How to cook azu pot dish. Azu in Tatar: recipes and cooking tips. Azu Tatar-style lamb in a slow cooker

The azu recipe is considered one of the most ancient in Tatar cuisine. There are dozens of its variations, and every housewife is sure that only her basics are “correct” and the most delicious! According to tradition, the dish is prepared from horse meat, lamb or beef (pork is not used, since most Tatars profess Islam). The meat is fried and then stewed in a spicy or not very spicy tomato sauce. It is accompanied by fried potatoes and pickles, without which a real basic is simply unthinkable! Yes, yes, beef basics with pickles is a classic and authentic recipe.

In addition to the three basic ingredients, the dish may include carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, cabbage and other vegetables. In this case, the consistency can also be different, both thick and more liquid. In the latter case, a spoon is served with the basics so that you can enjoy the sauce to your heart's content.

Basic rules for delicious food

• The meat is first fried and then stewed.
• The onions are sautéed in the same frying pan where the meat was fried.
• The beef is stewed in tomato sauce until cooked and only then combined with fried potatoes.
• Pickles are always added, which give the basics a special, recognizable taste.
• Garlic, herbs and spices are added at the very end of cooking.

What kind of container should I cook in?

It is better to fry meat in a cast iron frying pan, which heats well and holds the temperature for a long time. For long-term stewing, a thick-bottomed saucepan, stewpan or cauldron is suitable. You can cook the basics in clay pots in the oven - it will turn out very tasty, especially if you add a spoonful of sour cream or yogurt at the very end.

Ingredients

• beef 500 g
• vegetable oil 2-3 tbsp. l.
• onions 1 pc.
• tomatoes 2 pcs.
• tomato paste 1 tbsp. l.
• hot water 0.5 tbsp.
• potatoes 500 g
• pickled cucumbers 2-3 pcs.
• salt 0.5 tsp.
• bay leaf 1 pc.
• garlic 1 tooth.
• ground red pepper 2 chips.
• ground black pepper 2 chips.
• garlic 2 teeth
• parsley 5 g

Recipe for basic beef with pickles

1. Cut the beef across the grain into long pieces 1 centimeter thick. Beef tenderloin or pulp, without tendons and films, is ideal.
2. 
   Take a frying pan, heat it until red hot and pour in a little vegetable oil. We spread the meat in one layer, that is, fry it in several stages, in portions. If you put all the beef into a frying pan at once, it will not get a beautiful crust, but will begin to lose juice and stew. But to prepare the basics, this is unacceptable; the meat must be fried, “sealing” all the juices inside. Be sure to cook without a lid, over high heat, for 2-3 minutes, without adding salt! When the first portion is ready, add a little oil again and fry the next one.
3. 
   Place all the fried meat in a cauldron or pan, where the basics will be stewed.
4. 
   In the same frying pan where the meat was cooked, we will sauté the onions. There is no need to wash it or wipe it with a napkin - all the fat and meat juices will be absorbed into the onion during frying, which will make the taste of the azu very rich. Cut a large onion into cubes and fry for 2-3 minutes until soft, stirring with a wooden spatula. Combine onion with fried beef.
5. 
   Next, prepare the tomatoes. Peel a couple of large tomatoes and then grate them. Pour the resulting tomato puree into the pan with the meat. There we add 1 tablespoon of good tomato paste (without starch in the composition), diluted in 0.5 cups of hot water. If you don’t have fresh tomatoes on hand, you can replace them with tomatoes from a can, canned in their own juice - you will need 200 g of grated tomatoes.
6. 
   Place the pan with the fried meat, onions and tomato sauce on low heat and simmer under the lid. If there is not enough liquid to completely cover the meat, you can add a little boiling water.
7. 
   Young beef will cook in 30-40 minutes, older and tougher meat will take more than 1 hour. No need to salt! We will add salt at the very end of cooking, focusing on the degree of salinity of the cucumbers and potatoes. The beef should be fully cooked, that is, become soft when pressed and easily divided into fibers.
8. 
   While the meat is stewing, we prepare the potatoes. Peel the tubers and cut into strips or large pieces. Fry in hot oil until almost done. There is no need to fry until soft and crumbly, since the potatoes will still be stewed with the meat. But it shouldn’t be raw, otherwise it will remain too hard when immersed in tomato sauce. During frying, salt the potatoes by adding 2-3 pinches of salt.
9. 
   Place the fried potatoes in a pan with the fully cooked beef. We also put pickled cucumbers there, cut into strips. Salt and pepper to taste, add bay leaf. Gently mix everything, cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for literally 5-7 minutes - this time is enough for all the ingredients to combine and the potatoes to reach perfect condition.
10. 
    At the very end, add finely chopped garlic and parsley, stir and remove the pan from the heat.
11. 
    Let the basics brew for 10 minutes under the lid.

