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Tatar pork Azu with potatoes

Tatar-Style Pork Azu with Potatoes

Tasty, juicy, aromatic, and tangy — a great dinner main! Tatar-style pork azu with potatoes is a twist on the traditional dish, using pork in place of the usual beef. Everything else stays the same — vegetables, potatoes, and the essential pickles that give azu its signature tangy, savory kick.

Snezhana

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pork

0.5

Potatoes

Onion

Carrots

Tomatoes

Pickles

Garlic

Vegetable oil

Parsley

Cilantro

Ground red pepper

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 26 % 6 g

Fats 43 % 10 g

Carbohydrates 30 % 7 g

143 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make Tatar-style pork azu with potatoes? Gather your ingredients. Thaw the meat first if it was frozen. Choose a more tender cut so the azu comes out best. Brined, barrel-style pickles are ideal, but regular pickled cucumbers will do in a pinch.
Step 2:

Rinse the meat and be sure to pat it dry — excess moisture will keep it from browning and cause it to steam instead. Cut it into cubes or strips. Pour a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil into a skillet and heat it over high heat.
Step 3:

Add the meat to the skillet. Brown it over high heat, stirring with a spatula. Then lower the heat, pour in some water, cover, and simmer the meat over low heat for about 40 minutes. Uncover and let the remaining liquid cook off.
Step 4:

Peel the onion and cut it into thin wedges. The classic azu doesn't include carrot, but the pork turns out much tastier, more tender, and more fragrant with at least one carrot in the mix. Wash, peel, and cut it into thin strips — or leave it out if you prefer.
Step 5:

Remove the cooked meat from the skillet and add the onion and carrot. Cook until the carrot is soft and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes over low heat.
Step 6:

Cut the pickles into cubes.
Step 7:

Wash the fresh tomatoes and cut them into cubes. Frozen tomato purée works well here too, as does tomato paste — just stir 2 tablespoons into 100 ml (about 1/2 cup) of water.
Step 8:

Wash, peel, and cut the potatoes into strips or cubes, whichever you like. Fry them in vegetable oil in a separate skillet until browned — this keeps them from turning to mush while the azu simmers and gives them a nice color.
Step 9:

Now combine the meat and vegetables in one skillet. Add the diced pickles, tomato paste, salt and hot red pepper to taste, and the minced garlic. Simmer the azu over medium heat for about 10 minutes. When nearly all the liquid has cooked off, stir in the chopped fresh herbs (I'm using parsley and cilantro).
Step 10:

Stir and turn off the heat. Let the dish rest, covered, then serve. Enjoy!

Keep in mind that properly thawing your ingredients has a lot to do with the quality and flavor of the finished dish. For tips on doing it right, see our article on defrosting.
Every oil is only good up to a certain temperature — its smoke point — beyond which it starts to burn and forms harmful compounds, including carcinogens. For frying, choose a refined oil with a high smoke point.
The right pan matters: a poorly chosen one can spoil even the best recipe, so pick a heavy skillet that heats evenly.