A Tabriz meatball is an even larger version of the kofta. It is made with minced veal or lamb packed round a filling of hard-boiled egg and fruit. Tabriz is an ethnically Azerbaijani city, capital of Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province. The name kofta is derived from the Persian and “pounding”, …
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White cherry preserve | Ag gilas murabbasi
Azerbaijanis love to eat jam and fruit preserves with tea. Jam is eaten on its own by the spoonful, rather than spread on bread. Fruit is usually kept intact in Azerbaijani jam, so the jam is perhaps better described as whole fruit preserves. Sweet cherry jam is made from white …
Read More »Paradise apple preserve | Jannat almasindan murabba
Paradise apples are small apples that look like golden crab apples but taste far sweeter. As with most Azerbaijani jams, the paradise apples should be kept intact in the preserving process. Azerbaijani preserves are usually eaten by the spoonful with tea, rather than spread on bread. Oval.Az is grateful to …
Read More »Noodle pilaf – Arishta plov
Azerbaijani cuisine has a rich variety of pilaf dishes and sauces to go with them. Noodle pilaf is a particularly filling pilaf and can be served on its own or with chicken. As with all Azerbaijani pilafs, noodle pilaf should not be sticky! It follows the basic cooking method for …
Read More »Ovdukh – Cold yoghurt and herb soup
Ovdukh is a refreshing summer soup of yoghurt, cucumber and herbs. It can also contain minced meat and hard-boiled eggs, but is most popular in its vegetarian form. Unlike in dovga, the yoghurt is not heated in ovdukh. A good ovdukh requires the right sort of yoghurt. Much of the …
Read More »Gurza-Lamb dumplings
Dumplings in various shapes and sizes are popular across the Caucasus and Russia. Georgia has its khingali, Russia its pelmeni and Azerbaijan its gurza and dushbara. Gurza are larger than dushbara and not usually served in bouillon. Cinnamon can be added to the minced lamb stuffing of gurza or sprinkled …
Read More »Tava kebabi | Pan kabab
Pan kebab is tasty way of cooking lamb without any need for a barbecue. It could equally well be called oven kebab, as first the meat is fried in a pan, and then baked in the oven. Preparation time: 20-25 min Cooking time: 35-40 min Serves: 2-3
Read More »Onion dolma
The term dolma covers a variety of stuffed vegetable dishes, widespread in the Middle East and Mediterranean area. Onion dolma are a tasty winter alternative to stuffed aubergines, tomatoes and peppers. Preparation time: 50 min Cooking time: 30-40 min Serves: 3 to 4
Read More »Quymaq | Flour and butter pudding
Quymaq is a rich Azerbaijani dessert, high in calories, made from the simplest of ingredients – flour, clarified butter and water. It is traditionally given to mothers who have just given birth and to patients after surgery to keep their strength up. Cinnamon adds a pleasant flavour to quymag and …
Read More »Shor gogal | Savoury pastry
Shor gogal is a popular savoury pastry, made from layers of pastry flavoured with turmeric and fennel seeds. Shor gogal, sheker bura and bakhlava are all eaten at the Novruz spring holiday. According to one tradition, the round, yellow gogal represents the sun, while the crescent shaped sheker bura is …
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