Kazakh cuisine is a reflection of their traditional nomadic lifestyle. Meat and soured milk products figure prominently in Kazakh food.
A fascinating cuisine, renowned for its use of meat and dairy, these Kazakh foods you simply have to try during a visit to Kazakhstan.
Kazakh Beshbarmak basically means "five fingers" in Kazakhstan. It is probably the most popular dish in the land. The name five fingers is what is required to enjoy it, all five of them. Typically this
Kazakh baursak is served often with tea, either as a appetizer or dessert. Fried dough is loved in nearly every nation on earth and Kazakhstan is no exception. They can be made as either triangles
A fascinating cuisine, renowned for its use of meat and dairy, these Kazakh foods you simply have to try during a visit to Kazakhstan.
Kazakh Beshbarmak basically means "five fingers" in Kazakhstan. It is probably the most popular dish in the land. The name five fingers is what is required to enjoy it, all five of them. Typically this
« Mon coeur est saturé de plaisir quand j’ai du pain et de l’eau. » Épicure
Beshbarmak is probably the most popular Kazakh dish. This delicious food is made from boiled meat, onion, and noodles. Don't miss it!
Kzakh shalgam or radish salad was served as a side dish with the Beshbarmak. This simple to make salad is light and refreshing and would be wonderful as a side dish for any occasion. Made
Learn how to make Chak Chak, a delicious Kazakh sweet made with noodles, honey, sugar, and butter, in 6 steps.
Hearty dish with meat, onion carrots, onions, and spices.
I can't really claim plov as an experiment, since I've been working on getting it right for almost a year. Plov/pilaf/pilau is a rice-and-stuff dish with variations from Asia to South America. I have seen several Central Asian recipes -- fancy dishes with cumin (Uzbek) or apples or dried fruit (wedding plov?) -- but nothing that approximates the plov greatly anticipated and often served at local Kazakhstani expat gatherings. We have 'everyday plov,' a basic dish even my meat-and-potatoes father likes, of carrots, onions, rice & meat, with garlic flavoring. The original one-pot meal. KZ folk are die-hard 'know it when you see it' cooks -- a handful of this, some of that, add until you have enough. If you don't have a KZ mom to guide you, it can be hard to get it right. Last summer, Kazakh cooks extraordinaire Yuriy and Tatiana (of Russian extraction) kindly wrote down for me a plov recipe with more-or-less proportions of ingredients. I've made, watched and adjusted it enough times to finally satisfy myself and the family, and now to share it with the world. For me, the two main tricks are getting the meat tender and the carrots sweet (instead of tasting like boiled carrots). Don't skimp on the times. Plov takes a while, but needs relatively little tending. Though traditional KZ plov is made with mutton or lamb, I use beef-- if you've read my recipes before you know that neither Gulnara nor I like lamb (for the record, I think it tastes like dirt) -- but you are welcome to substitute lamb or mutton if you prefer. A note about the oil -- I've seen heated discussions about what's appropriate to use. Corn oil is a definite no-no. Cottonseed and sunflower are preferred vegetable oils, though we use canola without the world ending. Traditionally, the fat used to brown the meat would be a lump of fat from a sheep's tail, melted. Just so you know. If you have a Kazakh (or Kazakhstani) parent, disregard all this and make it the way you learned. If you don't, give this a try. Kazakh Plov (these are party sized-proportions -- be hungry, have folks over or halve everything but the garlic!) 1 cup (or more) vegetable oil 2 big (fist sized) onions, chopped 2-3 lbs. beef (chuck, or stew meat), cut into 1/2" - 1” pieces 2 lb. carrots, quartered and chopped into 1” pieces (quick American trick: get "baby carrots" in a bag and slice each one in half) 2 lb long grain rice ( approx. 4 cups; basmati or “Uncle Ben’s" -- heresy, but it works) 1 large head garlic A pot with thick walls and a lid (kazan, dutch oven or heavy 8 qt. soup pot; 4 qt. to halve recipe) ---------------- Heat oil in kazan over medium-high heat. Fry several pieces of the onion until burned at edges; discard onion (this releases onion flavour into the oil). Add the meat. Cook until well browned on all sides. Add 1/2 to 1 cup water (enough to completely cover the meat by at least 1/2"), cover, and cook for 30 mins. (This step allows the meat to cook in the lower layer of boiling water, while keeping the oil in the pot for sauteeing the onions and carrots later. Don't skimp on the time, or the meat won't be tender.) Uncover the kazan, and increase heat. Cook until water evaporates. Add carrots. Lower heat to medium. Cook 5 min. Add onion. Stir, and cook until carrots begin to caramelize (maybe slightly burned at edges, definitely turning sweet), maybe 5 - 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (you can always add more later). Cook 5-7 min. When the carrots taste right, add the rice and water. (For 1 part of rice add 2 parts of water) So for 2 lbs of rice (around 4 cups), you'll need 8 cups of water. Enough to cover everything in the kazan plus an inch or so. Cover, turn heat to high. When water boils, stir once, reduce heat to low, place whole head of garlic on top of everything, and cook until water is absorbed and rice is plump and tender throughout (around 20 minutes, as usual for rice).