Serve the dish hot, sprinkled with fresh herbs.

This dish with an oriental character has undergone dozens of modifications, editions, changes, distortions and additions over its centuries-old (a little pretentious, but it’s true) history. For example, I know the basics with pickles in this form. But in fact, there are many variations. The only thing is that they never put pork in the Tatar azu. Why, I think, is easy to guess. Preparing the basics in Tatar style is simple, but you can easily get confused in the sequence of adding products. Especially if you don’t have solid culinary experience behind you. But don’t be alarmed, a recipe with photos will help you prepare a delicious Tatar-style azu with pickled cucumbers. Prepare and look after your health! By the way, the word “azu” comes from the ancient “azdyk”, which means “food” in Tatar. I would like to add that this food turns out to be very tasty and satisfying.

Set of products for the recipe:

Method of preparing azu in Tatar style with salted or pickled cucumbers (recipe with photo):

Remove films from beef or lamb. Meat for azu must be fresh and practically without veins, otherwise it will become tough after frying and stewing. Wash and cut into oblong pieces against the grain.
Heat a couple of tablespoons of vegetable or melted butter in a frying pan. You can also use lamb fat to prepare basics. Place the meat pieces on the frying pan.
Fry over medium-high heat until golden brown, stirring gently with a spatula. Do not add salt yet, otherwise the meat will be tough.
Pour in water or broth until the liquid completely covers the meat. Cover the pan. Turn up the heat to low. Simmer for 60-90 minutes until soft. Add water little by little if it evaporates too much.
In the meantime, get on with the potatoes. Of course, this ingredient is not included in the classic basics, which were prepared several centuries ago. Just like cucumbers, in principle. But modern housewives put both potatoes and pickles in the basics. Therefore, wash and peel the tubers. Remove all eyes and defects. Cut into medium-thick strips. Try to copy the cut of meat. If all the main ingredients of the basic recipe (pickles, potatoes, meat) are the same size and shape, as in the photo, the dish will have a harmonious taste.
Heat the remaining fat in another frying pan. If you only have one, you can transfer the beef (lamb) to stew in a saucepan or cauldron. And wash the frying pan and use it to prepare other basic ingredients. Place potato wedges into hot oil.
Over medium heat, cook the potatoes until almost done. It is better to use pink potato varieties. They contain a small amount of starch (Impala, Felox, Kolobok, Bryansk early, etc.). Such potatoes will not lose their shape while stewing. Yes, and don't forget to add salt.
But keep in mind that the basics also include pickled cucumbers with a bright taste. Cut them into fairly thick strips too. I've come across recipes that suggest grating pickled cucumbers on a coarse grater. But I like it better when all the basic components are cut approximately equally. Instead of pickled cucumbers, you can put pickled ones. But this will not be quite the traditional basics that Tatar chefs prepare.
Taste the meat component to see if it is ready. The meat is tender and tasty, but there is still a lot of liquid in the pan? Remove the cover. And make the fire "louder".
While the broth is boiling away, peel a small onion. Cut it up.
Add the onion slices to the frying pan with the meat pieces. Add sifted flour, which will make the base thicker. Fry until the onion is ready. If necessary, add a little more oil. But don’t overdo it, otherwise the basics will turn out too greasy.
Fresh tomatoes and tomato paste can be replaced with tomatoes canned in their own juice. A 200 gram jar will be enough. But if you decide not to deviate from my basic recipe, mix tomato paste and tomato pulp. To do this, the fleshy red fruits need to be blanched and grated on a medium grater. Too sour? Add a pinch of sugar, which will soften the acidity of the azu, but will not spoil the taste of the meat and pickles.
Wait until the onion becomes soft. Add chopped pickles to the base.
Then pour in the tomato. Stir.
Add potatoes. Stir.
Add black and hot peppers. Don't forget about garlic, it is definitely involved in the basic recipe. It must be chopped with a knife before adding. Or put it through a press. Once again, use a spatula to “shuffle” the components of the basics. Simmer until the dish is completely cooked. During these 5-10 minutes, the tomato sauce will become thicker, and the ingredients will “make friends” with each other.
Taste for salt and spices. If necessary, make up for the deficiency. All that remains is to chop the greens. Add it to the pan. And stir the basics one last time.
After 2-3 minutes, you can remove the dish from the heat and treat your household. This is the kind of sunny, fragrant, delicious basics served in some Tatar families. Tasty!

