Uzbek dumplings stuffed with raw egg. Tukhum-barak

Tukhum barak - eggs in dough, in the form of rectangular envelopes, boiled in salted water. Otherwise, these are dumplings stuffed with eggs. Despite the complexity of preparation, this dish is one of the most important and traditional dishes in Uzbek cuisine...

Dough Ingredients:

• Flour - 2.5 cups
• Water - 1 glass
• Salt - a pinch

Filling Ingredients:

• Eggs - 5 pcs.
• Linseed or cottonseed oil - 5 tbsp. spoons
• Milk - 5 tbsp. spoons
• Salt - 1/3 teaspoon

Dumplings with eggs recipe with photo

The dough is kneaded in warm water with a pinch of salt and infused in a warm place for 10-15 minutes. (Like dumplings)

Pour water into the pan to boil the envelopes and set to boil on fire.

For the filling, beat eggs into a deep cup, pour cold milk and butter, put salt and beat everything thoroughly.

Next, roll out the dough into a thin layer. Cut into ribbons about 6 cm long 20 cm, form envelopes, leaving one part open, as shown in the photographs.

Please note, when forming envelopes for dumplings, you should sprinkle the dough or add a little flour with your fingertip, this is so that the inside of the dough does not stick together.

Pour the cooked egg mixture onto each envelope, about 0.5 ladle or 4-6 tablespoons, then pinch the edges strongly so that the liquid does not leak out during the cooking process.

Blinded envelopes are released one by one into boiling and lightly salted water, 5-6 pieces at a time and boiled until the envelopes float to the surface, and then transferred to a cup of cold water and cool for 2-3 minutes.

We shift the envelopes slightly cooled in cold water in a layer into a flat cup, grease with oil and serve.

Egg stuffed dumplings it is better and tastier to use chilled and freshly prepared, preferably on the same day.

An analogue of Tukhumbarak is Russian dumplings, Ukrainian dumplings or Italian Ravioli (pasta made from dough with various fillings). Unlike those listed, Tukhumbarak is prepared exclusively with egg filling.

A little about the deck and poker

I often think of my grandmother, with her thin, overworked arms, a network of veins streaked with prominent veins. Now that she is gone, I am more and more aware of and re-evaluating this meek and impossibly modest person. After her, I never had to meet people of this type again in my life. Yes, they do not fit into our current reality with its cold prudence and consumerism. Even visiting her daughter (my mother), she managed to bring a little meat with her in a rag, so as not to burden our family budget with her presence. As far as I can remember, almost always (as soon as I appeared on a visit to my uncle, where my grandmother lived), I found her in the osh-khon (in the kitchen), where she constantly cooked something.
I remember how I laughed and sincerely wondered why she, sitting on her haunches and putting a wooden block ("kunda") in front of her, chopped and chopped meat on it with an ancient antediluvian knife with a wide blade ("cordi osh"). Indeed, for these purposes, people have long come up with a meat grinder that will grind any meat in a matter of minutes? But Grandma never argued. And she continued to tap methodically and monotonously, making habitual movements.
And even then, already sitting at dinner and praising the delicious dishes cooked by her wonderful hands, I continued to be amazed at her patience and perseverance, not understanding the most important thing - all the most delicious is cooked exclusively by hand, and no meat grinder, no most perfect unit can able to replace ordinary human hands. This came to me much later, when I was over forty.
And in general, I noticed that almost all dishes of oriental cuisine are kept exclusively "on the hands" and this, of course, is not surprising. Traditions, a special centuries-old way of life and continuity in the transfer of experience to subsequent generations could not but leave a special imprint on the Bukhara people in everything, not excluding, at the same time, such an area as cooking. Here, perhaps, as nowhere else, this connection with previous generations is most clearly and vividly felt and viewed. To do this, it is enough to enter almost any house in the Old Town, where you can still see numerous utensils and handicraft items in the kitchen. And all of them find their application in business, and do not lie on the shelves like antiques.
I am very sorry that I began to show interest in this kind of things late. Because now, in young families, much of what we inherited from our grandparents has gradually begun to be replaced by objects and units of modern industry. No, I am not for a return to the past and the technological revolution will not stand still. This is clear. It is also understandable that with the disappearance of ancient utensils, which involve personal participation on the part of a person and replacing them with the latest technologies, in order to save time and cheap labor, we are undoubtedly losing something more valuable than just “grandmother’s deck” or “grandfather’s poker”.
That is why I rejoice in those small "islands" that have not yet been conquered by scientific and technological progress. And among them, such dishes as lagman, manti, tukhum-barak.
Its literal and direct translation sounds like this: “tukhum” - “egg”, and “barak” - “boiled”. “Just think, boiled egg,” you say, and you will be wrong.
Actually, the whole difficulty lies only in the fact that the "envelopes" of the dough, into which it will be necessary to pour a mixture of milk, butter and eggs, are tightly "sealed" and would not break during cooking. That is, so that the contents do not leak out. There are a number of subtleties, but this is later, during the cooking process. In the meantime, back to our "barracks". This word implies a way of cooking and means - "cook". In Bukhara, Karshi and Samarkand cuisine, it is found quite often, in relation to other dishes. For example, there is such a dish as kadu-barak (“kadu” - “pumpkin”). Pumpkin boiled in dough. Something like dumplings. However, if you come across the phrase "kadu-bichak", then this is not the same thing. The word "bichak" means "to fry". But this is so, for the general development. In conclusion, before we proceed with the direct preparation of this dish, I should only note that tukhum-barak is good both hot and cold.
Personally, for myself, I have not finally decided - in what form it is better to eat it.

