There are dishes that are prepared simultaneously by several nations or entire regions. For example, bozbash. It is considered traditional not only in Armenia, Azerbaijan, but throughout the entire Transcaucasus, as well as in Iran, Turkey, etc. But this article will talk specifically about the Armenian version of bozbash.

Bozbash is a meat soup made from fatty lamb brisket with a variety of vegetables and fruits, slightly acidified. Along with the simple version, the Armenian bozbash has several varieties - both regional (Yerevan, Etchmiadzin, Sisian, Shusha old and Shusha new) and seasonal (summer and winter). These varieties differ in the composition of the so-called additional vegetables and fruits, while the amount of meat and liquid (water), main vegetables and a set of herbs remain unchanged in all cases. All types of bozbash are prepared according to the same technological scheme. This makes it possible to present here a general, unified recipe for preparing bozbash, indicating only the differences in the set of products for its varieties and slight variations in preparation.

In any bozbash, for every 500 g of lamb, 2 liters of water and 25-50 g of ghee or butter are used for frying meat and vegetables. Thus, the concentration of broth and the amount of meat per serving are always the same. However, lamb brisket is cut into pieces of different sizes for different types of bozbash: the size of half a matchbox (Echmiadzin, Shusha, summer, winter), the size of a matchbox (Sisian, Shusha old), the size of two boxes (Yerevan). Accordingly, per serving in different bozbashi there are then four, two or one piece of meat, each with a rib.

Cooking bozbash.

1. Pour cold water over the meat and cook the broth under the lid over low heat for 1-1.5 hours, then remove the half-cooked meat from the broth.
2. Fry it in ghee or butter in a cauldron or thick-bottomed pan with or without vegetables; or scald and rinse with boiling water - depending on the type of bozbash.
3. Pour the scalded and washed meat with strained broth and bring to readiness for different times - depending on the size of the pieces of meat - along with fried and additionally added vegetables and fruits, as well as a set of spices.

At the end of cooking, all bozbashi are acidified with either 1 tbsp. a spoonful of wine vinegar (plain, winter, Yerevan), or a thinner natural acidifier - lemon juice or 50-100 g of pomegranate juice (summer, Sisian, Shusha). Bozbash is salted 10 minutes before it is fully cooked, before adding greens and acidifying.

A set of vegetables and fruits in a bozbash.

The main and indispensable vegetables for bozbash are chickpeas, potatoes or chestnuts (sometimes both, sometimes just one), onions and tomatoes (or tomato paste replacing them - 1 tablespoon of paste instead of 2-3 tomatoes). Peas are pre-soaked for 10 hours. Additional fruits are quince, apples, cherry plum, dried apricots, prunes.

The set of spices in all types of bozbash is constant. These are parsley, cilantro, basil (1 tablespoon each), red and black pepper (5-6 peas).

This soup is so diverse that it allows anyone to prepare their own bozbash, and it will be extremely tasty and aromatic.

Approximate composition of ingredients for different types of bozbash

Bozbash recipes

Bozbash simple

Scald the lamb removed from the broth with boiling water and, without frying, pour in the strained broth again along with onions browned with tomato paste and prepared peas (sometimes peas are replaced with rice, but this changes the taste of bozbash). Cook until the peas or rice are done. Then add the potatoes, bring them to readiness, add salt and season with herbs and acidulant.

Bozbash winter

Cook the peas until tender in a separate bowl over low heat in a small amount of water. Transfer the lamb removed from the broth, washed with boiling water, add the strained broth, fried onions with tomato paste, potatoes (chestnuts) and dried fruits.

Bozbash summer

Fry the lamb removed from the broth for 10 minutes, pour in boiling broth, add fried onions, chopped okra and bell pepper rings, apples and tomatoes in slices and cook for 15 minutes.

Bozbash Etchmiadzin

Fry the lamb removed from the broth until fully cooked, pour in the strained boiling broth, add separately fried finely chopped onion, diced potatoes (0.5 cm each) and coarsely chopped additional vegetables, until the bozbash is cooked. Add salt and add tomatoes in slices 10 minutes before they are ready.

