Uzbek Shorba

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 500 g lamb
• 5 onions
• 3 bell peppers, green
• 3 carrots
• 3 potatoes
• 4 tomatoes
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• 1 bunch of fresh herbs (parsley, coriander, dill)
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes

the most common soup in Central Asia with numerous spelling variations (Shorpa, Shurba, Shurpa, Sorpa)

Cut the lamb (shoulder is best) into fairly small pieces and sear on all sides in hot oil (in Central Asia, lamb’s tail fat would be preferred). Cut the onion and bell pepper into rings, and the carrots into strips. Peel and quarter the tomatoes. Sauté the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and finally the carrots one at a time until the tomatoes begin to lose their shape. Add the cumin, coriander powder, salt, and pepper, and fill with two liters of cold water. Heat gently and simmer for half an hour. Dice the potatoes and simmer for another 15 minutes with the chopped herbs. Sprinkle with fresh herbs to serve. There are numerous variations of this recipe in Central Asia. In Turkmenistan, for example, the lamb is replaced with fish. Chicken or beef can also be used. In addition to vegetables, apples, quinces, apricots, and prunes—fresh or dried—occasionally find their place in shorba.