Kazakhstan Chai or tea is served at every meal. It is the ultimate form of hospitality that has very distinct rituals. Typically the glass would only be filled up halfway to ensure that it remains
A fascinating cuisine, renowned for its use of meat and dairy, these Kazakh foods you simply have to try during a visit to Kazakhstan.
My friend GW is a marvelous cook who also happens to be from Kazakhstan. I have eaten her cooking several times and wished I could capture her recipes for my blog. It finally happened! Not only that but she let me help with the preparation and it turned into a fun, social time that represented exactly what good cooking is. She chose two dishes. The first was a bread popular in Kazakhstan, which we just called "Kazakh Bread." It is a slightly leavened bread that is stuffed with an onion, herb, and cheese mixture. The other was a steamed dumpling called Manti. GW is experienced and knows her recipes by sight and by touch. She does not measure, and I did not ask her to. My notes list her ingredients and my description of her methods. Come, join us in our cooking adventure! Kazakh Bread GW made the dough ahead of time and she used these ingredients: flour sour cream a little milk and water salt baking powder She said she mixed the dough then let it rest for a while. She cut it into pieces and shaped them into rounds. Each round was rolled out until it was thin. She used flour to dust the pieces when she needed to, so they wouldn't stick. Then she put on a spoonful of filling, which was a mixture of herbs (this time she used basil, parsley, and cilantro), chopped garlic, pressed green onion, chopped hard cheese (she used mozzarella), chopped 1 egg She folded the dough around the filling to make a round. This is the stage where most of them were at when I arrived. They were resting, lightly covered, waiting for the final step. Resting Rolled and ready to fry When she was ready to cook them, she heated some oil in a frying pan. Each stuffed round was rolled out fairly thin, so you could see the filling through the dough, but it was still mostly enclosed. Then she put the bread into the oil and fried it until golden brown on one side. It was flipped and fried on the other side. The finished rounds, 5 to 6 inches in diameter were stacked on a plate. They stayed warm for quite a while! Manti GW put us to work preparing the main part of the filling, which was beef, trimmed and chopped into small pieces pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and grated onion, grated while she prepared the dough: flour water salt, dissolved in the water egg, beaten into the water She mixed the dough by hand, adjusting the flour and water amounts until the dough was sticking to itself and cleaned the sides of the bowl. It was a soft dough and not very sticky. She let it rest, covered for about 10 minutes. Then she kneaded it until smooth. The dough was cut into four pieces, kneaded some more, and shaped into balls. Then each ball was cut in half, and the halves rolled into a log shape. The log was cut into pieces about the size of a large walnut. I noticed she would make a cut, then roll the log a quarter turn before cutting the next piece. Each piece was shaped into about 2 inch diameter rounds. She used flour to dust the dough as needed to avoid sticking. You can see the balls, the logs, and the pieces (foreground to background) GW finished off the filling by mixing the beef, squash, and onion, then adding some oil pepper salt She commented that if the mixture was to sit while the dough was being prepared, you should wait to add the salt until just before you are ready to use it, or the filling gets watery. The rounds were rolled thin, about 3 to 4 inches in diameter, to prepare it for the filling. She showed us how to fill them: turn the round so the floured side was down, put in a generous spoonful of filling, then pinch the edges together in a specific pattern. Then she put everyone to work making the dumplings while she rolled the thin rounds. Great fun! Here is the pinching pattern for the manti: fold opposite sides up and over the filling, and pinch them at the top, in the middle. Now the shape is roughly a rectangle, so go to the narrow sides and lift them up to form walls around the filling. Pinch the corners together (four corners, four pinches) to keep the sides up. GW said it was good to leave some of the filling showing so air could get out. At this point you have two choices. You can either bring up opposite corners over the middle and pinch them all together (one pair of corners