Tatar cuisine has centuries-old traditions. Much of it changed, but at the same time it retained its originality. Over time, it was enriched with new products and knowledge that were borrowed from neighboring peoples. But Tatar dishes, in turn, were adopted by representatives of other nationalities. One of these dishes is Tatar-style azu from beef. Let's talk about how to cook it.
What is the basics?
Azu is one of the traditional dishes of Tatar cuisine, which consists of potatoes and fried meat. For cooking use a variety of varieties - it can be lamb, and beef, and even young horse meat.
There are many cooking options for this dish. Let's look at one of them.
What ingredients will be needed for cooking?
For Tatar beef, we will need the following products:
- Beef - 0.5 kg.
- Potato - 6 pieces.
- Onion - 250 g.
- Pickles - 2 pieces.
- Tomato juice - 0.5 cups.
- Meat broth - 250 ml.
- Salt to taste.
- Ground black pepper.
- Vegetable oil.
- Garlic - 2 cloves.
Azure recipe
This recipe is not at all complicated. For cooking, you need to have two pans (or a frying pan and a lamb).
First, peel the onion and chop it very finely. In no case do not grind it with a blender, this spoils the taste of the dish! Onions should be half as much as meat. After cutting it, put it in a pan and fry in vegetable oil until transparent.
Meanwhile, we are preparing a tomato mixture. There are three options for its preparation. You can take tomatoes and, having doused them with boiling water, peel them from the skin, and then finely chop. And you can use tomato paste, diluting it with water, or take natural juice. Pour the pasta into the pan and simmer the onion further.
Next, you need to prepare the meat. It can be both veal and beef. We cut the meat with not very long sticks, so that there are no veins.
We heat the second pan, pour a little oil and spread the pieces in one layer. The meat should be slightly fried. And then combine it with pasta. We’ll put it in a cauldron or a ducklily. Pour all this with meat broth and simmer over low heat until ready.
Since azu is a dish with
pickles, we will deal with them. Remember that cucumbers should only be pickled, in no case pickled. Peel them and remove large seeds. Then fry a little until the moisture evaporates.
Now it’s the turn of the potato, cut it into cubes. Then be sure to rinse well under water to remove starch, and spread in a pan. Fry until golden brown. This is done so that the basics do not become solid porridge, and each piece has its own shape, otherwise our potatoes with meat and pickles may turn into mashed potatoes.
Now connect all the prepared components together. Remember to add chopped garlic, mashed with salt. But here it is important not to overdo it, because cucumbers were also salty. Add a little freshly ground pepper. So our basics are ready (photos are presented in the article). The dish turns out incredibly tasty and satisfying.
Is pork being cooked?
In general, basics of pork with pickles is not a classic recipe for Tatar cuisine. In the original, it is prepared from lamb and beef. But, since we modify the recipes and adapt them for ourselves, the use of pork is quite acceptable. And some even prefer chicken.
Pork basics
For cooking, we should get the following products:
- Pork - 0.5 kg.
- Potato - 0.5 kg.
- Pickled cucumbers - 3 pieces.
- Butter - half a pack.
- Vegetable oil - 50 g.
- Onion - 1 piece.
- Tomato puree - 1 tbsp. l
- Salt, peas and ground peppers.
- Garlic - 2 cloves.
- Lemon.
- Bay leaf.
- Parsley (greens).
Recipe for pork basics
Azu is a very tasty dish. And with pork, its taste will be more familiar to us than with lamb. It is more like stewed potatoes. But with some nuances that give novelty and some zest. Another feature of this recipe is that the products are fried in ghee.
So, we cut the meat in small cubes and fry until browned. When the crust has formed, add the onion, sliced in half rings. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. And we transfer all this to the cauldron, where, in fact, the basics will be put out.
Cut the potatoes into strips and fry a little until half ready. A crust should form, which will retain the shape of the pieces during further quenching.
Now peel and chop pickles and lightly fry them. Salt and pepper the potatoes, transfer to the cauldron for meat. In the meantime, add tomato puree to the cucumbers and let it stew a little more. Next, fill the contents of the cauldron with the resulting mixture. If there is little liquid, then you can add the meat broth and simmer until tender. Do not forget to put bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste. You can still add a couple of slices of lemon. It gives a very pleasant smell.
At the very end, the finished dish is sprinkled with finely chopped garlic. And when serving, sprinkle parsley well. The taste and aroma of this treat will not leave anyone indifferent.
Tatar-style Azu in pots
In general, traditionally, asu with potatoes and pickles is cooked in a cauldron at the stake. But in modern conditions, the housewives will not begin to experiment like that. Therefore, it is possible to use modern kitchen utensils. There is another original recipe for the preparation of asu - in clay pots. It is believed that this method of processing products gives the best taste and aroma.
To make the basics in pots, you need to chop meat, onions. Pour oil into a pan, ketchup, add salt and water, put the meat and stew it a little. Then shift it all into a container. Put chopped cucumbers on top, and then potatoes (fry it a little in advance). Pour the contents of the containers to half with water or meat broth and add mayonnaise, sprinkle with herbs. Now you can put the pots in a preheated oven up to one hundred and eighty degrees and bake for an hour. The dish is ready! This cooking option is very convenient for the festive table. Each guest gets his own hot and fragrant pot. It is delicious and beautiful.
Instead of an afterword
Many dishes of Tatar cuisine are very tasty and acceptable for us. So feel free to try new recipes. And be sure to cook the basics in Tatar. It is not necessary to follow a strict recipe, you can slightly change the composition of the products at your discretion. Often, carrots, peppers are used to prepare this dish, and you can pick up meat that is preferred by your family. It is not necessary to use lamb and beef. So cook, experiment ... Please your loved ones with new culinary delights. Good appetite!