Bukharian History in a Fragrant Bowl
For this ancient Jewish community in Central Asia, Food is the Touchstone!
Our newest episode of Tokyo Shishi is up!
Episode 8, our homage to the Bukharian Jewish Community really came through a relationship. Had I never met Shirley, had she not moved all the way here from Israel, plunked and planted in my very neighborhood, none of this ever would have happened. I would obviously not know her, her husband, her family, or the wealth of tradition and history their beautiful culture holds.
With Shirley, here in this episode, we make a luscious dushpera dumpling, meat-filled with a combo of beef and lamb, which is then served in a tomato-based, beefy soup! It is a meat-lovers’ paradise with ancient connections and ties to Bukhara.
In this very full episode, I say this:
“I’m astounded at the ingredients that go into Bukharian dishes, all coming together from the Silk Road and Asia, Russia, and the Middle East into one dish. I never would think so many fresh herbs would be included, either. I think “Spice Road” and picture dusty bottles of spice knocking around in muslin sacks. I didn’t imagine such verdant life infusing broths and filling such a space in the bowl. I didn’t think there would be such Asian overlap, either.”
The Silk Road and Bukharia as a whole, with its very ancient Jewish community and footing within Central Asia, is its own wonderful topic!
Have a listen! Recipe below after the Spotify!
What a delight and what ease that we made Shirley’s special dushpera dumplings out of…gyoza (comparable to but a bit different from wonton wrappers) found in any local store here! The worlds collide and combine.
Go to your local Asian market if you are anywhere else, or get crackin’ on the delicate dumplings from scratch. Your delicious call.
Here, in Shirley’s mother, Dora’s recipe, are complete instructions for the dough, as well:
Ingredients for Soup:
4 tomatoes, moderate size
2 large onions, white or yellow
1.25 kg/1,250 gr beef rib meat, cut into small cubes
Half a bunch of celery to evenly divide into what will be diced and what will be left whole
1 carrot
4 garlic cloves
1 bunch dill
0.5 kg dry chickpeas/ 2.5 cup dried chickpeas *If substituting cooked beans to add at end, use 7 cups cooked beans
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp sugar
1 small can of tomato paste/approx. 170 grams/ or 3/4 cup
Paprika
1 small zucchini
1 bunch dill
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch parsley
Buillion Cube or Tbsp chicken soup powder
Preparation the day before,
To Prepare Chickpeas:
Soak 3–4 cups of chickpeas in a bowl of cold water overnight.
The next day, use a towel and rub to peel them.
Prep work:
1. Score an X on the bottom of tomatoes, not stem-side. Pour boiling water over them until they soften, then peel and discard peels. Chop finely or blend.
2. Chop the onions.
3. Chop the meat.
4. Chop celery.
5. Dice the carrot into small cubes.
6. Slice the garlic into small strips.
Instructions for the Soup:
1. Sauté the onion until translucent.
2. Add the meat, sauté and stir well until browned (at least 15 minutes).
3. Add the fresh and crushed tomatoes (not the paste) and continue to sauté.
4. Add a bit of sugar to reduce acidity.
Add diced zucchini.
5. Add a whole celery stalk (uncut, to discard later) and a bit of chopped celery.
6. Add boiling water (up to about 1/4 of the pot height), cook for 15 minutes.
7. Add the chickpeas and cook for another 10 minutes.
8. Add almost all of the remaining ingredients (diced zucchini, dill, cilantro, and parsley whole; remove this whole bunch of parsley later).
*Reserve some fresh heaps of cilantro to garnish before serving.
9. Add the bouillon cube.
10. Add more boiling water to fill the pot, bring to a boil again, and then cook for 1 hour on low heat. Enjoy these Bukharian scents as they simmer.
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Dumplings (Koofteh):
Dough:
800g all-purpose white flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
350 ml water
Filling:
200g ground lamb
200g ground beef
1 large onion, grated
1 flat tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 flat Tbsp salt
Instructions for Dumplings:
1. Mix the flour with eggs and salt. Begin adding water gradually while kneading until you get a firm dough. You may need more or less water depending on the weather and humidity.
2. Let the dough rest, completely covered, for about half an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
3. Mix the two types of meat well and season with salt and pepper.
4. Once the dough is ready, divide it into two balls and start rolling it out.
5. Once rolled out thinly, cut into equal 2x2 cm/1.5 in squares. “Uniformity is not required, but it’s nice when they all look the same”, advises Dora. Work like she is standing with you, and you aim to make her proud.
(Dora also folds the dough like an accordion and cuts symmetrical cubes.)
6. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of filling in each square, then fold the dough into a rectangle.
7. Seal the top well, but don’t seal the side edges yet. Bring the two ends of the rectangle together and press the long sides together to seal. Try to wrap the filled end around your index or middle finger. This step will yield a tortellini-esque shape. Seal all edges well. They need to withstand a boil and not fall apart in the pot.
Gently place dushpera dumplings in a separate pot of gently boiling water. Each dumpling will begin to rise as it is finished. Again, gently ladle them out so they do not tear.
Spoon your dumplings with the soup, combining both meaty components—the dumplings and the broth for the ultimate Bukharian experience.
To serve:
Chop some of the reserved, fresh cilantro and liberally top each bowl.
Enjoy on a cold day or any sunny day, at all. This is a soup that has survived much and continues to be gleefully devoured.
There is also my dear friend, Dalia, whose father is Uzbeki! Our plov is to come in a near-future episode, along with a deeper dive into The Silk Road.
Let me know if you make Shirley and Dora’s dushpera or if you discover any other Bukharian treasure!
Greatbpost and great recipe but Hashem.is the touchstone