When it comes to traditional Tatar cuisine, it’s hard to think about diets and keeping fit. The Tatars have always been famous for the variety of dishes, and the leading position is taken by baking, as the second dish of dumplings and meat pies, so, not to mention national sweets and desserts. Tables are always crowded with treats from this hospitable people, and there are never hungry people left.
Traditional cakes with meat Tatar culinary specialists called varaki. Similar dishes are found in many peoples of Central Asia. For all, varaki is one thing in common - the cooking method: they are always fried in vegetable oil in a pan. Filling and dough can vary greatly in the recipe, as well as in appearance. A distinctive feature of varaka from other pies is that the meat is cooked in advance. Initially, we twist the lamb in a meat grinder, fry in vegetable oil or butter until fully cooked. After all, we remember that the Tatars do not eat pork. If it doesn’t matter to you, then it is possible to take minced pork and beef in equal proportions, then the meat pies will be more tender and juicier. We cook the rice until half cooked, lay it in a colander and rinse under running water so that it does not stick together. Be sure to add finely chopped greens to the filling: parsley, cilantro, dill. And also spices: ground black pepper, cilantro and zira grains. Minced meat is mixed with rice and herbs, put in a pan with a thick bottom and fry all together for 7-10 minutes.
To prepare meat pies, the dough is used classic pie or ordinary dumplings. To do this, the following ingredients are needed: wheat flour, sifted through a fine-mesh sieve - 2 cups, two eggs, one tablespoon of vegetable oil, 200 grams of chilled boiled water, ½ teaspoon of salt. To knead the dough on the table with a slide, pour the flour. And in the center make a funnel, we will introduce liquid components into it. In a separate bowl (not aluminum), beat the eggs with salt into the foam, it is better to do this with a fork or mixer. Pour them into flour, add vegetable oil and half the amount of boiled chilled water. Start kneading the dough, gradually adding the remaining amount of water. Knead the dough to a homogeneous mass, it should not be too steep, but if it sticks to your hands, you need to add more flour. Next, sprinkle the table with flour so that the dough does not stick to its surface and easily lags, and roll it out with a thin layer of 2-3 mm thick, using a rolling pin (it also needs to be sprinkled with flour for the same purpose). And with the old grandfather method, a glass with sharp edges, cut circles with a diameter of 4-5 cm. Collect the scraps and roll them out again.
Alternatively, you can divide the dough into 3 parts and roll into 3 bundles. The tourniquet is cut into pieces 2 cm thick and rolled out with a rolling pin in the form of a small pancake. In the middle of the cake, put a dessert spoon of minced meat and pinch the edges. We give the pies an oval shape, although true varaks look like small pasties.
In a pan with a thick bottom, ideally a cast-iron frying pan, pour 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and put on medium heat. When the oil heats well (if there are intense splashes of water), we spread the meat patties. Fry pies until golden brown 3-5 minutes on each side.
Another national feature of this dish: Varaka never eat, as they say from the fire. Therefore, how to bring them to the table correctly, we will tell, observing the traditions of this people, and, accordingly, the Tatar cuisine. Dumplings or a large bowl from the inside spread with napkins. Pies with meat and rice fried until golden brown are placed in it. Then they cover the dishes with a towel and allow time for the cakes to go soft and soak with steam for an hour. This is done so that the fresh dough after frying is not coarse and hard, after such a wrapped procedure the pies will be soft and juicy. Meat pies are served on the festive table as an appetizer for traditional Tatar noodle soup.