In principle, "the devil is not as scary as his ... "little one." And therefore - let's take a chance - maybe something will work out. But first, we, as we decide on the products

Tukhum-barak

For dough:
Premium flour - 500 ml;
Egg - 1 pc;
Water - 250 ml;

For stuffing:
Eggs - 8 pcs;
Sesame oil - 15 tablespoons;
Milk - 15 tablespoons;
Salt - to taste;
Separately:
Water (salted) - 200 ml;

As always, the first step is to knead the dough. For these purposes, we take a deep bowl, pour a full glass of ordinary (but better cooled boiled) water into it, throw in half a teaspoon of salt, beat in one egg, stir thoroughly until a homogeneous mixture and then carefully pour in the flour, while kneading the dough in a circular motion. Don't try to add all the flour at once. Leave a little for dust.
Having thoroughly kneaded the dough and rolled it into a ball, leave it for 10-15 minutes in a bowl, covering it tightly with a plate on top so that it does not become weathered. After the specified time, it will be necessary to knead it again and, adding a little flour to the bottom of the bowl, let it rest for 10-15 minutes. And finally, process it again for the third time and leave it so that after 5-6 minutes you start rolling the dough into a regular pancake, like on manti.
In the meantime, we take out another deep bowl and carefully drive all 8 eggs into it, carefully making sure that no spoiled ones are among them. Now we pick up an ordinary kitchen knife and begin to “chop” the egg mixture with it. It is to chop (perform methodical translational movements from top to bottom), tilting the bowl slightly on its side for convenience and gradually rotating it around its axis. Two or three minutes, no more. In no case do not try to "facilitate" your task by adopting a mixer or an electric beater! In this case, you can safely pour the mixture into the sink and start all over again.
If you try to ask me: "Why, in fact, to chop, and with a knife?", then I will simply and frankly have to confess to you: I don't know. In fact, I don’t know - based on what laws, one should do just that, however, I firmly believe that our ancestors did not invent anything just like that and everything has a reasonable basis. In a separate small bowl, mix regular store-bought milk with sesame oil. Attention! Sesame oil should be refined and diluted with any vegetable oil, in a ratio of 1 to 10, respectively. If you can’t get sesame oil in any way, then you will have to replace it with vegetable oil. The result, respectively, should be expected a bit worse. Don't forget to add some salt to the mixture.
Finally, continuing to "chop" the eggs, slowly pour the mixture of milk, butter and salt into them. Continue stirring for a while (1 - 2 minutes), after which you can put the bowl with the mixture aside and take a break.
We put a cauldron or an aluminum pan on the stove, fill three-quarters with water and, while the water boils, proceed to rolling out the dough. In order not to repeat myself, I suggest looking in the recipe about "manti". The whole procedure proceeds "one to one", except for the last moment: there we cut into "squares", and here we should cut into "rectangles", the length of which is twice the width. Now we prepare a small tray, which we cover with a clean linen or waffle napkin, put our "rectangles" on it in small piles (so as not to stick together) and cover with another napkin on top so that the blanks do not wind up.

Pour water, a little salt into a small cup and stir the contents well. We take the first "rectangle" of the dough, lay it out in front of us (it is possible on a cutting board), dip our finger into salt water and moisten the long edges of the "rectangle" with it. Then we fold almost (!) in half (not flush, but slightly, 2 mm lower) and tightly press the edges of the resulting "envelope". The appearance resembles an unsealed postal envelope, with the only difference being that it turned out to be square rather than rectangular.
And now it remains for us to carefully pour the prepared mixture a little inside the envelope with a tablespoon, cover the upper edge of the dough, press firmly (as if to glue) and ... lower the "sealed envelope" with the mixture into boiling water. And quickly move on to the next one.
In general, as you probably already guessed, this dish is also a family one. That is, it is very difficult to cope here alone. Therefore, you should divide into two (or even better - into three) groups: one smartly molds empty envelopes, the other pours the mixture into them, seals them tightly and passes them to the third, whose task is to lower these envelopes into boiling water and monitor those - which of the previous (surfaced "barracks") are already ready to be removed in time and laid on a wide flat dish. The latter must also be lubricated with vegetable oil without fail. If any of the envelopes turns out to be not quite tightly “sealed”, then during cooking the whole mixture may leak out of it, and for this you can already safely give a ladle in the forehead to the one who stands at “post number 2”.
He, of course (if not a fool), can quickly "transfer arrows" to "post number 1", as a result of which a normal home environment is created in which we are most accustomed to swallowing our "barracks". "Extreme", as always, can be very difficult to find, but it only unites and strengthens the team.
Ready-made tukhum barracks should be laid separately from each other, in a maximum of three layers. Moreover, each layer of "barracks" must be generously lubricated with sesame oil. Having filled one dish, you should take another and so on until all the blanks are over. They are cooked, as a rule, for 3-4 minutes, no more.
In conclusion, I want to express my admiration for those who decided to cook this dish, despite the relative complexity and laboriousness of its individual stages. Already for one determination - to bring the matter to its logical end - I can safely enroll you as a candidate for the title of "professional lover of oriental cuisine", with the award of the "Order of a young lamb" III degree.

