Shurpa with tomatoes and chili
6 servings
150 minutes
Shurpa with tomatoes and chili is a bright, aromatic dish of Uzbek cuisine rooted in the ancient traditions of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. It combines a rich meat broth, tender lamb, and spicy notes of tomatoes and chili peppers. Spices like cumin and coriander give the soup a unique Eastern flavor. Potatoes, carrots, and sweet peppers add textural variety, making shurpa not only hearty but also rich in flavor nuances. This dish is perfect for a leisurely meal with family, warming and filling the air with aromas from distant lands. Shurpa is served with plenty of greens that refresh and complement its taste. This soup is a true embodiment of Uzbek hospitality and traditions.
1
Cut the meat into medium pieces, with or without bones, the tail fat into small cubes, and the carrots into medium sticks.
- Bone-in lamb: 1 kg
- Lamb tail fat (kurdyuk): 100 g
- Carrot: 2 pieces
2
Place the meat and bones in a pot, cover with room temperature water. Put on maximum heat, bring to a boil, and carefully skim off the foam.
- Bone-in lamb: 1 kg
3
Reduce the heat to a minimum. The broth should not boil — just bubble slightly. Add a peeled onion, chili pepper, bay leaf, cumin, and coriander to the broth. Put in the carrot and fat and simmer for 1.5 hours.
- Onion: 2 heads
- Chili pepper: 1 piece
- Bay leaf: 2 pieces
- Ground cumin: 1 tablespoon
- Ground coriander: 1 tablespoon
- Carrot: 2 pieces
- Lamb tail fat (kurdyuk): 100 g
4
Cut the sweet pepper into strips. Peel the tomatoes, and cut the flesh into halves or quarters. Slice the onion into thin half-rings.
- Red sweet pepper: 2 pieces
- Tomatoes: 7 pieces
- Onion: 2 heads
5
Boil the potatoes in their skins, cool them down, and peel.
- Potato: 7 pieces
6
After 1.5 hours, add the cooked potatoes, sweet pepper, thyme sprigs, and basil to the broth. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Add salt. Stir in the chopped onion, cover with a lid, and turn off the heat.
- Potato: 7 pieces
- Red sweet pepper: 2 pieces
- Savory (summer savory): 2 stems
- Purple basil: 2 sprigs
- Salt: to taste
- Onion: 2 heads
7
In each pot, place a potato, several sticks of carrot, half or two quarters of a tomato, and a small piece of meat. Pour in broth with sweet pepper. Sprinkle with chopped greens.
- Potato: 7 pieces
- Carrot: 2 pieces
- Tomatoes: 7 pieces
- Bone-in lamb: 1 kg
- Red sweet pepper: 2 pieces
- Ground black pepper: to taste