Bozbash Sisian

Fry the lamb removed from the broth in melted butter along with onions and tomatoes or tomato puree with the addition of flour until fully cooked. Then pour boiling broth, season with the rest of the vegetables and fruits and cook them until tender, adding spices 3 minutes before the end of cooking.

Bozbash Yerevan

Fry the lamb removed from the broth until fully cooked. Meanwhile, add prepared peas to the strained broth and cook until tender. Then add meat, onions, tomatoes and fruits (apples are cut into quarters) and cook the soup for another 15 minutes, then add salt and spices.

Bozbash Shusha

Lightly fry the lamb removed from the broth along with the onion, add flour and fry until the flour turns light brown. Then pour hot broth over the lamb, immediately add all the vegetables and fruits specified in the recipe, except apples, and cook the broth until the quince is half cooked. After this, add the apples, cut into quarters, and cook the bozbash over low heat until all the products are cooked. Add spices 3 minutes before the end of cooking.

Bozbash Karabakh (Shushinsky II)

Fry the lamb until fully cooked with onions and flour, as in the previous recipe, and in the meantime, cook the peas in the strained broth and then dip the prepared lamb into this broth along with the rest of the vegetables and fruits (except apples). When the peas are ready, add quartered apples, salt and cook until the apples are ready for about 10 minutes, seasoning with spices.

The cooking process is the same as in the previous recipe. Fry the lamb until fully cooked with onions, cook the peas in the broth, then add the prepared lamb and all other vegetables and fruits, except apples, into the broth and cook until the peas and potatoes (chestnuts) are ready. After this, add apples and then spices.

And here is one of the most delicious options for prefabricated bozbash (the one in the photo above):

Ingredients for preparing prefabricated bozbash:

• 1 kg lamb ribs, cut into pieces 5-8 cm in size,
• 1 cup chickpeas,
• 8 potatoes,
• 100 gr. butter (melted) for frying meat and vegetables,
• 2 onions,
• 2 carrots,
• 400 gr. pieces of tomatoes in their own juice,
• 2 bell peppers,
• 2 quinces (or apples),
• 6 cloves of garlic,
• 1 fresh hot pepper,
• cilantro, parsley, basil,
• 1 tbsp paprika,
• 1 tbsp. l. crushed coriander seeds,
• salt, black pepper,
• 100 gr. pomegranate juice.

Recipe for preparing prefabricated bozbash

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight, drain the water in the morning, pour clean water 2 cm above the edge of the chickpeas, bring to a boil, remove the foam and cook over very low heat for 1.5 hours until the chickpeas soften.
2. To prepare broth for 1 kg of lamb breast, take 4 liters of cold water. When the water boils, skim off the foam and add roots - carrots, onions, parsley, celery and spices - peppercorns, bay leaves. Cook the broth covered over low heat for 1 hour. At the end of cooking, use a slotted spoon to remove the vegetables (they will no longer be needed), undercooked meat, and strain the broth from small bones.
3. Melt about 100 gr. butter, fry the boiled pieces of lamb in it. We put the fried pieces of meat out of the frying pan in which we will continue to fry the vegetables.
4. Fry onion, cut into half rings, until golden brown. Then add half-circles of carrots and continue to fry for 10 minutes until the carrots soften. Add pieces of tomatoes without skins to the sautéed vegetables (can be replaced with 4 tablespoons of tomato paste). Simmer the onions and carrots in the tomato over low heat until thickened.
5. Meanwhile, cut the quince into pieces. Cut the sweet pepper into half rings. Hot peppers can be added whole, but it is better to remove the seeds.
6. After 1.5 hours of cooking the chickpeas, add the fried pieces of lamb and the fried tomato into the pan. Add pepper and quince. Pour the broth through a sieve and let the soup simmer with the meat and vegetables for another half hour.
7. Cut the potatoes into cubes and add to the soup. After 10 minutes, when the potato pieces become soft, add crushed garlic. Add hot pepper and add pomegranate juice.
8. Then add paprika, basil, crushed coriander seeds, salt and pepper to the soup. Let the soup simmer for a few minutes and turn off the heat. Leave the bozbash covered for 10 minutes.

