Kazakh-Style Lamb with Dumplings
The look of this dish alone is enough to make your mouth water—you won't be disappointed! You never know what you'll turn up sorting through old books. I came across a cookbook of recipes from the peoples of the USSR, read to my heart's content, and pored over the photos until my stomach was rumbling—everything looked so beautiful and inviting. Naturally I decided to cook something on the spot, and jabbed my finger at the table of contents: "Kazakh cuisine." Well, if I'm going to make something, I'll make something. And somehow it turned out right on the first try. Maybe I should have picked more carefully, but this simple lamb with dumplings, Kazakh-style, is easy, hearty, and became a surprise favorite with the whole family—grown-ups and youngsters alike.
- Use lamb, or beef if you don't have lamb—the key is that the meat is fresh and, ideally, fairly fatty. Either one cooks in about the same time: 2 hours. If you're using lamb, drop a couple of peeled tomatoes into the broth to make the meat more tender. I like to cook beef and lamb together. While the meat simmers, mix a dough from flour and egg to a pierogi/dumpling consistency. Roll it out thin enough to be almost see-through, cut it into portions, and let it dry a bit—I'm not sure exactly why, but when I skipped the drying, nothing turned out right. After about an hour and a half, salt the broth and add the potatoes. Once the meat is cooked, cut it into small pieces. In one pot, combine the chopped onion and boiled potatoes, season with pepper, cover with broth, and set over the heat. In a second pot, put the meat, cover with broth, and heat it too. Put the dough dumplings in a third pot with broth over the heat; cook them for 5–10 minutes, then carefully lift them out, let the broth drain, and arrange them on a platter. Top with the meat and vegetables. Pour the broth into small bowls (or, in a pinch, glasses). Eat it hot, with your hands, sipping the broth alongside.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Ripe potatoes - 80 kcal/100g
- Baked potatoes - 70 kcal/100g
- Mashed potatoes - 380 kcal/100g
- Boiled potatoes - 82 kcal/100g
- Potatoes in their skins - 74 kcal/100g
- Fried potatoes - 192 kcal/100g
- Lean lamb - 169 kcal/100g
- Fatty lamb - 225 kcal/100g
- Lamb brisket - 533 kcal/100g
- Lamb leg - 232 kcal/100g
- Bone-in lamb chop - 380 kcal/100g
- Lamb shoulder - 284 kcal/100g
- Lamb loin - 459 kcal/100g
- Chicken egg - 157 kcal/100g
- Egg white - 45 kcal/100g
- Egg powder - 542 kcal/100g
- Egg yolk - 352 kcal/100g
- Ostrich egg - 118 kcal/100g
- Bay leaf - 313 kcal/100g
- Ground black pepper - 255 kcal/100g
- Fortified whole durum wheat flour - 333 kcal/100g
- All-purpose whole durum wheat flour - 364 kcal/100g
- Fine semolina flour - 348 kcal/100g
- Flour - 325 kcal/100g
- Salt - 0 kcal/100g
- Onion - 41 kcal/100g
- Fresh-frozen packaged soup greens - 41 kcal/100g
- Fresh herbs - 41 kcal/100g
