Qoyun ətindən soyutma – Stewed lamb

In Azerbaijani cuisine, the term soyutma refers to any dish that has been boiled in water. The most popular versions of soyutma are with chicken or lamb. The secret to a good lamb soyutma is long, slow cooking.

Preparation time: 20 min
Cooking time: 90 min
Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 250 g/10 oz lamb on the bone (lamb shanks are ideal for soyutma)
• 2 medium-sized onions
• 1 carrot
• 250 g/10 oz tomatoes
• 25 g/1 oz sour cream
• salt
• black peppercorns

Preparation

• Place the pieces of lamb in a pan and cover with cold water but only just. Bring to the boil and skim off the scum that forms on the surface of the water. Add salt, 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns, 1 whole onion and 1 carrot. Simmer for 90 minutes to 2 hours until cooked. The meat will slip off the bone when ready.
• Remove the meat from the broth (setting aside the broth to use in soup). Serve the pieces of meat as they are or thinly sliced.
• Place the pieces of meat on a serving plate garnished with sliced tomatoes and raw onion rings.
• Pour over a little sour cream before serving (optional).