Add finely chopped cilantro and parsley to the plate and serve :) Hot, thick, with a slight sweet and sour flavor, and aromas of spicy herbs - a real holiday.

Description

Beef bozbash we will cook in the most classic way. This recipe is especially suitable for those who for some reason cannot purchase fresh lamb. After all, traditionally this Caucasian soup is prepared from lamb. But believe me, beef will perform no worse, and the taste will be practically indistinguishable.

The “secret ingredient” of this hearty soup is cherry plum, and we will use both dry and fresh berries. It is this product that will give the taste the necessary, but not pronounced sourness.

You will find a step-by-step recipe for preparing Caucasian soup with photos below, from which you will learn how to prepare beef bozbash at home. The most important element of this dish is the meatballs. You will also learn the secret of their preparation from the recipe. The first course is served with all kinds of greens and suitable sauces.

Let's start cooking.

Ingredients

• 
  (800 g)
• 
  (1 PC.)
• 
  (15-20 pieces dried + 8 pieces fresh)
• 
  (8 pcs.)
• 
  (2 pcs.)
• 
  (1 tbsp.)
• 
  (1/2 tbsp.)
• 
  (1 tbsp.)
• 
  (4-5 l)
• 
  (taste)
• 
  (taste)

Cooking steps

Heat the meat broth in a deep suitable saucepan. We wash and peel the potato tubers and place them whole in the pan.



We wash and peel one onion, chop it into small squares on a cutting board, as shown in the photo. Add the onion to the pan and reduce the heat to medium.



We wash the beef pulp, peel the onion and cut it into convenient medium-sized pieces. We pass the ingredients through a meat grinder, salt and pepper the finished minced meat to taste. Wash the rice and add it to the bowl with the minced meat, break the egg there. Mix the ingredients thoroughly until a homogeneous mass is formed.



We will form large meatballs from the minced meat. Their size should match the size of your palm. Let's form the first ball.



Flatten the ball a little and put dried cherry plum in the center.



We wrap the cherry plum in the edges of the minced meat and again form a neat ball.



We perform these manipulations with all the minced meat.



It will take 15-20 minutes to cook the potatoes in the meat broth. Check the readiness of the tubers with a knife or fork. Add the minced meat balls to the pan and cook the soup for another 20 minutes.



Prepare chickpeas in advance. To do this, the night before preparing the soup, soak the peas in cold water. In the morning, drain the water and then boil the chickpeas in new water. this will take about an hour and a half. Add the finished chickpeas to the pan with the broth, potatoes and minced meat balls.



The next thing to go into the pan is fresh cherry plum. With it, the broth is cooked for 10 minutes.



Add turmeric to the pan and mix the ingredients thoroughly, add salt and pepper to taste, cook over medium heat for another 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the soup brew.



Serve the plates as follows: be sure to lay out one meatball and one whole potato, a little chickpeas and cherry plum, and fill with broth. You can decorate the dish with fresh chopped herbs. Beef bozbash is ready.



Bon appetit!

What dishes come to mind when you see a juicy piece of beef? Beef stroganoff, shish kebab and roast? Previously, my culinary skills were limited to five to seven options for preparing this delicious meat.

However, after my husband’s Azerbaijani relatives visited us, the menu was replenished with another “beef” dish. This is a delicious soup called bozbash. It is very nourishing, rich, has an excellent taste, and can be prepared very quickly. In addition, bozbash is delicious the next day, so you can cook it more. Let's figure out how to cook it!

Azerbaijani beef bozbash soup

Kitchen tools: bowl for soaking chickpeas, cutting board, knife, spatula for stirring, spoon. It is better to cook it in a saucepan with a thick bottom and walls or in a cauldron. Cast iron cookware works great.

