This dish came to our kitchens from Central Asia. There it is called kuurdak or kuardak. In Russian transcription, the word kvardak, consonant with it, but more understandable to our ears, has taken root. However, when preparing it, chaos is still not welcome.
This thick and satisfying dish successfully replaces soup and main course. The consistency of the mess is reminiscent of a stew. Russian cuisine knows its recipes for chaos - in terms of the method of preparation, they resemble okroshka, but unlike it, they are served hot. We advise you to try cooking a mess. The recipes chosen for this article are not particularly complex. Even an inexperienced cook can carry them out.
In Uzbekistan, kvardak is a dish made from the offal of a young sheep. The heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and tail fat must be fresh, just removed from the carcass. The buds must first be thoroughly soaked in several waters.
Fat tail fat should be melted in a cauldron, the heart, kidneys and lungs should be cut into small pieces and dipped into boiling fat. Chop two onions and send them there. Fry, stirring constantly. After 15 minutes, when the onion becomes invisible, chop the liver and put it in a cauldron. Salt and sprinkle a little ground pepper. Stir well. Pour one glass of boiling water into the cauldron. As soon as it boils, throw in the bay leaf. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Since the dish is fatty, it will be very tasty and not too cloying if you serve it with crumbly rice as a side dish. Buckwheat porridge is no less good with such a mess. If you don't have lamb offal, don't despair! Take beef. You can also make a real mess out of them. The recipe in this case will be exactly the same. In Asia, kvardak is even made from horse meat. Fat tail fat can successfully replace unrefined vegetable oil.
Cooking up a mess
Cut the meat into pieces approximately 3 by 3 cm.
Peel potatoes, carrots and onions. Cut the potatoes into large pieces.
Carrots - into 3-5 mm strips.
Onion - thin half rings 2-4 mm thick.
Heat the cauldron over high heat and pour vegetable oil into it.
Then heat the vegetable oil over high heat for a couple of minutes, then put the pieces of meat into the cauldron. Fry the meat over high heat for 5-8 minutes until it browns slightly and releases its aromatic juices.
There is no need to overcook the meat at this stage.
Add onion to the cauldron, mix with meat and fry for a couple of minutes.
Do the same procedure with carrots.
Add salt and spices (including paprika) to the cauldron. Fill everything with hot water.
Now it's the turn of the potatoes. Place the potatoes in the cauldron and mix thoroughly with the remaining ingredients. Each potato should be submerged in the sauce. If there is not enough sauce, add more water.
After this, you need to reduce the heat to the weakest, cover the cauldron tightly with a lid and simmer the potatoes and meat in the cauldron for 25-30 minutes.
Sprinkle the finished mess with fresh herbs. In traditional Uzbek cuisine, cilantro (coriander) is usually used. This dish is served in deep bowls.
About meat
. To prepare this dish, it is preferable to use lamb or beef. If you take pork, you should reduce the amount of vegetable oil.
About slicing
. If the potatoes are small, you don't need to cut them at all. Cut medium-sized potatoes in half, large ones into quarters. Large onions can be cut into quarter rings.
About spices
. Additionally, you can add 1 tablespoon of ground paprika to the base for the mess. Uzbeks usually don’t add it, but the dish tastes better with paprika. In addition, cumin can be replaced with cumin (this is also not an Uzbek choice, but tasty).
Calories: Not specified
Cooking time:
Not specified
Kavardak, a thick soup with meat and vegetables, belongs to Uzbek cuisine. A real Uzbek mess is cooked in a cauldron over an open fire. But in the absence of such conditions, you can cook a mess on the stove, and instead of a cauldron, use a saucepan with a thick bottom or a deep cast-iron frying pan. The main thing is that the dishes retain heat for a long time, and that it is evenly distributed throughout the entire volume. The soup is cooked so thick that it is more like a little broth, and vegetables and meat are cut into large pieces. Potatoes are definitely added to the mess; they are taken in the same quantity as the meat. The remaining vegetables are placed randomly, based on what is available. Meat and vegetables are pre-fried in oil and then cooked in a small amount of broth. Of course, it is very tasty, and of course, it is high in calories. But you can’t always eat light soups; occasionally you can afford such a substantial meal. Especially in the cold, when you really want something hot, warming, nutritious.
