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Uzbek Dumlama in a cauldron

Uzbek Dumlama in a Cauldron

Wholesome, delicious, generous, and a little out of the ordinary. You'll see the name spelled all sorts of ways — dymlama, dimlama, damlama, domlama — but it's all the same dish: you build a zirvak (a seasoned base of rendered fat, meat, and vegetables) and then steam potatoes right in it.

The Patricks channel

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Lamb tail fat

500

Lamb

1500

Onion

1200

Tomatoes

800

Bell pepper

800

Garlic

200

Potatoes

1500

Hot chili pepper

Carrots

800

Ground black pepper

Salt

Cumin (whole zira)

Fresh herbs

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 23 % 5 g

Fats 41 % 9 g

Carbohydrates 36 % 8 g

132 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

Before you start, prep the meat and vegetables. Cut the lamb tail fat into medium pieces.
Step 2:

Cut the lamb into large chunks.
Step 3:

Slice the onion into half-moons.
Step 4:

Cut the bell peppers into rings.
Step 5:

Cut the tomatoes into rounds.
Step 6:

Cut the carrots into rounds.
Step 7:

Render the lamb tail fat over low heat, then scoop the cracklings out of the cauldron.
Step 8:

Turn the heat to high and add the meat to brown.
Step 9:

Next add the onion. Stir it in with the meat and fry until the onion releases its juices and turns soft.
Step 10:

After the onion, add the carrots and stir. Season with salt and pepper and add cumin, then stir again.
Step 11:

Now the tomatoes go in. Season again with salt, pepper, and cumin, and stir everything together. Let it cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes give up their juices to the dish.
Step 12:

Pour in about 1.5 liters (6 cups) of clean water. Simmer over medium heat for half an hour to build the zirvak.
Step 13:

When the time is up, turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Add the bell pepper, garlic, and hot chili pepper.
Step 14:

Arrange the potatoes over the whole surface, pressing them down into the zirvak. Cover and let it steam over the lowest heat for 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender. When the time's up, the dish is ready.

Dumlama is one of the great dishes of Uzbek cooking. Anyone who knows how to make a proper Uzbek plov (pilaf) will spot the resemblance right away — up until you add the potatoes, building the zirvak is nearly identical to the plov method. There's a good reason this dish is traditionally cooked in a cauldron over an open fire: the flame heats the cauldron at around 12 kW, far more than the roughly 2.5 kW you can manage on a home stovetop. At that intense heat, the meat sears and seals in its juices, so it comes out soft and juicy. It's a hearty dish, perfect for a big family spending the day outdoors — out in nature or at the cabin.