Favorite dish of Asian peoples - soup with cherry plum and lamb

cherry plum and lamb soup In the East, spring is met with a great culinary scope. In the arsenal of each chef, a special place is occupied by a soup with cherry plum and lamb, which goes well with aromatic cilantro. There is nothing special about the preparation of this dish. Still, you need to learn some of the secrets of Azerbaijani, Armenian and Georgian cuisine. After all, lamb is their signature ingredient.

Eastern soups differ from European ones by their rich and thick consistency. Therefore, you only need 1-1.5 glasses of water per serving.

Lamb cooking technology

Because of the specific smell, many Europeans do not really like the meat of these animals. But unlike pork, lamb is more nutritious and does not cause allergies. The peculiarity of this soup is that you first need to boil the mutton separately, and then add the rest of the ingredients. This is one of the reasons why it can take about 4 hours to prepare a dish. And here is the first option for processing meat:

it is worth choosing a beautiful lamb brisket, shoulder blade, fillet, neck, leg or rib (1 kg or 500 g);
separate the film and tendons;
rinse the carcass under running water;
cut into medium pieces. If you choose a loin on the bone, then you should clean it thoroughly;
pour a liter of cold water and put the pan on high heat;
as soon as the foam begins to form, it is important to carefully remove it, which is done until the broth becomes transparent;
simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours;
boil the broth with bay leaf and onion for the last 15 minutes, and finally salt and pepper;
select pieces of meat, and strain the broth itself into a new saucepan.

The second technique is to roast lamb. This technology is needed to give the food a special taste. First of all, the pan should be thoroughly reheated. It is advisable to choose deep dishes, because then the temperature is suitable for frying in it. Then toss in a decent bit of butter. During the frying process, pour plenty of olive / sunflower oil over the meat.

So that the contrast of tastes can be felt in the soup with cherry plum and lamb, many recommend adding spices to the ghee. For example, chop the garlic finely. When it is fried, it should be thrown away and only then the fillet should be added. The lamb should acquire a rich burgundy hue. From the fried pieces, the broth is further prepared using the already familiar technology.

Experts do not advise frying the leg, neck or shoulder blade, because there are a lot of hard tissues concentrated in these parts. They will be able to soften only with prolonged extinguishing. But fillets, butts and tenderloin are ideal for this.

Some differences in recipes

In each eastern nation, the set of ingredients is different. Some make it on the basis of rice, while others - chickpeas, pre-soaking it for 10-12 hours. It all depends on the name of the soup with cherry plum and lamb in a particular area. A culture taken separately offers its own interpretation of this dish.

Azerbaijani recipe - piti

In Azerbaijan, lamb soup is known as piti or putuk. This thick soup is prepared in small pots. To cook a rich piti, the hostess needs:

Put meat, chopped onion, dried on the bottom of the dish cherry plum, as well as fat (fat tail). Pour all this with cold water.
After the broth boils, you need to collect the foam and salt the brew a little. Simmer over low heat for about 3 hours.
After the time has elapsed, add the chickpeas. Let it boil a little, and then add the potatoes.
After 20 minutes, season with salt, pepper and saffron infusion (1 g of spice per 250 ml, infusion duration - 90 minutes).
The soup is served hot on a wide plate. Sprinkle with finely chopped mint on top.

If you cook several servings at the same time, then the recipe for the soup with cherry plum and lamb changes a little. Meat is cooked separately, after which the broth is filtered into a new container and brought to a boil. Then add potatoes and carrots, and after ten minutes, semi-cooked rice (70 g). Onions, as well as pitted cherry plum (100 g), are sautéed in a small amount of oil and, together with pieces of lamb, added to the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, simultaneously removing the foam, and then pour into plates. This soup is seasoned with finely chopped cilantro.

The meat can be cut into portions, raw or cooked.

Offer from Georgia - kharcho

In Georgian cuisine, this dish is called kharcho soup. By the principle of preparation, it is somewhat similar to chakapuli. It is clear that lamb is the head of everything, but it is often replaced with beef. The only difference between kharcho is that several grated nuts (walnuts) are added to the cooked broth, as well as mashed potatoes made from dried cherry plum. All these ingredients are added to the brew 15 minutes before cooking. Fresh parsley and aromatic basil add a bright, fresh aroma to the dish.

Rice should be added 20 minutes before cooking. It can also be boiled in advance.

The versatility of Armenian cuisine - bozbash

The Armenian version of the cherry plum and lamb soup is bozbash. It is an amazing combination of fruits and vegetables along with aromatic meat. Peas, carrots, potatoes, lamb loin and onions are complemented with:

tomatoes;
chestnuts;
prunes;
dried apricots;
apples;
quince.

At the end, everything is seasoned with wine vinegar, pomegranate or lemon juice. These components not only remove an unpleasant odor, but also saturate the food with a sour taste. Cilantro and curly parsley will be the perfect company for such an exquisite dish.

These soups should be served with dry wine and toasted bread. When serving the table, it is important not to forget to put a spoon, fork and knife.