Uyghur lamb shorpa soup and naan

Lamb shorpa soup

This is a very common and nutritious soup in Uyghur cuisine. Gulchehra uses it in her family to cure the common cold and any body aches.

Ingredients (serves about 5 people)

A few pieces of bone-in lamb
1x onion
2x carrots (chopped)
1x beetroot or potato (sliced) 1x can of chickpeas
1x tomato (sliced)
chopped green onions, parsley, and other green herbs .
You can add salt and spices such as black pepper, ginger, bay leaves  etc.

Directions

1. Place the lamb in five to six cups of water over high temperature

2. . Before boiling, filter out the foam on the surface. Once it start to boil, lower the heat.

3. Add the onion, salt, spices and herbs and simmer for one hour.

4. Add the carrots and tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes

5. Add the potatoes and simmer for another 15-20 minutes on low heat.

6. The soup is ready. Place the finely chopped green onions and parsley on the bowl of soup.

7. Eat with freshly baked naan, it’s delicious!

Uyghur naan

The Naan (bread) is traditionally baked in the Tandoor, though in her home, Gulchehra bakes it in an electric oven. There are a lot of varieties as it can be customized with added ingredients based on your taste. ”Uyghurs are a beauty-loving nation, and they decorate the bread they eat with flower patterns. We cannot live without bread!” Gulchehra shares.

Ingredients
4 cups x bread flour.

2 tbs of yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water and a teaspoon of sugar.
1 x egg
1/2 cup of melted margarine, vegetable oil, or olive oil.
1 cup of warm milk
1 tsp of salt.

Making patterns with a chekkuch

Directions

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl

2. Knead the dough for about 10min, until it no longer sticks to your hands (add a bit of flour,

   if needed)

3. Cover the dough so that air does not enter, and let it rest at room temperature for 40-60min

4. When the dough has risen, divide it and roll it into four balls

5. Roll the dough to make it flat, in a circle shape and roll the sides

6. Uyghurs use a special stamp tool called chekkuch to decorate the naan with flower patterns but you also can use a fork to make a stamp in flower shape or tie together 4 chop sticks to make a pattern.

7. Brush the dough with milk or egg , and sprinkle it with sesame or black seeds.

8. Some people also like to add thinly sliced fired onions on top

9. Bake in an electric oven at 375 F until the Naan turns golden, our delicious naan is ready.

   Naan can be enjoyed with soup, and is also used to break the fast with tea and a sweets spread. Find Gulchehra’s tea and baqqali honey cake recipe here.

   Here you can find her recipe for Laghman hand-pulled noodles.