Source: Zukamilov, AdobeStockAzerbaijan is a country with a unique and distinctive history, and this is reflected in all aspects of its life, including its local cuisine. At its heart are fresh fruits and vegetables, vibrant spices, and aromatic herbs. We're sharing 20 of the most delicious Azerbaijani dish recipes with you!
1. Pilaf with Dried Fruits
Source: recept-borscha.ruAzerbaijani pilaf differs significantly from Uzbek pilaf, and this is particularly evident here.
You will need: 500g lamb, 3 onions, 50g dried apricots and raisins each, 1 tbsp aromatic herbs and spices, half a bunch of cilantro and parsley each, 1 cup rice, 70g butter, 2-3 potatoes.
Preparation: Rinse the rice, parboil it, and rinse again. Grease a cauldron with butter and arrange sliced potatoes to cover the bottom. Mix half of the rice with half of the melted butter and layer it on top. Sprinkle with spices, add the remaining rice, pour the remaining butter over it, and simmer for about 1 hour over low heat.
Cut the lamb into pieces and fry until golden brown. Slice the onions into half-rings, add to the meat, pour in a little water, and bring to a boil. Add spices, chopped herbs, and simmer for 40 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Add dried fruits and simmer for another half hour. Serve the meat with rice.
2. Saj
Source: vivaeurope.ruSaj can be prepared with various types of meat, but this time we'll use chicken.
You will need: 300g chicken, 3 tomatoes, 200g onions, 250g green beans, 100g mushrooms, 1 bell pepper, 1 handful pomegranate seeds, 1 tbsp spices and herbs.
Preparation: Roughly chop all ingredients into medium pieces. Fry the chicken until cooked through. Separately fry onions with mushrooms, add bell pepper and green beans, and fry for another 7-10 minutes. At the very end, add chopped tomatoes, sauté for a minute over high heat, and add the chicken. Simmer everything together for another 3-5 minutes, season to taste, mix with pomegranate seeds, and serve.
3. Dolma
Source: yandex.ruLamb or beef mince is best for dolma.
You will need: 500g minced meat, 600g grape leaves, 1 bunch each of mint, cilantro, and dill, 100g butter, 4 tbsp rice, spices.
Preparation: Parboil the rice, finely chop all the herbs, and mix with the mince and spices. Add softened butter and knead the mince again. Rinse the grape leaves, soak them in boiling water for about 15 minutes, then wrap a little mince in each leaf. Arrange the dolma tightly in a pot, cover with water (not quite to the top), and cook over low heat until all the water has evaporated.
4. Dovga
Source: magazine.tabris.ruA light fermented milk soup, especially good in hot weather.
You will need: 2 liters buttermilk, 1 tbsp sour cream, 1 egg, 3 tbsp rice, 2 tbsp chickpeas, 1 tbsp flour, 1 bunch herbs.
Preparation: Whisk buttermilk with sour cream, add rice, egg, and flour, and whisk again. Add chickpeas, and cook the soup, stirring, over low heat almost to a boil. Add chopped herbs, season, cook for another couple of minutes, and remove from heat.
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5. Sheker Churek
Source: polar.ruThe simplest crumbly cookies that even a beginner can make.
You will need: 4 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 cup melted butter.
Preparation: Gently mix butter with sugar, then add eggs. Gradually incorporate flour into the dough, knead, refrigerate for 10 minutes, and divide into 14-15 pieces. Form round cookies and bake for 15-20 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
6. Bozbash
Source: u-rodnika.ruThe most delicious bozbash is made over an open fire!
You will need: 600g lamb, 5 potatoes, 2 onions, 1 tomato, 80g butter, 250g chickpeas, 1 bunch herbs, spices.
Preparation: Soak chickpeas overnight in advance. Boil lamb until cooked. Finely chop the onion and fry it directly in the pot until golden. Blend the tomato, add to the onion, and fry for another couple of minutes. Then add coarsely chopped potatoes.
Cut the lamb into pieces and add to the other ingredients. Also add the chickpeas, pour in enough broth to just cover the dish, and simmer for about 1 hour over low heat. At the end, add spices and chopped herbs.
7. Levengi
Source: thestar.comLevengi is a stuffing for specially prepared stuffed chicken. Let's explain in more detail!
You will need: 1 chicken, 150g walnuts, 150g tkemali (plum sauce), 2 purple onions, 50g butter, spices.
