Postcard from Bishkek

A traditional Tatar dessert that is also popular in other parts of Russia and in nearby countries is Chak-Chak.

Indeed, it is so popular that at least some Uzbeks claim it as their “national” (i.e. Uzbek) desert.

Chak Chak is made from unleavened dough cut and rolled into hazelnut-sized balls, which are then deep-fried in oil.  As an alternative optionally, hazelnuts or dried fruits are added to the mixture.  The fried balls are stacked in a mound in a special mold and drenched with a hot honey syrup.

In Tatar cuisine, it is especially popular for weddings but can be served at any time.  In Uzbekistan, apparently, it is a popular holiday fare but, once again, can be served up at any time.  Here it is also a regular feature of any holiday and cuisine festival wherever there is a Tatar representative … for example: Sabantui.

 

The start of any celebration for the Tatars is an invitation to a special “tea”.  Guests should arrive simultaneously, and are first invited to sit at the table upon arrival.

There is a great assortment of pastries and confectionery in Tatar cuisine for the hosts to choose between to accompany the tea. These can include variations of unleavened breads, fried in bubbling oil

• urama – long strips of pastry, arranged in rings like a rose;
• Kush tele – small pieces of fried pastry which look like abird’s head;
• paramyach – a Tatar like an open pie;
• chak-chak – pastry straws fried in oil and coated with a honey-sugar syrup with the addition of raisins and walnuts
• lyavash cakes made with fillings such as apple or aubergine
• home made Uchpuchmak, with fillings of meat and mixed vegetables (e.g. finely chopped gourds)
• vak balish, small round pies with a small hole at the top.
• Kyuiyo paramyach, a type of meat pie.
  (This dish is typically prepared the day after a wedding feast, especially for the brother-in-law, although they are offered to all guests on that day).  It is similar to the paramyach, but smaller. These small pies first fried in boiling oil to a brownish colour, then stuffed with meat.

Among the main dishes of Tatar cuisine are tukmyach , (homemade noodles with meat and vegetables), tatyrgan tavuk, (stuffed chicken), djatlama, (steamed roll), arzu, (meat with vegetables), kaldja, (meat roll).

In addition, in Tatarstan, itself, (an autonomous Republic of the Russian Federation), fish dishes are popular –  especially in those areas that border the Volga River.

 

As well as being popular, it is also relatively straight forward to make … here is a recipe for sufficient for 6-8 persons:

Ingredients:

• Flour – 500-600 g,
• eggs – 5,
•  milk – 4 tablespoons,
• 1 pinch of salt,
• baking powder – half a teaspoon,
• cognac or vodka – 1 tablespoon,
• vegetable oil – 1 litre;
• raisins – 200 g,
• any nuts – 200 g.

For the syrup:

• Honey – 2 cups (400 ml),
• granulated sugar – 2 cups.

Step 1. Sift the flour with a sieve, and put into a deep bowl. Break the eggs into a separate dish and whisk. Add the flour and pour in the milk, vodka or cognac. Add the salt.

Step 2. Knead the dough. When ready, the dough should stand for 20 minutes under a kitchen towel or plastic, (a plastic bag or “cling film”).

Step 3. The dough should be divided into 2 parts. Each rolled into the form of flat cakes, as shown in the photograph below. These should be rolled to a thickness of 2-3 mm. The rolled out dough is then cut into strips of 7-8 cm.

Step 4. Cut the strips into narrow strips 2-3 mm wide. Bring the vegetable oil to a boil and put test strips. Fry until golden brown, remove and drain the excess oil. The cooked strips are then folded into a deep and broad-based dish.

Step 5. Mix the honey with sugar, put on a slow flame or heat in a water bath. The sugar must completely dissolve.

Step 6. When the syrup is ready, pour onto the folded cooked strips of dough folded in the deep dishes. Shape them – for example, into a cone or semisphere. Decorate the top with the raisins and nuts.

Tips:

1. If you have lapsha mill, then the dough can be rolled out and cut in it, as shown in the photograph.

2. When frying, the volume of the dough is greatly increased. Therefore, you should lower it into the boiling oil gradually.

 

 

Tags: Food and Drink, For_the_Record