Fans of oriental cuisine are undoubtedly familiar with such a dish as shurpa. For those who hear this name for the first time, I note that shurpa is nothing but soup. But not our traditional, but peculiar, which after cooking is most often served as three separate dishes: rich aromatic broth, tender well-prepared meat and vegetables.
Since shurpa is a traditional dish in Central Asian countries, they prepare it from lamb meat, less often from beef and chicken, and pork is not used at all in these countries. That is why real shurpa in Uzbek style is prepared from a piece of lamb (scapula, back) or lamb ribs.
Each region has its own original recipe for this dish. But there are two main cooking options. The first, in which meat and vegetables are first fried and then boiled in soup. The second involves the direct cooking of raw meat and adding vegetables to the resulting broth.
To get a delicious and rich shurpa, you must follow some rules.
Firstly, it should be cooked in a cauldron or cast-iron, with thick walls, pan.
Secondly, Shurpa in Uzbek should be simmered. It takes a lot of time, but in the end the broth is more saturated and aromatic.
Thirdly, there should be a lot of lamb (about a kilogram per 3 liters of water). It should be sufficiently oily and fresh (i.e. unfrozen). Only such meat will give the dish a bright, rich taste.
Fourthly, all vegetables used for cooking must be cut into large pieces.
And, perhaps, the last - the traditional Shurpa in Uzbek suggests the presence of a large amount of herbs and spices in it.
There are a huge number of recipes and variations on how to cook shurpa . Each eastern family cooks it differently, adding something of its own to the main recipe. I offer one of the many recipes for this dish - Shurpa in Uzbek, which does not require preliminary frying of meat (Kainatma).
We need lamb, a slice of fat tail fat (150 g), 2 kg of red onion (you can white) or a kilogram of red and white, bell pepper 2-3 pcs. one color or multi-colored, several ripe tomatoes, half a kilogram of carrots and potatoes, parsley, cilantro, basil, coriander, spices (zira, barberry, coriander seeds, peppercorns), pure spring water or bottle water.
Having stocked everything we need, we are preparing shurpa. Pour water into a cauldron or pot and throw there washed, cut into large pieces lamb. Salt a little and bring to a boil, not forgetting to remove the foam in time. Reduce the heat and cook the meat on low heat for about half an hour. Cut a kilogram of onion into large rings, peel the carrots and slant diagonally into several parts if the carrots are large, or into two parts if small. Throw carrots and onions, as well as coriander and zira into the cauldron. We leave to cook on low heat for another half hour.
Cut the remaining onion into thin rings. Peel the potatoes and, if it is too large, cut into two parts, if not, leave the tubers whole. We clear the seeds of Bulgarian pepper and cut it into large rings or into four parts. Put all the ingredients in a pan. After the Uzbek shurpa begins to boil, we wait another 5 minutes and put the tomatoes in it, which we previously peel and cut into four parts. Salt to taste. Add herbs and remaining spices and bring our shurpa to readiness.
After all the components have been welded, Shurpa in Uzbek is ready for use. It can be served in one plate as a soup, or you can pour the broth separately into deep bowls and put meat and vegetables separately on a large plate, decorating everything with greens. Choose for yourself.