Preparation: Pass the onion and walnuts through a meat grinder, and mix with tkemali, melted butter, and spices. Fry the mixture in vegetable oil until it starts to stick to the pan, and let it cool. Rub the gutted chicken with spices, fill with the stuffing, and bake for 2 hours in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
8. Ayran
Source: about-tea.ruNot only classic Azerbaijani dishes, but also drinks can be easily prepared at home.
You will need: 400ml kefir, 400ml water, 0.5 tsp salt, 3 sprigs dill.
Preparation: Whisk cold water with kefir using a mixer, add salt, and whisk again. Serve ayran immediately, while it's still foamy, sprinkled with chopped dill.
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9. Bozartma
Source: recept-borscha.ruAn Azerbaijani variation of a simple chicken soup.
You will need: 2 liters water, 4 chicken thighs, 4 potatoes, 1 onion, 40g butter, half a bunch of herbs, spices.
Preparation: Slice the onion into half-rings and fry in butter until golden. Add chicken thighs and fry for another 5-7 minutes. Add chopped potatoes, water, and spices, bring to a boil, and cook the soup for 25-30 minutes over low heat. At the end, add chopped herbs.
10. Kutaby with Herbs
Source: pl.pinterest.comKutaby can be made with any filling, but we'll use the most classic recipe.
You will need: 3 cups flour, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 pinch salt, 1 onion, 400g mixed herbs, spices.
Preparation: Knead elastic dough from flour, salt, vegetable oil, and water. Add water gradually as needed. Let the dough rest for half an hour, divide into 15-20 pieces, and roll out thinly. Fry finely chopped onion in butter and mix with herbs. Place the filling on the dough circles, fold them in half, and pinch the edges. Fry the kutaby in a dry pan for about 1.5 minutes per side.
11. Khash
Source: restorating.ruA hearty and very rich broth made from beef shanks.
You will need: 2 beef shanks, 1 carrot, 2 onions, 1 head garlic, 4 tbsp salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper.
Preparation: Cover cleaned and rinsed shanks with water, bring to a boil, and cook for 2 hours over low heat. Add peeled carrot, onion, and half the salt, and cook for another 1.5-2 hours until the beef shanks are very tender. Strain the broth through a sieve, finely chop the meat from the shanks into it, add salt and black pepper, bring to a boil, and serve khash.
12. Pakhlava
Source: klublady.ruWe're sharing a fairly easy recipe for less experienced cooks!
You will need: 300g flour, 160ml milk, 0.5 tsp dry yeast, 550g butter, 600g sugar, 2 egg yolks, 400g walnuts, 250ml water.
Preparation: Take 350g of walnuts and grind some with a meat grinder, and some into a fine crumb. Add 300g of sugar and mix everything with 300g of melted butter – this is the filling. Make a syrup from water and another 300g of sugar until the latter is completely dissolved.
Mix 120ml warm milk, 3 spoons of flour, yeast, and a spoon of sugar, and let it sit for 20 minutes. Add the remaining milk and 50g of butter, 1 egg yolk, and the rest of the flour. Knead elastic dough and let it rest for another 20 minutes. Melt the remaining butter for greasing.
Divide the dough into 12 parts so that 2 of them are twice as large as all the others. Roll everything into uniform layers, and the two thicker ones will be the bottom and top layers. Place the bottom layer in a buttered baking dish.
Grease with butter, sprinkle with filling, and add the next regular layer. Grease with butter, sprinkle with filling – and continue until all ingredients are used. Cover the pakhlava with the thicker top layer and immediately cut it into individual portions, without cutting all the way to the bottom.
Brush the pakhlava with egg yolk, place a walnut half on each piece from the remaining nuts. Pour all the remaining butter over the pakhlava and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Finish cutting the portions, pour the syrup over the pakhlava, and let it soak.
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13. Jiz Byz
Source: cafesahara.ruEssentially, this is a classic stew, but it's made from meat offal.
You will need: 1 kg meat offal (liver, heart, lung, kidneys), 500g potatoes, 100g lamb fat, 150g onions, 60ml vegetable oil, spices, herbs.
Preparation: Rinse and soak all offal in water, depending on what you are using. Cut them into medium pieces. Coarsely chop the lamb fat and potatoes, and slice the onion into rings.
