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Recipe
Chuchvara
Tiny meat dumplings in clear broth, the smaller the better.
- Time
- 1 h 30 min
- Serves
- 4
The story
Chuchvara are the smallest of Uzbek dumplings, and size is a point of pride: it is said that a good cook can fit a dozen on a single spoon. Families make them together in big batches, and in winter many freeze trays of them for the months ahead.
They are served in a clear, hot broth with herbs, or drained and topped with yogurt — and in Tashkent, often both, with a bowl of qatiq on the side.
How it tastes
Delicate, thin dough, a peppery filling of meat and onion, and a light broth fragrant with dill and coriander. The yogurt adds a cool, sour note.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 400 g plain flour
- 1 egg
- 170 ml cold water
- ½ tsp salt
- 400 g minced lamb or beef
- 2 onions, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 litres meat broth
- Dill and coriander leaves
- Yogurt, to serve
Method
- Knead a firm dough from the flour, egg, water and salt and rest it for 30 minutes.
- Mix the minced meat, onions, spices and salt.
- Roll the dough out very thin and cut it into 4–5 cm squares.
- Put half a teaspoon of filling on each square, fold it into a triangle and pinch the edges. Bring the two long corners together and press them into a ring.
- Bring the broth to a simmer, drop in the chuchvara and cook for 5–7 minutes after they float to the top.
- Serve in bowls of broth with chopped herbs, and yogurt on the side.
