The most common dish of Asian (Tatar) cuisine is azu. This tasty, satisfying and aromatic dish gained popularity due to the fact that it was included in the menu of any self-respecting canteen of Soviet times. It is prepared from fatty meat, in the original horse or lamb, and vegetables.
The name “azu” comes from the Tatar “azdyk” and is translated as “food”. In Persian this word means "pieces of meat". Azu is considered an ancient recipe, but even its classic recipe, which includes potatoes and tomatoes, is significantly different from what was prepared in ancient times, because these vegetables came to Asia not so long ago.
Each of the peoples who have adopted this delicious dish into the list of their favorite foods has enriched their version of the basics with new interesting notes. Here is one version of preparing the classic Tatar-style lamb.
Cooking time: 2 hours 0 minutes
Quantity: 4 servings
In the classic version, you will need a fairly large amount of vegetable oil for frying beef and vegetables. It also provides for the simultaneous addition of all vegetables, and the potatoes are not fried at all.
Therefore, we will make do with just three tablespoons of oil. Additionally, you can remove the fat from the stew, thereby making the tasty and aromatic dish even lighter.
Cooking steps basics with beef stew and potatoes:
Another version of the basics in Tatar style with potatoes is below in the video recipe.
In this version of the recipe, we suggest using pork instead of traditional lamb. You will need a standard set of vegetables (onions, garlic, pickles, tomatoes or their paste), as well as spices and herbs, which we use to crush the dish before serving. The quantity of ingredients can be taken the same as in the classic recipe.
Another variation of a favorite dish involves preparing it with beef and potatoes. The result is extremely rich and aromatic.
Preparation procedure:
This version of the basics will be an excellent dish for a family lunch or dinner, the preparation of which will not take much time and effort.
How to cook chicken basics?
The multicooker in the modern kitchen has become an indispensable kitchen assistant, simplifying the process of preparing many dishes. Azu in Tatar was no exception.
Required ingredients:
Stages basics in ceramic pots:
Azu in Tatar, like any folk dish, exists in many editions. But the main thing is the same set of ingredients: meat, potatoes and spicy tomato sauce with pickles, which combines everything into a single whole.
The result is a tasty, aromatic, slightly spicy (and sometimes very spicy) dish that the whole family, and especially the male half, will surely enjoy...
Cut the beef into pieces 5 cm long and 1 cm thick across the grain. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a deep frying pan and add the meat there.
Fry over medium heat, turning occasionally, until the meat is browned. This will take about twenty minutes.
Pour hot boiled water over the meat until it just covers it. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce heat and simmer the meat for about an hour and a half until it is tender. There is one trick: if you stew the meat for a long time, and it is still tough, add a piece of black rye bread or a pinch of soda, so it will cook much faster.
When the meat is ready, open the lid and turn up the heat, let the remaining water boil away and the meat brown.
Add onion, peeled and cut into small cubes, and flour to the meat, mix everything. Fry until the onion is soft.
Add tomatoes from a can (I often take skinless tomatoes, cut into pieces, in their own juice, from the Green Giant brand) or grate a couple of fresh tomatoes, after cutting them in half. Hold them with the cut side towards the grater, then the skin will remain in your hands, and only the crushed pulp will be in the plate. Add tomato paste with fresh tomatoes. Simmer the meat and tomatoes for about five minutes over medium heat.
Cut the pickled cucumbers into strips and add to the meat, stir and heat everything together for another five minutes.
While the meat is stewing, peel the potatoes and cut them into slices. In a separate frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry the potatoes in it. Lightly salt the potatoes while frying, about half a teaspoon of salt.
Add the potatoes to the meat, mix everything and simmer together under the lid for 5 minutes. Peel and chop the garlic, finely chop the greens. Check the base for salt, add salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Then add garlic and herbs to the base, stir and cover with a lid. Turn off the heat. Let the finished dish stand for about ten minutes so that it infuses.
It is quite difficult to argue about what an authentic Tatar-style azu recipe should be. Like any popular dish of folk cuisine, it developed, transformed and acquired new details, legends and traditions, and in the case of Tatar cuisine, which can be endlessly divided into Siberian, Kazan, Perm and dozens of others, it is generally unrealistic to find the original source. Over the years of its existence, the original recipe has changed hundreds of times, however, the basics have remained unchanged: meat, tomato sauce, pickles, potatoes. Let's talk about the fact that azu is essentially an ordinary stew, which means you can cook it creatively and on a whim.