Fry the potatoes in a mixture of fat and oil until golden, and set aside. In the same fat, fry and set aside the onion. Add the offal, and fry everything together for 10-15 minutes, then season. Add the onion and potatoes, sprinkle with herbs, and simmer everything together for another half hour.
14. Ajapsandal
Source: vosadu-li-vogorode.ruAn excellent lean dish for eggplant lovers.
You will need: 500g eggplants, 500g bell peppers, 500g tomatoes, half a bunch of cilantro, half a bunch of basil, 1 onion, spices.
Preparation: Wrap eggplants, bell peppers, and tomatoes in foil and bake until soft in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Peel the vegetables and finely chop them with the onion and herbs. Season the ajapsandal to taste.
15. Kyurza
Source: halyaleda.ruA unique variation of dumplings and khinkali in the Azerbaijani style.
You will need: 220g lamb, 30g onion, 25g butter, 80g flour, spices.
Preparation: Pass the lamb with onion through a meat grinder and mix with spices. Fry the mince in butter until cooked. Gradually add water to the flour until a stiff dough is formed. Roll it out into a 1mm thick sheet, cut into circles, and place a little mince on each. Fold the kyurza with the seam upwards and boil in salted water until they float.
16. Buglama
Source: polar.ruMeat with vegetables in their own juice, what could be better?
You will need: 1 kg lamb or beef, 3 onions, 3 potatoes, 2 eggplants, 4 tomatoes, 3 bell peppers, 300g green beans, 3-4 cabbage leaves, 1 quince, 1 head garlic, 1 bunch herbs, spices.
Preparation: Chop the meat and all vegetables, and layer them in a cauldron: meat, onions, tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, peppers, quince, and green beans. Season everything to taste. Top with coarsely torn cabbage leaves and a whole head of unpeeled garlic. Cover with a whole cabbage leaf, bring the buglama to a boil over medium heat, and then simmer for another 1 hour over low heat.
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17. Lyulya-Kebab
Source: de-fragrance.ruOptionally, use other meat instead of lamb.
You will need: 700g lamb, 1/2 onion, 150g lamb fat, 2 cloves garlic, 0.5 tsp cumin, spices.
Preparation: Finely chop the lamb and lamb fat into mince, add chopped onion and crushed garlic. Add all spices, mix thoroughly, and beat the mince. Refrigerate for 1 hour, form small elongated sausages, and fry them on all sides in a pan or over a fire on skewers.
18. Khinkal
Source: t-h.ruKhinkal in Azerbaijani cuisine is prepared quite differently from Georgian khinkali.
You will need: 200g flour, 1 egg, 200g minced meat, 1 onion, 1 tomato, 50g butter, 3 tbsp vegetable oil, 50g feta cheese, 100ml water, spices, herbs.
Preparation: Knead firm dough from flour, water, and egg, and let it rest for half an hour. Finely chop the onion and fry in a mixture of oils. Add mince and fry for another 10 minutes. Then add chopped tomato, season, and fry for another 7 minutes.
Roll out the dough, cut into rhombuses, and parboil them for 5 minutes in boiling salted water. Drizzle with the remaining oil and arrange on a plate. Top with mince and sprinkle with chopped herbs and crumbled feta cheese.
19. Dushbara
Source: fotoxcom.ruAnother variation of dumplings and similar stuffed dishes, but this time in broth.
You will need: 500g flour, 1 egg, 2 cups water, 2 onions, 500g lamb, 1 tbsp dried mint, spices, 2 liters broth.
Preparation: Knead elastic dough from flour, water, and egg, and let it rest for half an hour. Pass the lamb with onion through a meat grinder, and season the mince. Roll out the dough thinly, cut into 2 cm squares, and wrap a little mince in each. Pinch the corners to form a pouch and drop them into boiling broth. When the dushbara floats, add mint to the broth, and after another minute, remove from heat.
20. Piti
Source: cafenar71.ruFor added authenticity, we suggest preparing this Azerbaijani soup directly in individual clay pots!
You will need: 400g lamb, half a bunch of basil, 1 potato, 1 onion, 1/2 cup chickpeas, 1 tomato, half a bunch of cilantro, spices.
Preparation: Soak chickpeas overnight and parboil them. Finely chop the meat and distribute it into pots. Add coarsely chopped onion and chickpeas, season to taste. Pour in water and bake the pots for 50 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Add chopped potato and tomato, and cook for another 15 minutes. Add herbs and serve piti.