I don’t know how to say “bon appetit” in Tatar, but I still wish you a hearty meal with an oriental flavor!

If you have ever tried Tatar-style azu at least once, then, undoubtedly, you will remember for a long time the amazing taste of this simple, very tasty and at the same time practical dish. The basics are prepared from simple and accessible products, it turns out inexpensive and very satisfying. I offer an excellent recipe for beef basics, although the same can be done with lamb or pork.

Ingredients:

(4 servings)

• 400 gr. beef
• 2 pcs. onions
• 2-3 tomatoes or 1 tbsp. Tamat paste
• 2/3 cup meat broth or water
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 pickled cucumber
• 1 tsp flour
• vegetable oil
• peppercorns
• Bay leaf

These dishes are worth trying

Reviews and comments:

Katya 07.11.13
My whole family liked Azu in Tatar. You should not experiment with this dish; I advise you to cook it strictly according to the recipe. I cooked it twice, and the second time I decided to add some seasonings, namely coriander and nutmeg, the taste deteriorated significantly.

Alyona
Katya, I sometimes add basil (fresh or dry) at the very end of cooking, it turns out a very beautiful and aromatic dish, the main thing is not to overdo it with seasonings)))

Polina 08.11.13
It happens that you spend some time thinking about this or that recipe. Now I’ve read the correct recipe for preparing the basics and you can embody your creative abilities..

Svetlana 09.11.13
I have always been amazed at how similar some dishes of different nations are to each other. If you add paprika to this Tatar basic, you get Hungarian goulash. In general, my husband really likes such thick meat dishes and I cook them with pleasure.

Olga 09.11.13
My family also loves these things. Only I cook without garlic and pickled cucumber, I like it more tender. And after frying, I stew the meat for at least an hour, then it just melts in your mouth.

Nastya F 11/18/13
And I usually immediately threw fried potatoes into the basics and simmered everything together. And you know, the potatoes turned into a mess. I'm not friends with potatoes. Now I need to try adding boiled one as a side dish, I think it won’t be worse. Or you can even fried it :)

Marina 11/19/13
Every day I rack my brains about what to cook for my family, meat dishes are popular among us, so Tatar basics are just right for us, I’ll try to cook it with pork and beef, we don’t like lamb.

Tatiana 05.12.13
Tatar-style azu can be prepared from several types of meat, which is wonderful, but I still prefer beef to pork and lamb, although this is purely a matter of taste for each housewife.

Natalya 12/11/13
I had heard about this dish for a long time, but never had to cook it myself. And then I saw this recipe and decided to try it. True, I like it when there are a lot of vegetables in meat dishes, so I added carrots and sweet peppers to the onions (I used paprika). It turned out not only delicious, but my husband said that this kind of meat needs to be cooked more often.