Kavardak soup - recipe with photo
Ingredients:
— beef or veal – 500 g; — potatoes – 600-700 g; - onion - 2 large onions; — carrots – 1-2 pcs; — sweet peppers – 1-2 pcs (meaty, juicy); — tomatoes – 3-4 pcs (or 2 tbsp tomato); - salt - to taste; - green cilantro (parsley is fine) - a large bunch; - black pepper or any spices for meat - to taste; — sugar – 2-3 pinches (to taste); - garlic - 2 cloves; - water or broth - 2-3 glasses.
Recipe with photos step by step:
You can add any meat to the mess: veal, beef, lamb, pork and even poultry - chicken, turkey. In order for the meat to cook evenly and remain noticeable pieces in the finished dish, it should not be cut very finely, into medium-sized pieces.
Cut large onions in half, chop into half rings, not thinly. How to chop the onion into 0.5-1 cm pieces.
Heat vegetable oil in a cauldron, cast iron frying pan or saucepan. Place the meat and fry over high heat for about 10 minutes until reddish-brown. Add onion half rings, fry it with meat, add salt and pepper.
Pour in a little water so that it only covers the meat by 2-3 cm. Cover with a lid, after boiling, turn down the heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour until soft.
When the meat becomes soft, evaporate the water. Cut the carrots into slices, add them to the meat and lightly fry in fat.
Set aside one medium potato. Add the rest of the potatoes, cut into large pieces or slices, to the meat along with coarsely chopped sweet pepper. Mix everything, fry the vegetables without adding liquid for now. The potatoes should be saturated with fat and the aroma of meat.
Peel the reserved potatoes and grate them on a coarse grater. Add water or broth to the meat and potatoes, cover the vegetables to the top. Add grated potatoes. Stir and boil. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are done (about half an hour). During this time, the grated potatoes will boil and give flavor and thickness to the gravy.
Add coarsely chopped tomatoes and a little sugar to the finished dish for a richer taste. Stir and simmer the soup for another 10-15 minutes, covered, until the tomatoes are soft. Turn off the heat, do not open the lid, let the soup rest and brew.
Thick, bright, tasty and very aromatic soup is ready! It is recommended to serve the mess not in plates, but in deep bowls. Place the pieces of meat with vegetables in a serving bowl, pour in a little broth, add grated garlic and finely chopped herbs. If desired, you can season the soup with sour cream. Bon appetit!
Author Elena Litvinenko (Sangina) We also suggest you take note
Kavardak - Kuyrdak (distorted "kavardak") is a traditional dish of Kyrgyz and Kazakh cuisine.
As in traditional Central Asian dishes, lamb is also used here, but we are not so scrupulous; we can use any meat of our choice.
Ingredients.
Meat, onions, carrots (optional), tomato paste or tomatoes (optional), garlic, spices, potatoes.
The sequence of adding food is the same as when preparing pilaf.
The proportions are selected individually, however, there should still be more potatoes than the rest of the components that make up this dish.
The meat is fried, chopped onions are added to it, then any vegetables, if we so desire. Usually, if I add carrots, it is a very small amount, just for a small visual effect, for a more colorful look of the dish. Well, I don’t like carrots either in stir-fries or in soups, with the exception of pilaf, where they are quite appropriate.
When the onion turns slightly brown, add potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces of different sizes and shapes.
I need it to not boil at the same time when cooking, then a puree sauce is more likely to be formed from smaller pieces, that is, we won’t get potato soup with meat, but something like a half-puree, half-roast. This is what I call a mess.
