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Azerbaijani beef Bozbash with chickpeas

Azerbaijani beef bozbash with chickpeas

Never had bozbash? It's time to branch out! Want to make a delicious, rich, aromatic soup? Take a look at this recipe. Beef bozbash with chickpeas is fragrant with spices, the broth has a lovely golden tint from turmeric, and the combination of ingredients is wonderful — like all of Azerbaijani cooking!

Maria

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Water

2.5

Beef

500

Potatoes

500

Tomatoes (canned in their own juice)

300

Chickpeas

100

Onion

Butter

Turmeric

Ground black pepper

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 40 % 4 g

Fats 20 % 2 g

Carbohydrates 40 % 4 g

49 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make bozbash, the Azerbaijani soup? Gather all the ingredients. You can use just lean beef, but for a richer broth, use part of the meat on the bone. For the canned tomatoes you can use store-bought, or swap in fresh tomatoes — grate some on the fine side of a grater and cut the rest into small cubes.
Step 2:

Rinse the chickpeas until the water runs clear. Cover them with cold water and leave them overnight. Then drain and pat them dry. Note: as they soak, chickpeas can make faint clicking sounds you can hear even through the water. So if you hear odd intermittent crackling from the kitchen at night, don't be alarmed — it's the chickpeas. If the clicking bothers you too much, you can move them into a cold oven; behind the tightly closed door you won't hear a thing.
Step 3:

Peel the potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise. If they're large, cut them into quarters.
Step 4:

Rinse the beef, pat it dry, and cut it into medium pieces.
Step 5:

Peel the onion. Mine is large, so I used half. From here it's up to your preference. Usually the onion is chopped small and fried with the meat (step 7), then the rest of the ingredients are added and the soup is cooked with the onion. I prefer not to have onion pieces in the soup, so I cut it large and, after frying it with the meat, remove it from the pan and cook the bozbash without it.
Step 6:

Heat the butter in a skillet over high heat. Add the beef and fry it, stirring, until golden brown.
Step 7:

As soon as almost all the excess liquid has cooked off and the first golden spots appear on the meat, add the onion (finely or coarsely chopped) and fry everything together until all the meat is golden. Then you can take the onion out of the pan, as I do, or keep cooking with it.
Step 8:

Transfer the meat to a pot. Lower the heat to medium.
Step 9:

Add the chickpeas. Season everything with salt and pepper, sprinkle in the turmeric, and stir.
Step 10:

Pour in the hot water and bring it to a boil. Cook over low heat at a gentle simmer for about 30–40 minutes, until the beef is done.
Step 11:

Add the potatoes and the canned tomatoes to the soup and cook the bozbash, stirring now and then, for another 15–20 minutes, until the potatoes are done.
Step 12:

Take the finished soup off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 20–25 minutes.
Step 13:

Then ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro, and serve. Enjoy!

For cooking, it's best to use filtered or bottled water with a neutral taste. If you use tap water, keep in mind it can give the dish an off, characteristic flavor.