste preferences. It is advisable to use meat aged several days in a cold room, but in no case icy.
So, marinate the prepared mutton in dry spices. In order to better penetrate it, make deep cuts on the pulp along the bone every 4 cm. Next, rub the meat with a mixture of juniper and spices: 1 tbsp. l paprika, 1 tbsp. l good coarse salt, a little less than zira and ground black pepper.
For the marinade, you will also need 2 tbsp. l green chopped branches of juniper per 1 kg of lamb. All these seasonings need to be mixed (it is desirable to grate juniper with salt slightly) and apply to the pulp. Leave the meat in a cool place for 5 hours.
Tandoor Training
If you make such a dish in a tandoor, then you need to warm it up well in advance so that the walls glow. This takes about 1 hour for the cook. You can also dig a hole in the ground, as we mentioned above, and cook there. To do this, dig a cone-shaped pit, the depth of which will be 1.5 m, the width at the neck - 80 cm, and at the base - 1 m. Lay out the walls with stones or level them with clay. Make a fire in the pit and dry it. Homemade tandoor is ready.
But we do not plan to engage in the industrial production of food, so we cook in the oven. However, if you have a tandoor, then you can cook in it.
How to hang meat in a tandoor
First, find out how to hang meat in a tandoor. Insert a metal rod between the strong muscle and the drumstick and be sure to tie it with steel wire, otherwise the meat may fall during cooking. If you cook in the oven, it is better to cut the shank and set aside for another dish, and you will not need twigs. At home, you can cook on a baking sheet or on a grill skewer, if the oven has such a function.
When the tandoor warms up, spread the coals formed around the edges, spray the inside of the tandoor with water, moistening the branches of juniper. This action eliminates the excessive heat of the coal and gives condensate vapor. In the case of an oven, just warm it.
Next, lower the cauldron to the bottom of the tandoor, in which you first need to place the vegetables and pour them with water. This will help to neutralize the unpleasant odor arising from the flowing fat from hanging lamb and fat will flow there. You can also get another lyudo - tandoor-shurpa.
Now hang the meat in the tandoor, lay the branches of juniper on it, and place an impressive piece of fat tail on top - fat will flow from it to the juniper, fall onto the meat and drip into the cauldron with vegetables.
How to hang meat in the oven?
Agree, in the photo the tandoor-kabob looks very attractive. But how to hang the meat in the oven? And you do not need to hang it. You can simply place it on a wire rack and put it on a medium level, and put a deep saucepan with boiling water and vegetables at the bottom.
If you do not have a grill in the oven, place a cauldron with a flat bottom on the lower level. Send vegetables with water to the cauldron. On it, place three kebab skewers parallel to each other, and on them lay the pickled meat with the fat up.
Place the branches of juniper (in our case juniper and thuja) on the meat, and put a small piece of fat tail on top. Kurdyuk spices should not be pickled. Lay the branches on the surface of the meat carefully, sticking out at the edges - cut, otherwise they will burn. Thoroughly rinse the juniper, you can even hold it in the water before laying it in the oven.
Cooking time
Tandoor-kabob tayerlash usuli has an intricate cooking process. But, in the end, it turns out a very tasty dish.
Everyone covers the tandoor in different ways. It is best to cover its neck with an inverted cauldron, and cover the cracks well with clay. Depending on the degree of heating of the tandoor, in Uzbekistan, the meat in it can withstand from an hour to two.
In the oven, lamb is best kept for two hours. From the beginning to the end of cooking, the fire should be the highest. After about an hour, the branches will be burned - remove them.
Tandoor-kabob can be served as a second course in a hot form. And if you stand it for a day, then the meat can be eaten in cold form - so, by the way, tastier!
In the process of cooking, the kurdyuk will turn into greaves, and on the cauldron, fragrant shurpa will be prepared. This dish is perfect for a festive table. And tasty, and satisfying. Just be prepared for the smell of needles coming from the oven - it is not burnt, but very intense. In general, this meat is very appetizing, but it differs from the real tandoor in that it has no smell of smoke. If you cook it in the oven, it will turn out to be pleasant in taste and quite soft.
Tip: marinate the meat for at least an hour, for the oven it also makes sense to make more cuts.
Conclusion
Previously, the tandoor-kabob was prepared as supplies for the trip. If it is correctly made, then the outside of the meat will have a dry crust, which will not let it deteriorate for a couple of days.
In Surkhandarya, in Termez, they make a specific variety of the dish we are considering, where the spread lamb is roasted completely, to the state of meat chips.