Ingredients

How to choose the right ingredients

• Be sure to pay attention to the choice of beef. If you want a more rich dish, take a piece with a bone, and for the “light” option – just low-fat pulp. Pay attention to the color and consistency of the meat: pink or burgundy color indicates freshness, and the appearance of spots or dull color is an indicator that the product is “not the first freshness”. Yellowish streaks of fat “speak” of the venerable age of the animal; this meat will be tough. Please note that good beef is firm and elastic; if you press it with your finger, the resulting cavity will fill quickly enough. Try to buy chilled meat rather than frozen.
• If you can't find chickpeas, you can replace them with regular peas.
• If desired, butter can be replaced with vegetable oil.

Step-by-step preparation

1. Wash 100 g of chickpeas thoroughly, then soak it with plain water (not drinking water). It is better to do this at night, in extreme cases - no less than 4 hours.
   

   Chickpeas are also called chickpeas. The rules for choosing it are quite simple: the peas should be light yellow, of the same size and shade. Green or brown grains are not suitable; it is better to set them aside in advance.

2. Peel 1 onion and cut it into small cubes.
3. Place a saucepan on the fire, then melt 20 g of butter in it.
   
   
4. When the butter melts, add the chopped onion and fry until golden brown.
   
   
5. Meanwhile, get to the meat. Take 400 g of beef, rinse, cut into portions (about 4 cm in size).
   
   
6. When the onion turns golden, add 280 g of tomatoes in their own juice. Stir and simmer over low heat until half the liquid has evaporated.
   

   When choosing tomatoes, you can safely use home canning. It is better if the tomatoes are not whole, but cut into pieces

   
   
   
7. Add the meat to the pan and simmer until the meat changes color (about 10-15 minutes).
   
   
8. Drain the soaked peas and add the chickpeas to the pan.
   
   
9. Pour 2 liters of water into the soup.
   
   
10. Salt the bozbash to taste, add 1 teaspoon of turmeric and ground black pepper. Let the dish boil and cook over low heat until the meat and chickpeas are soft. On average, this will take about one and a half hours.
    
    
11. Peel 6 potatoes and cut them into slices about 0.5 cm thick.
    
    
12. When the meat and chickpeas are soft, add the potatoes to the soup. Stir the bozbash and cook until the potatoes are tender (about 20 minutes).
    
    
13. Taste the soup and add salt if necessary.
    
    

Bon appetit!

Recipe video

To see how to cook bozbash with pieces of beef, watch the following video. It shows the technology for preparing this first dish.

Options for decorating and serving dishes

The finished bozbash looks very beautiful - yellow peas, red pieces of tomatoes, a delicate shade of meat... As a rule, to decorate such a soup it is enough to sprinkle it with finely chopped herbs.

If you want to make this dish even more original, sprinkle the edges of the plate into which you pour the soup with ground paprika and pepper. These colored “stripes” look very elegant. Soup is served as a first course, after appetizers.

Due to the fact that it is very filling, you can limit yourself to minimal “additions”: pita bread torn into pieces or a dried white loaf, as well as vegetable salad or sliced ​​vegetables.

• Try to use a shoulder or rump for this soup - these parts of the carcass cook faster than the thigh or brisket.
• Potatoes can be cut quite large - according to the recipe they should not be too small. Small tubers can simply be cut in half (but in this case, take eight or nine of them, not six).
• If you don't have a thick-walled pan, you can fry the onions in a frying pan. Add meat to it, and transfer the mixture to the pan before adding chickpeas.
• If the bozbash turns out to be too thick, feel free to add water to it (at the stage of boiling the potatoes).
• To speed up the cooking process, chickpeas can be boiled separately until half cooked (this will take from 40 minutes to 1 hour). Fill it with 0.5 liters of water and cook over low heat.
• Beef on the bone can also be boiled separately until half cooked. In this case, use not water for bozbash, but the resulting broth.

Other possible preparation and filling options

• Try making “lamb bozbash”: it is prepared according to almost the same recipe.
• Beef lovers should try other first courses made from this meat: Caucasian -khash-, as well as Turkic. By the way, Moldovans also love the latter very much.
• You can also prepare this dish in a slow cooker. Like any other beef soup, it must be cooked in the first course cooking mode for about an hour and a half.
• Some people make this soup from chicken, but in this case it turns out less flavorful.
• Try replacing chickpeas with other legumes, such as regular peas or lentils. By the way, it is very good for health.