is one pinch, then bring the other pair up and pinch again). This forms an enclosed ball that has a pretty gathering of dough at the top. The first fold. A finished manti is towards the back. This is the Kazakh bread but the folding pattern starts off the same: this is pinching the corners The other choice is to bring two corners on the long rectangle side together, on the side of the manti, and pinch them. Then repeat with the other two corners. This makes a flatter top but, I think, a more visually interesting pattern of dough and a little filling. I made sure I tried both patterns many times. The front one is the second choice of pinching, the back one is the first choice Once the manti were filled, she poured some oil on a little plate. One dumpling had its bottom dipped in the oil, then another dumpling was rubbed against it. This had both mantis oiled on the bottom. When they were placed in the steamer, the oil kept them from sticking to the tray. The manti were steamed for 40 minutes. When they were placed on a serving tray, GW put a little butter on the top. They were served, Kazakh style, with sauces. I was told many sauces are appropriate; here in the US we had tomato salsa and a pineapple-habanero sauce. Buttering the manti The Verdict What can I say other than these were wonderful! I tried one manti with no sauce and was astonished at the depth of flavor it presented. Remember, the filling was meat, veggies, salt, and pepper. The taste was rich, slightly meaty, a little juicy, and I would swear there were more spices in it, although I knew better. The dough around it was tender but not soggy. It held the filling well, without breaking. You could eat the manti by using a fork or by holding it with your fingers (once it cooled down!). Heavenly, moist, flavorful Of the two sauces, I liked the pineapple-habanero sauce on the manti best. There was something about the sweet with spicy that complemented the manti flavors well. I noticed the people who are not sweet eaters preferred the salsa. I was given some manti to take home and when I served them, I put out a mango-ginger chutney that had a little cayenne pepper kick to it, and that also went well. The Kazakh bread was also quite good. Frying it resulted in a fairly dense bread texture, but it was not oily or hard. The herbs and green onion flavors added a lovely lightness to the bread flavor, making the whole eating experience a fun blend of chewy, herbal, and rich. I couldn't taste the cheese but I suspect it contributed to the rich mouthfeel of it all. It was a success for all who participated and I thank GW profusely for sharing her expertise and food with me. Kazakh food is good!
This is the national dish of Kazakhstan. The yogurt is only used during the short time that it is available. This is a reduced version of the recipe, normally a whole cow is used. It is cooked in a huge pot over an open fire.
Kosha Mangsho is a classic, every Bengali's favorite meat stew. It is prepared on every special occasions, including Birthdays. The dish is emotions for us, and we never get bored with it. It is best paired with either Luchi or Basanti Pulao. But you can enjoy it even with paratha and plain white rice.
Kazakh recipes are known for their unique, flavorful palate that is scrumptious & packed with nutrients. The food from Kazakhstan created this diverse cuisine.
Kazakh national cuisine fully reflects the history, culture, and traditions of Kazakh people. Since hospitality is very important for us, our guests are always treated with honor. If you are a guest at the Kazakh house, be sure that you won't go home hungry. You will certainly be offered besbarmak, a Kazakh national dish. However, if you don't have a Kazakh host, I will tell you where to try besbarmak in Almaty.
Beshbarmak is probably the most popular Kazakh dish. This delicious food is made from boiled meat, onion, and noodles. Don't miss it!
Beshbarmak is probably the most popular Kazakh dish. This delicious food is made from boiled meat, onion, and noodles. Don't miss it!
Kazakh shorpa or broth is always served alongside Beshbarmak. It is typically served in Chinese style bowls called kese and enjoyed alongside the noodles and meat. Usually this broth is made from horse or mutton,
Beshbarmak is probably the most popular Kazakh dish. This delicious food is made from boiled meat, onion, and noodles. Don't miss it!
Borsok holds an integral place in Kyrgyz culture and the little puffed breads are found by the thousands at any celebration.
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