Today, the Tatar basics are found in completely diverse interpretations. Someone cooks it so that the consistency of the dish is somewhere between the second and the first. Others prefer the basics with a minimum of sauce, evaporating excess liquid and leaving the ingredients almost “dry.” Everyone has their own “family” set of spices and herbs. The degree of spiciness is adjusted depending on the preferences of the cook, but traditionally azu is offered in a rather spicy version. The vessel in which this dish is stewed is chosen taking into account the fact that it needs to be stewed for a long time and thoroughly, but there are also “quick” recipes.
In various sources, in addition to tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and potatoes, other vegetables are added to the basics - carrots, sweet bell peppers and even mushrooms, eggplants, zucchini and cabbage. A separate topic for debate is meat: it is believed that traditionally azu is prepared from horse meat, but nowadays the basis is most often lamb, beef, and less often or almost never pork (this point is due to the fact that most Tatars profess Islam).
The general technology is simple: all components of the azu are fried separately, and then combined in a thick-walled cauldron and stewed together. Often the Tatar basics are prepared in clay pots in the oven. Sometimes a fermented milk component - cream, sour cream or yogurt - is added to meat and vegetables.
In general, if you are in doubt about how to cook the basics in Tatar, just do it as you see fit, the main thing is that it’s tasty and your family likes it. And if someone is loudly indignant that this is not at all what it should be, you can always authoritatively declare that “but here is my grandmother, whose great-grandmother was a Tatar and was famous for her basic knowledge throughout Kazan or Astrakhan (choose whatever you personally like best), I cooked it this way!”
First of all, clean and cut into small pieces!! onion. Do not grind onions with a blender, this will only spoil the taste of the dish.
Shed a few tears, but then you will earn gratitude from your family and friends.
The amount of onions is exactly half the amount of meat!! Fry the onion in a small amount of vegetable oil until transparent and lightly fried. At this time, prepare the tomato base. There are three options here: 1. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, remove the skins and chop finely.2. Dilute GOOD tomato paste in 1/3 cup of water. 3. Use tomato juice. Now, as you understand, is not the time for tasty tomatoes, so I used the second option. I diluted Pomodorka tomato paste. And she poured it into the pan with the onions. The next stage is preparing the meat. It can be veal or beef, which will take a little longer to cook. Cut the meat, freed from all veins, into short pieces. Heat the frying pan very well by pouring a small amount of vegetable oil. Place the meat in one layer.
If you do not have this opportunity, carry out this operation in several stages. The meat must be fried and “set” so that all the meat juices remain inside! And combine it with onions and tomatoes already in a cauldron (deep frying pan, duck pot). Pour in meat broth. You can, of course, add water, but it won’t be the same! Reduce the heat and simmer the meat until cooked. Meanwhile, let's take care of the cucumbers. We use ONLY pickled cucumbers; pickled cucumbers are simply not suitable here! Peel the cucumbers; if the seeds are large, throw them in the trash too. Cut into cubes. And fry in a small amount of oil until the liquid has completely evaporated. And now it’s the turn of the potatoes.
Cut it the way you like. Some people prefer cubes, but I like diced potatoes. And here is a very important point. It is necessary to rinse the chopped potatoes under running water to remove excess starch.
And then we put the washed and slightly dried potatoes in a frying pan heated with vegetable oil and fry.
For what, YOU may ask.
And so that our basics do not turn into a jumble, and each piece lives its own life in a friendly team! Let's unite our beauty. And the final touch: finely chopped garlic and mashed with salt.
After you have added the garlic, you can add salt.
Don’t forget that the cucumbers came with salt, the garlic came with salt, and if we had salted the dish in advance, we might not have used the salt right.
And oversalting, as you know...
Yes, don't forget to sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.
Serve with greens.
Enjoy your meal!!!
basics in Tatar rich in vitamins and minerals such as: vitamin PP - 21.7%, potassium - 17.8%, cobalt - 66.9%, copper - 13.3%, molybdenum - 13.7%, chromium - 20.4%
You can see a complete guide to the most useful products in the appendix.