Many peoples argue about who first prepared this soup. Bozbash is indeed very popular, and this is easy to explain, because its original taste captivates from the first spoon. Are you preparing this dish? Share your recipes in the comments!

Bozbash, the recipe for which is most widespread in the Caucasus, is a seasoning soup and is served as a hot dish for lunch. Lovers of spicy, rich compositions will appreciate the savory dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine.

Bozbash soup

Those who do not yet know how to prepare bozbash should first familiarize themselves with the main points accompanying each recipe:

1. The dish is prepared using lamb or other meat. It is preferable to choose meat on the bone.
2. Turkish peas, which are required in the soup, are pre-soaked for several hours.
3. Chickpeas can be replaced with regular chopped chickpeas, and potatoes with chestnuts, which are now used less and less, but were components of an authentic dish.
4. Other vegetable ingredients and seasonings are optional, and their composition may vary depending on the recipe and availability.

Kufta-bozbash

Kufta-bozbash in Azerbaijani style is prepared with large multi-component ones stuffed with cherry plums (dried apricots, prunes) with the addition of dry herbs and spices. The food turns out thick, rich, aromatic and very nutritious. One plate of this hot dish can easily replace both the first and second dishes at lunch. 4 servings can be cooked in two hours.

Ingredients:

• minced lamb – 900 g;
• rice – 100 g;
• dried or fresh cherry plum (dried apricots, prunes) – 8 pcs.;
• dried basil – 3-4 tbsp. spoons;
• turmeric – 2 teaspoons;
• potatoes – 4 pcs.;
• onions – 250 g;
• dry chickpeas – 1 cup;
• salt, mint, dill, chili, saffron.

Preparation

1. When implementing this bozbash recipe, soaked chickpeas are boiled until soft.
2. Add prepared potato wedges and meatballs formed from minced meat mixed with rice, turmeric, basil and half a sliced ​​onion, into which steamed dry or fresh cherry plum is placed inside.
3. Boil the dish for 20 minutes.
4. Add fried onions, season to taste with mint, chili pepper, dill (fresh or dried), saffron and let it brew.

Bozbash - beef recipe

If you belong to the category of consumers who are skeptical about lamb meat, prepare a delicious beef bozbash. In this case, the meat is cut into large pieces and pre-fried in fat until golden brown, which gives the hot dish a special richness and a beautiful hue. In 2 hours, a delicious dish for 6 people will be on your table.

Ingredients:

• beef – 500 g;
• chickpeas – 100 g;
• butter – 30 g;
• tomatoes – 300 g;
• turmeric – 1 teaspoon;
• potatoes – 8 pcs.;
• onion – 250 g;
• seasonings, dried mint.

Preparation

1. Pour hot water over fried beef slices, add soaked chickpeas, and cook until soft.
2. Add peeled and chopped potatoes, season the dish to taste, and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Add fried onions with grated tomatoes and heat a little more.
4. The bozbash dish is served, flavored with dried mint.

Bozbash – lamb recipe

Azerbaijani bozbash, the recipe for which you will learn further, is as close as possible to the authentic version. To decorate it, lamb on the bone is used, which can be boiled in a whole piece or cut into portions. Peas are boiled separately, peeled and added to the dish at the final stage of cooking. To feed five eaters you need to spend two hours cooking.

Ingredients:

• lamb – 700 g;
• chickpeas – 100 g;
• cherry plum or plum – 200 g;
• turmeric – 1 teaspoon;
• potatoes – 6 pcs.;
• onion – 250 g;
• butter – 40 g;
• saffron, turmeric, herbs, salt.

Preparation

1. Peeled and chopped potatoes, chopped cherry plums or plums are added to the boiled broth with lamb, and the dish is seasoned to taste.
2. Sauté the sliced ​​onions in oil and add them to the container together with the prepared chickpeas.
3. Warm up the lamb bozbash for a couple more minutes and let it brew a little.