Victoria 01/05/14
An excellent dish, but to my shame, undeservedly forgotten). Azu in Tatar style from beef and vegetables, what could be tastier than this...?! Easy to prepare, yet so filling and delicious! When many guests are invited, this dish is very practical to prepare; it will feed absolutely everyone and bring a lot of pleasure!). The main thing is that you can use any meat; beef, lamb and pork will do.

Alyona
Victoria, thanks for the comment. I also really love the basics for their excellent taste and practicality)))

Masha 05.15.14
In the basics I put not a pickled cucumber, but a pickled one from canned food. It seems to me that it turns out much more piquant.

Stas 06/21/14
Yummy! I haven't eaten such aromatic meat and luxurious gravy for a long time. From our entire family, thank you for the recipe.

Blinov Igor 08/28/14
Good afternoon
What I don't agree with is frying the onions. I never fry onions or carrots. Not for stewing meat, not even fish, not even for soup. It is without roasting that the juice is obtained, and the corresponding taste. For more than 30 years, it has been 100% tested.

Alyona
And to you, Igor, good day! But it seems to me that lightly fried onions taste better (most cooks do this), but I’ll try your option)))

Alexandra 06.11.14
Alena, thank you very much for the recipe! I’m preparing this dish for the second time and, I must admit, I haven’t eaten such delicious meat for a long time) my husband is very picky about flavor nuances, but even he was on duty at the frying pan for the second time to try it quickly. Buckwheat is perfect as a side dish. With your site I became a real cook!

Irene 11/10/14
Alena, thanks to your recipe, my family is addicted to the basics. We do it very often and always remember your wonderful site with a kind word. There are a lot of goodies on it and it is written very sensibly, in detail. It’s immediately obvious that you prepared everything with your own hands, and did not steal from others, as most culinary resources do.

Alyona
Irene, thank you)))

Julia 01/20/15
In principle, azu is the same goulash, only with the addition of pickled cucumber. I also sometimes make this meat with vegetables - sweet peppers, carrots, I can also add asparagus or cauliflower.

Oksana 02/13/15
I am still just beginning to comprehend the basics of culinary art, so meat dishes are the most difficult for me so far. I decided to cook this basic recipe, and surprisingly, it turned out quite edible, my husband approved. I noticed that it turns out quite economically, and the gravy is so tasty that you can even eat it without meat)).

Zukhra 03/11/15
I had to feast on such a dish, but I still want to note that it is better to cook Tatar-style Azu from young and fresh beef. The combination of beef and vegetables gives the dish an excellent taste, not to mention the aesthetic side. This dish is not only tasty, but also beautiful, a real table decoration!

Nikolay 03/27/15
Lots of options. Regular goulash is made only from beef, there is room for improvisation.

Azu in Tatar, like any folk dish, exists in many editions. But the main thing is the same set of ingredients: meat, potatoes and spicy tomato sauce with pickles, which combines everything into a single whole.

The result is a tasty, aromatic, slightly spicy (and sometimes very spicy) dish that the whole family, and especially the male half, will surely enjoy...

Ingredients

• 600 g beef for stewing
• 600 g potatoes
• 3 pickled cucumbers
• 1 onion
• 200 g tomatoes in pieces from a can or 2 tomatoes and 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic
• vegetable oil for frying
• 1 tbsp. flour
• cilantro or parsley
• ground black pepper
• red hot pepper to taste

Preparation

Cut the beef into pieces 5 cm long and 1 cm thick across the grain. Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a deep frying pan and add the meat there.



Cook over medium heat, turning occasionally, until the meat is browned. This will take about twenty minutes.



Pour hot boiled water over the meat until it just covers it. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce heat and simmer the meat for about an hour and a half until it is tender. There is one trick: if you stew the meat for a long time, and it is still tough, add a piece of black rye bread or a pinch of soda, so it will cook much faster.



When the meat is ready, open the lid and turn up the heat, let the remaining water boil away and the meat brown.



Add onion, peeled and cut into small cubes, and flour to the meat, mix everything. Fry until the onion becomes soft.