That's why I don't cut the potatoes into equal pieces.
The whole process takes place over low heat and intensive stirring of the contents of the boiler with a slotted spoon.
Then, when the potatoes have steamed a little and are saturated with meat spirit, generously fill everything with water, after boiling, season with spices, cook until the amount of water has evaporated and reduced by almost half, and the liquid has thickened.
When the liquid has almost evaporated, you will be left with a dish of the consistency and concentration that we needed.
Bon appetit!
This dish came to our kitchens from Central Asia. There it is called kuurdak or kuardak. In Russian transcription, the word kvardak, consonant with it, but more understandable to our ears, has taken root. However, when preparing it, chaos is still not welcome.
This thick and satisfying dish successfully replaces soup and main course. The consistency of the mess is reminiscent of a stew. Russian cuisine knows its recipes for chaos - in terms of the method of preparation, they resemble okroshka, but unlike it, they are served hot. We advise you to try cooking a mess. The recipes chosen for this article are not particularly complex. Even an inexperienced cook can carry them out.
In Uzbekistan, kvardak is a dish made from the offal of a young sheep. The heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and tail fat must be fresh, just removed from the carcass. The buds must first be thoroughly soaked in several waters.
Fat tail fat should be melted in a cauldron, the heart, kidneys and lungs should be cut into small pieces and dipped into boiling fat. Chop two onions and send them there. Fry, stirring constantly. After 15 minutes, when the onion becomes invisible, chop the liver and put it in a cauldron. Salt and sprinkle a little ground pepper. Stir well. Pour one glass of boiling water into the cauldron. As soon as it boils, throw in the bay leaf. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Since the dish is fatty, it will be very tasty and not too cloying if you serve it with crumbly rice as a side dish. Buckwheat porridge is no less good with such a mess. If you don't have lamb offal, don't despair! Take beef. You can also make a real mess out of them. The recipe in this case will be exactly the same. In Asia, kvardak is even made from horse meat. Fat tail fat can successfully replace unrefined vegetable oil.
Uzbek version
In Uzbekistan, kvardak is a dish made from the offal of a young sheep. The heart, liver, kidneys, lungs and tail fat must be fresh, just removed from the carcass. The buds must first be thoroughly soaked in several waters.
Fat tail fat should be melted in a cauldron, the heart, kidneys and lungs should be cut into small pieces and dipped into boiling fat. Chop two onions and send them there. Fry, stirring constantly. After 15 minutes, when the onion becomes invisible, chop the liver and put it in a cauldron. Salt and sprinkle a little ground pepper. Stir well. Pour one glass of boiling water into the cauldron. As soon as it boils, throw in the bay leaf. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Since the dish is fatty, it will be very tasty and not too cloying if you serve it with crumbly rice as a side dish. Buckwheat porridge is no less good with such a mess. If you don't have lamb offal, don't despair! Take beef. You can also make a real mess out of them. The recipe in this case will be exactly the same. In Asia, kvardak is even made from horse meat. Fat tail fat can successfully replace unrefined vegetable oil.
Tondurma kuurdak
This “stew” of nomads can be considered a preparation for various soups and main courses. If you need to quickly prepare a dish of vegetables and meat, then Tondurma Kuurdyk will be the ideal basis for it. Tondurma kuurdyk is a kind of preserved food that can be stored in a cold place for as long as desired and used in a variety of dishes as needed.
You need to take five kilograms of good, not very fatty meat. It's best if it's lamb. Melt two or three kilograms of fat tail fat and remove the greaves. For flavor, fry onions and garlic in the same fat. They also need to be taken out. Cut the meat into small cubes and lower into the fat. Salt and pepper. Simmer for about an hour. You can add boiling water from time to time, just a little bit. Transfer the finished meat along with the fat into jars and close tightly. Keep refrigerated.
Everyone likes a vegetable or cereal dish flavored with such a mess.
