Mastava

A quick-to-make Uzbek soup with lamb!

Daria ☼

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Lamb

500

Tomatoes

Milk (soured)

0.5

Rice

Potatoes

Turnip

Dill (1 bunch)

Parsley

Cilantro

Ground red pepper

0.1

Salt

Vegetable oil (for frying)

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 27 % 6 g

Fats 23 % 5 g

Carbohydrates 50 % 11 g

109 kcal

GI: 82 / 18 / 0

Cooking method

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Mastava is an Uzbek soup. I found the recipe in a book about the cuisines of the peoples of the USSR. It doesn't take too long to make, so I figured I could cook it and show off to my girlfriends — after all, you don't have to admit the food came together quickly; you can act like this delicious dish took ages and wore you out. For some reason that's more appreciated. We're used to starting soup with meat — take it and boil it — but mastava breaks that mold. Take the onion, carrots, and turnip; peel and cut them. Slice the onion into half-rings and cut the turnip and carrots into matchsticks. You could grate them, but the result won't be the same. Sauté the vegetables in vegetable oil, but not for long — just a bit over five minutes. Wash the meat and cut it into cubes. Uzbek cuisine means lamb, of course, but I used beef and the flavor was no worse. Pour oil into a heavy-bottomed pot and brown the meat until it has a nice crust. Add water and cook, remembering to skim off the foam. After an hour, add the vegetables; 15 minutes later, add the tomatoes (I used fresh, but canned work too). While it cooks, peel and dice the potatoes and rinse the rice. Add them to the soup and cook about half an hour, seasoning with salt and pepper. Chop the herbs. Just before serving, stir soured milk into the soup and sprinkle with herbs. By the way, wagging tongues claim that mastava is just yesterday's pilaf with potatoes added by mistake, then covered with water and boiled to fix the error. But that's not true — make it yourself and you'll taste the difference.