Beshbarmak (Бешбармақ (Beshbarmak))
Overview
Beshbarmak is the national dish of Kazakhstan, a feast of boiled meat and noodles served with its own broth. Large pieces of mutton, beef or horse meat, often with kazy, a horse meat sausage, are simmered for hours to make a rich broth called sorpa. Thin squares of fresh noodle dough are cooked in the broth and laid on a big platter, the meat is sliced and piled on top, and onions softened in the hot broth are spooned over. The sorpa is then poured into small bowls called kese and drunk alongside, seasoned with black pepper. The meal is eaten together from the shared platter.
History
Beshbarmak means five fingers, because it was traditionally eaten with the hands. It is the dish of hospitality among Kazakh and Kyrgyz nomads, cooked when guests arrive and at weddings, funerals and holidays such as Nauryz. The host gives the best pieces to guests according to custom, and the boiled sheep's head is offered to the most honoured elder, who shares it out among those at the table.
Main ingredients
Horse meat or mutton, wide noodle sheets, onion, sorpa broth, black pepper. The soup is built on sorpa (meat broth) and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Lamb soups · Noodle soups
Recipe
Method
- 13 h
Simmer the meat, kazy, whole onion, bay leaves and peppercorns in 4 l water for 2.5 to 3 hours, skimming often.
- 2
Make a stiff dough with the flour, egg, water and salt, rest it, roll it very thin and cut into 8 cm squares.
- 3
Lift out the meat and slice it, and soften the onion rings in a ladle of hot broth.
- 44 min
Cook the noodle squares in the boiling broth for 3 to 4 minutes and lay them on a large platter.
- 5
Pile the meat and onions on top, and serve the broth in small bowls with black pepper.
- ✓
Serve. About 3h 40m from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