Russian variant
There are a great many Russian variants of the mess. In different areas they will tell you how to prepare a mess from fresh or dried fish, millet porridge or rye crackers. In the Tambov region, a drink made from beer, honey and water is called kvardak.
The most popular is the meat and vegetable mess. Its recipe is simple. The dish consists of beef, potatoes, carrots, onions and your favorite seasonings. The beef must be cut very finely and fried over high heat. When it is browned, mix it with chopped onions and carrots. After about five minutes, add the potatoes to the same pan. Pour two or three glasses of boiling water into it. As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat, salt and pepper the dish, add bay leaf and leave to simmer until the potatoes are completely boiled, that is, for about an hour. It turns out very tasty, and most importantly, simple.
Mess with eggplants
The rich composition of this dish requires the hostess to have a sufficient amount of free time, so we recommend trying it on the weekend. Having prepared a mess of eggplants just once, you will forever love this original and mouth-watering dish.
In addition to meat (it is better to take lean pork), you will need potatoes, bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, onions, spicy herbs and, of course, eggplants. Eggplants should be cut into pieces and pour salted boiling water over them. Then put them under a press to let the bitter water drain away. The cabbage also needs to be cut, placed in a colander and immersed in boiling water for a few minutes. This will make it more tender and get rid of the unpleasant aftertaste.
The meat should be cut into pieces the size of large gooseberries, placed in a saucepan with a thick bottom and fried over high heat. Chop the onion and fry it along with the meat. Grate the carrots on a coarse grater and place them in the same pan. Potatoes, eggplants and cabbage are also added to the meat. Pour in boiling water. Stir well, and as soon as it boils, add salt and pepper, add cardamom seeds and bay leaves. Leave the dish to simmer until the meat and potatoes are completely softened. At the very end of cooking, put finely chopped bell pepper, crushed garlic and herbs into the pan. Bring the dish to a boil and immediately turn off the heat underneath. After 20 minutes, when the mess has been saturated with the aromas of the last ingredients and has cooled down a little, it can be served.
How to cook "Kavardak"
Prepare the ingredients for making a mess.
Wash the meat and cut into pieces, approximately 3x3 centimeters. Pour sunflower oil into a cauldron or pan with a thick bottom and heat it well. Place the chopped meat in a cauldron.
Fry the meat until lightly golden brown for 8-10 minutes, stirring.
Peel, wash and cut two medium onions or one large one into half rings. Add to meat.
Fry the onion and meat for 5-7 minutes.
Peel the carrots, wash and cut into strips. Add to the cauldron.
Pour 500 ml. hot water. Salt and pepper to taste. Add seasonings. Cover the cauldron with a lid and simmer the meat and vegetables until almost done.
Peel, wash and cut the potatoes as large as possible. Add to the cauldron with meat.
Grind the tomatoes in a blender or meat grinder, you can use tomato paste or tomato juice. Add to soup.
Add bay leaf and cook the mess until done. Then add chopped garlic.
And also chopped greens.
The mess is ready.
Serve this aromatic, satisfying, tasty, thick soup for lunch with fresh bread.
Mess with tomatoes
Chicken mess is no less tasty. The recipe for its preparation is not very complicated. It includes boneless chicken, pumpkin, tomatoes, onions, garlic, bell peppers, dill, parsley, cilantro and spices. A whole chicken carcass should be boiled until it separates easily from the bones. Add salt, pepper and bay leaf to the broth. When the chicken is soft enough, remove it from the pan and strain the broth. Cut the meat and skin into small pieces and set aside. Boil potatoes and pumpkin in chicken broth. Dip the tomatoes in boiling water, peel them, mash them and put them in the broth. As soon as the potatoes and pumpkin are boiled, add chopped herbs, garlic and bell pepper to them. After boiling, turn off immediately. Place the meat on plates, and carefully pour the thick chicken broth onto it along with the vegetables.
