Culinary Delights
Uzbek cuisine is known worldwide for its delicious and truly gourmet dishes. Recently, one noticed that all over the world, there are places which prepare Uzbek food, and people are happy to taste their favourite dishes. Also, social networks today portray such extraordinary developments. Bloggers who prepare dishes on video and share the recipes with their subscribers are a case in point. Among them is Guzal Saidmuradova, with whom we had an exciting conversation about her path in culinary. At the end of the article, you will find an easy-to-make recipe for a tasty Uzbek breakfast.
Text by Diyora Gulyamova and Sabina Odinaeva
«Food does not belong to a nation but to the place where it originated. Dishes are modified over time, and each family has its own unique recipe. My roots inspire me to explore Eastern cuisines, especially Uzbek, Turkish, Chinese, and Indian. The cultural influence of my homeland's history with India stimulates my affinity for this cuisine.»
Guzal's journey began with her mother's lemon muffin recipe, which sparked a love for cooking. Although she studied to be an architect and industrial designer, Guzal's heart led her back to the kitchen at a crucial moment while working in marketing. Moving into the world of cooking, she took over her family's Uzbek bakery in Riga, baking sourdough bread and organising popular pilaf parties. After getting a culinary education and popularising Uzbek cuisine through her blog, she founded Butter Dinner Club, which brings people together through food. Here, architectural education came in very handy, as it often influences the approach to food, creating the atmosphere of the event and its organisation.
«The Uzbek tradition that inspires me the most is the immediate setting of the table, which I incorporate into my dinners. It's a truly unifying element, bringing people together around food, where they help each other, serve dishes, and converse.»
Many people perceive Uzbek cuisine as something with a lot of dough, meat and oil, but according to Guzal, people can and should eat a balanced diet. Her idea of an ideal Uzbek table includes green radish (turup), suzma (tart yoghurt cheese), Uzbek non (flatbreads), fresh vegetable salad with lots of greens, shurpa soup (meat broth with vegetables), Samarkand plov, a few pickles, green tea, walnuts, raisins and some watermelon.
«I have always filmed what I wanted to eat and cook. So more often than not, choosing content for publications is driven by my natural desire to eat something.»
Guzals' favourite locations:
Eating tender meat (oven-roasted meat) on Kitab Pass with an incredible view.
Eating grandmother's gilmindi (Uzbek dish with dough and creamy filling) in her yard in Samarkand.
Chorsu bazаar in Tashkent.
Embankment of Anchor River.
Guzal's favourite Uzbek dishes:
1. Gilmindi (Uzbek dish with dough and creamy filling).
2. A flatbread with kaymak (heavy cream) and honey.
3. Samarkand plov.
4. Kokand halva (creamy sweetness).
5. Uzbek norin (finely chopped boiled meat with noodles).
Recipe of Uzbek Shirchoy
Ingredients (for four servings)
500ml whole milk
100ml strong brewed black tea
200g dry white bread (flatbread, baguette, ciabatta), sliced or torn into one-bite pieces
100g butter
Sea salt, preferably flakes (Maldon)
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
1. Mix boiled milk with hot brewed tea (you can strain the tea through a sieve to prevent leaves from getting into the milk and make it easier to drink). Pour the milk-tea mixture into serving bowls.
2. Add 4-6 pieces of dry bread to each bowl.
3. Generously sprinkle with black pepper.
4. Add a cube of butter to each bowl.
5. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and serve.
It is a straightforward dish. According to Guzal's observations, foreigners like its flavour and say it is unique. It is the taste of childhood. In general, it perfectly reflects the life of Uzbekistan: this dish energises people from the very morning.