Tukhum-barak in translation means a boiled egg, and in appearance it reminds someone of envelopes with filling, someone dumplings or dumplings, someone ravioli. The peculiarity of the dish is that the eggs as a filling are not boiled, but raw!

I have wanted to cook tukhum-barak since I received the book "Markhamat" three years ago from its author - Golib Saidov - in one of the competitions. Each time, when making dumplings, I thought, why not make a few Uzbek "egg dumplings" in parallel for testing? ... Finally, my hands reached. I must say right away that it turned out to be easier for me to make a hundred ordinary dumplings than to make several tukhum barracks!

It seems that they turned out quite well, but due to the lack of real sesame oil, I did not fully feel the fullness of the classic taste. Sesame oil is added to another vegetable oil in a ratio of 1 to 10. I used one type of oil - cottonseed, but almost any can be used.

Tukhum-barak is served both hot and cold, i.e. cooled down. Just like the author of the book, I was undecided which I liked better.

To prepare tukhum-baraka, prepare the ingredients according to the list.

From flour, water (or milk) and eggs, knead a stiff dough.

For the filling, you need to break the eggs into a bowl and mix them in a special way. Fearing that I would not succeed, I did not take all the eggs at once, but a couple.

Then she prepared a portion of milk and vegetable oil proportional to two eggs. I just mixed them together, adding a pinch of salt.

Combine with stirring the egg mixture and milk-butter, i.e. also chop with a knife until smooth.

Roll out oblong ribbons from the dough in any convenient way and cut into rectangles of such a size that when you fold them in half, you get squares or something close to this shape.

Place a pot of water on the stove. It is more convenient if it has a wide bottom. Turn it on and closer to boiling, start forming a tukhum-barak.

Lubricate the two edges of a rectangular piece of dough and blind them together. It is necessary to blind tightly so that the liquid filling does not flow out. Then take the "envelope" from the dough either in a fist, or rest the lower part on the table, holding the sides with your hand. Pour in a portion of the egg filling (I have 2-3 tablespoons per envelope). Seal the edges and place in boiling water.

Immediately proceed to the formation and cooking of the next tukhum-barak for a serving or several servings. The cooking time of the last envelope should be at least three minutes. Someone will think that all tukhum barracks will be boiled differently, but this is how this thing is prepared ... It is unrealistic to prepare several pieces at once and then cook, because the filling will simply start to flow out of the blanks.

Put the finished tukhum-baraki on a dish in no more than three layers or on portioned plates. So that they do not stick together and for even more deliciousness, grease with sesame or butter.

Tukhum-barak is ready.

Bon Appetit!

Step 1: prepare the dough and make blanks for dumplings.

Sift the flour through a sieve onto a work surface. We make a recess in the hill, pour water, milk, salt and pepper into it. Then knead the dough with your hands. Sprinkle the work surface with flour. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness 2 mm. Cut the rolled out dough into squares with a knife. 3*3 centimeters.

Step 2: prepare the filling.

We clean the onions with a knife from the husk and rinse with running water. We scroll the beef through a meat grinder into a bowl, then scroll the onion. Add water, salt and pepper to the bowl. Mix with a spoon.

Step 3: prepare the greens.

Rinse the greens under running water, dry with a kitchen towel. Cut with a knife on a cutting board very finely.

Step 4: prepare barak-chuchvara (Uzbek dumplings).

Put the minced meat in the center of the dough square with a spoon and pinch the edges from two opposite edges with a triangle with your fingers. Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan and cook the dumplings over medium heat until tender. 5-7 minutes. We take out the finished dumplings with a colander from the pan.

Step 5: serve barak-chuchvara (Uzbek dumplings).

Barak-chuchvara is served in portioned plates, sprinkled with fresh herbs. You can also pour dumplings with soy sauce. Bon Appetit!

If you do not have the opportunity to cook meat broth, then you can make broth according to the following recipe. Cut the onion into half rings and fry in a pan with sunflower oil. Cut bell pepper into small pieces. Put the water to boil over high heat, add onion, bell pepper, bay leaf, pepper and salt.

Barak-chuchvara can also be served with sour milk and sprinkled with red ground pepper.

Onions in minced meat can not be scrolled in a meat grinder, but chopped finely, thanks to this, the dumplings will be more juicy.