Chicken bozbash - recipe

From the recommendations below you will learn how to cook bozbash from chicken. This is one of the many varieties of Caucasian food, characterized by a lighter, dietary taste. There are variations without adding peas, which are replaced with an additional portion of potatoes or other vegetables, such as bell peppers. In an hour you can prepare 4 servings of soup.

Ingredients:

• chicken – 400 g;
• canned tomatoes – 200 g;
• butter – 30 g;
• bell peppers – 150 g;
• turmeric – 1 teaspoon;
• potatoes – 6 pcs.;
• onion – 200 g;
• spices and herbs.

Preparation

1. The chicken is divided into pieces and boiled until soft.
2. Add chopped potatoes and bell pepper strips and cook for ten minutes.
3. Add fried onions, grated tomatoes, seasonings, cook chicken bozbash for another five minutes, throw in finely chopped greens.
4. Let the soup sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Pork bozbash

Read more about how to cook pork bozbash. This type of meat is not used as often as, say, beef or lamb. In this case, the appropriate spices, such as sumac, saffron, basil and thyme, and fresh cilantro, give the food a Caucasian flavor. To feed six eaters at lunch, spend a couple of hours on the process.

Ingredients:

• pork on the bone – 500 g;
• tomatoes – 200 g;
• vegetable fat – 30 ml;
• chickpeas – 120 g;
• potatoes – 8 pcs.;
• onion – 200 g;
• seasonings, herbs.

Preparation

1. Boil soaked chickpeas and pieces of pork on the bone until soft.
2. Add potato wedges, and after ten minutes of boiling, add the grated tomato mass.
3. Season the dish with seasonings, add fried onions, heat it a little more and let it brew.

Bozbash in a slow cooker

Bozbash soup, the recipe for which is given below, can be made using a multi-cooker. A modern assistant will turn the process of creating hot food into a real pleasure, and will also allow you to get the most rich taste and aroma of Caucasian food. To create four servings it will take 80 minutes, of which you will spend only 10, and the rest of the time the device will cook on its own.

Preparation

The main secret to preparing this classic dish is frying the boiled meat. In addition, in the final part of cooking, the broth is flavored with natural pomegranate or lemon juice to give the dish some sourness. Having cooked beef bozbash once, you will surely appreciate this oriental dish.

Even before the stage of preparing a hot dish, you should place the chickpeas in cold water for 6-7 hours, or better yet, overnight.



To prepare Azerbaijani-style beef bozbash at home, you need to purchase a piece of the freshest and highest quality beef. Next, the meat should be thoroughly rinsed under running water and then dried using disposable paper towels. After this, the product should be cleared of chaff and veins, and then cut into very large pieces with a sharp knife, as shown in the photo.



Next you need to prepare other components. You should peel the vegetables and then chop the onion into squares (or slices). In the meantime, put the saucepan on low heat, add butter, and lightly fry the onion in the container. This procedure can be carried out without the participation of a frying pan, directly in a large saucepan necessary for cooking this culinary dish.



Then you need to chop the tomatoes and send them to the onions for frying. If you don’t have this ingredient on hand, you can use tomato paste. The consistency of the vegetable mass should be rare. You should simmer the ingredients until some of the moisture is gone. After this, you need to put the chopped beef into the pan, and then simmer the components until the shade of the meat changes.



Next, you need to wash the peas and place them in a container with meat. Then pour the required amount of water into the pan. The meat broth should be salted, seasoned with ground black pepper and curry. In the meantime, while the hot dish is on the fire, you need to cut large potatoes into large pieces, and cut smaller root vegetables into 2 parts. You should place the vegetable in the pan and continue cooking the soup. Next, you need to cook the bozbash until the meat, potatoes and chickpeas are ready. Then the first dish must be allowed to brew for some time. If desired, you can pour a little pomegranate or lemon juice into the soup, and also add chopped quince or sour apple.



That's the whole step-by-step photo recipe. The finished dish can be poured into portioned plates, sprinkled with freshly chopped parsley on top, and then served hot. Delicious beef bozbash cooked on the stove is ready. Bon appetit!

The calorie content of this dish is 328 kilocalories per 100 grams of product.

KBJU and composition for the entire dish