Azu in Tatar with pickles is one of the most popular recipes of oriental cuisine among post-Soviet residents. The dish with Tatar roots has a long history and hundreds of variations. Nevertheless, its basis is unchanged - pieces of meat are fried in a hot pan, after which they are stewed with vegetables.
Translated from the original language, the word "azu" means "food."
The history of the dish has centuries-old roots. The authors of the first basics were nomadic tribes who fried horsemeat in a large cauldron and added various vegetables to it.
Features of cooking
Today, basics with pickles are less and less prepared from horse meat due to its poor availability. Variations of lamb, veal, pork and even rabbit are more popular.
How is the basics different from stews - stewed potatoes with meat and vegetables? Spicy spicy taste, which is given by soaked cucumbers. By the way, potatoes in a dish may be completely absent, which can not be said about pickles - this ingredient is required.
Refusing potatoes is still not worth it, it increases the satiety of the dish and makes it full.
To prepare the basics with pickles and potatoes, you will need a large frying pan, a cauldron and a stewpan.
Spicy, spicy and moderately fatty dish will be appreciated by real men.
Lamb Azu
Lamb food has a special flavor. The meat is tender, moderately oily (not as lean as beef or young veal).
To make the dish really tasty, it is worth cooking from fresh young pulp. It is better to buy it from trusted sellers who systematically subject their products to sanitary inspections.
Essential ingredients for the dish
To prepare the basics for a company of 6-8 people you will need:
- Lamb pulp - 600 grams.
- Potato - 700 grams.
- Pickled cucumbers - 3 pieces.
- Tomatoes - 3 pieces.
- Onions - 2 pieces.
- Garlic - 3 cloves.
- Broth (chicken, beef) - 1.5 cups.
- Vegetable oil - 150 ml.
- Butter - 100 grams.
- Red hot pepper - 1 piece.
- Salt, pepper - to taste.
- Bay leaf - 2 pieces.
Meat preparation
Wash fresh meat, allow to drain with water, and dry using a paper towel. This must be done so that in contact with the hot oil in the pan does not form a lot of hot spray, leaving unpleasant burns on the skin and stains on clothes.
If it is planned to use frozen meat for basics with pickles , it must be properly thawed. The temperature rise should be smooth. The frozen piece for 3-4 hours should be placed in the refrigerator, then put on the table and thaw completely at room temperature.
Please note that “emergency” defrosts in hot water or in the microwave violate the fiber structure. In the finished form, the meat becomes "rubber" and tasteless.
Lamb should be cut across the fibers with long sticks, 3-4 centimeters long and 1 centimeter thick.
Vegetable pretreatment
Traditionally, a large amount of onions gives an oriental touch to azu with pickles. Two medium-sized heads must be peeled and cut into half rings.
It is better to choose tomatoes ripe and red, so they will give the dish a rich taste and an appetizing color. In the winter-spring period, when there are no ground tomatoes in the markets, tomato paste can be used as an alternative. One tablespoon is enough.
If you still managed to find the tomatoes, they must be peeled off. To do this, a cruciate incision is made at the base of the fruit with a knife, and the berry is poured with boiling water. After which the fruit is washed under cold water. The temperature contrast makes it easy to separate the thin skin from the fleshy center. Cut the last into small cubes.
Peel the potatoes. Cut into cubes. Pour cold water so that it does not turn black during the cooking of the meat. Grind pickles with a knife into cubes.
Cooking process
So that the basics of pickles had a unique taste, the meat should be fried in a cast iron thick-walled pan. Here we pour 100 grams of sunflower oil, which we heat on high heat.
We spread the meat, quickly stir until a thin crust is formed - it “seals” the juice inside.
Fry lamb for 10-15 minutes. Put only slices in a plate, the oil should remain in the pan to the maximum. Onions will be fried in it. When the characteristic golden color appears, add meat and prepared tomatoes to the onion. Stir, fry for 5 minutes.
Add broth. The liquid should completely cover the meat with onions.
Wait for boiling, reduce the fire to a minimum, cover with a lid. Stew until the main ingredient, meat, is cooked. In the case of lamb, it will take 30-45 minutes.
Heat a sunflower oil in a separate pan - 50 grams. Put the potatoes and add the butter. Fry the tubers until half ready, periodically stirring with a silicone spatula so that they retain their shape, and do not turn into mashed potatoes. Send potatoes to all products and simmer another 10 minutes.
Final stage
It's time to salt the basics with pickles. Then add garlic, passed through the press, red hot pepper and oriental spices. Add the cucumbers. Stew the dish for 30 minutes. Check the amount of liquid, if it has evaporated, you can add (now only water). Taste if salt is not enough, add more.
When there is almost no liquid left in the pan, put bay leaf and black pepper with peas. Turn off the gas, do not open the lid. Let the dish brew for 10 minutes.
This recipe is very popular. Housewives speak of him as a great solution for a casual and festive table. About high satiety, spicy taste and special demand among representatives of the strong half of humanity.
Azu with pickles in a slow cooker
We suggest you try another recipe, where instead of lamb veal or beef is used. And the heavy cast-iron cauldron will be replaced by a multifunctional kitchen novelty - a crock-pot.
It takes 1.5 hours to prepare a dish with oriental roots. Low calorie content - only 102 kcal per 100 grams - allows people who control their weight to enjoy it.
Essential Ingredients
Based on 6 adult servings, a recipe for beef basil with pickles requires:
- Beef (veal) - 700 grams.
- Onions - 2 pieces.
- Pickled cucumber - 2 pieces.
- Tomato paste - 3 tablespoons.
- Garlic - 2 cloves.
- Purified water - 0.5 liters.
- Vegetable oil - 80 grams.
- Salt, pepper - to taste.
- Fresh greens.
Cooking recommendations
Rinse the meat thoroughly, cut into small pieces. Launch a slow cooker, activate the "Frying" program, heat vegetable oil well, fry the meat until golden brown on all sides, mix with a wooden or silicone spatula.
Peel and chop the onion into thin half rings. Add to meat, fry without closing the lid for 5 minutes.
The tomato paste gives a spicy flavor to the beef and pickles. It should be diluted in 50 milliliters of hot water. Put the thick mixture in a slow cooker, mix.
Salt, pepper. Pour in water to slightly cover the meat. Please note that the liquid must be hot, otherwise it may damage the coating of the bowl from temperature contrast.
Cut pickles into small cubes or grate on a coarse grater. Send to the meat.
On the scoreboard, set the "Extinguishing" mode, set the timer for 1 hour. Close the cover.
After the specified time, evaluate the readiness of the meat. If the beef is harsh, stew the basics with pickles in a slow cooker for another half an hour.
Add chopped garlic 5-10 minutes before cooking. Can be finely chopped with a knife, can be passed through a press.
Sprinkle the finished, prepared dish with plenty of fresh herbs. The priority is parsley, cilantro, basil.
Potato lovers can add chopped tubers to the dish. Then you do not have to separately prepare a side dish. The root crop should be cut into strips, fry until half-cooked separately in a pan and add to the bowl.
If only a slow cooker is at hand, you can fry potatoes before cooking meat. Transfer the hot tuber to a clean plate and cover with a lid to prevent it from weathering. Wipe the bowl of the appliance with a paper towel and start roasting the meat.
On the cooking basics of beef, amateur culinary experts speak of a delicious solution for those who do not eat pork. In addition, the use of a multicooker will greatly facilitate the cooking process, almost without changing the taste of the original recipe. It is advisable to serve a nutritious dish with moderate calories for lunch or dinner.