Add tomatoes from a can (I often take skinless tomatoes, cut into pieces, in their own juice, from the Green Giant brand) or grate a couple of fresh tomatoes, after cutting them in half. Hold them with the cut side towards the grater, then the skin will remain in your hands, and only the crushed pulp will be in the plate. Add tomato paste with fresh tomatoes. Simmer the meat and tomatoes for about five minutes over medium heat.



Cut the pickled cucumbers into strips and add to the meat, stir and heat everything together for another five minutes.



While the meat is stewing, peel the potatoes and cut them into slices. In a separate frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry the potatoes in it. Lightly salt the potatoes while frying, about half a teaspoon of salt.



Add the potatoes to the meat, mix everything and simmer together under the lid for 5 minutes. Peel and chop the garlic, finely chop the greens. Check the base for salt, add salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Then add garlic and herbs to the base, stir and cover with a lid. Turn off the heat. Let the finished dish stand for about ten minutes so that it infuses.

Azu in Tatar - afterword

It is quite difficult to argue about what an authentic Tatar-style azu recipe should be. Like any popular dish of folk cuisine, it developed, transformed and acquired new details, legends and traditions, and in the case of Tatar cuisine, which can be endlessly divided into Siberian, Kazan, Perm and dozens of others, it is generally unrealistic to find the original source. Over the years of its existence, the original recipe has changed hundreds of times, however, the basics have remained unchanged: meat, tomato sauce, pickles, potatoes. Let's talk about the fact that azu is essentially an ordinary stew, which means you can cook it creatively and on a whim.

Today, the Tatar basics are found in completely diverse interpretations. Someone cooks it so that the consistency of the dish is somewhere between the second and the first. Others prefer the basics with a minimum of sauce, evaporating excess liquid and leaving the ingredients almost “dry.” Everyone has their own “family” set of spices and herbs. The degree of spiciness is adjusted depending on the preferences of the cook, but traditionally azu is offered in a rather spicy version. The vessel in which this dish is stewed is chosen taking into account the fact that it needs to be stewed for a long time and thoroughly, but there are also “quick” recipes.

In various sources, in addition to tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and potatoes, other vegetables are added to the basics - carrots, sweet bell peppers and even mushrooms, eggplants, zucchini and cabbage. A separate topic for debate is meat: it is believed that traditionally azu is prepared from horse meat, but nowadays the basis is most often lamb, beef, and less often or almost never pork (this point is due to the fact that most Tatars profess Islam).

The general technology is simple: all components of the azu are fried separately, and then combined in a thick-walled cauldron and stewed together. Often the Tatar basics are prepared in clay pots in the oven. Sometimes a fermented milk component - cream, sour cream or yogurt - is added to meat and vegetables.

In general, if you are in doubt about how to cook the basics in Tatar, just do it as you see fit, the main thing is that it’s tasty and your family likes it. And if someone is loudly indignant that this is not at all what it should be, you can always authoritatively declare that “but here is my grandmother, whose great-grandmother was a Tatar and was famous for her basic knowledge throughout Kazan or Astrakhan (choose whatever you personally like best), I cooked it this way!”

Each nation has its own culinary traditions and its own favorite and revered dishes, the recipes of which are passed down from parents to children.

But it often happens that one or another national dish becomes a global treasure. Such unique dishes include, for example, Olivier salad, chicken with curry sauce and, of course, Tatar azu.

A little history of the dish

Azu is perhaps the most famous dish of Tatar cuisine. It is prepared using meat with the addition of vegetables.

Tatar cuisine is characterized by an abundance of delicious meat dishes, which is not surprising if we remember that the ancestors of this people were nomads, and the main thing in their diet was meat.

As for azu, the very name of this dish is apparently very ancient, since there is an opinion that it comes from the word “azdyk”, which is translated from Tatar as “food”. And from Persian “azu” is translated as “pieces of meat.” Which, in general, is also food.

True, the recipe for preparing the basics that has survived to this day is not so ancient. The obligatory components of this dish are potatoes and pickles, and these vegetables, as you know, appeared in Europe not too long ago.

However, 200–300 years is also not a short period of time during which the dish became popular and began a journey through the cuisines of different nations, and many additions, changes and even modernizations appeared in the recipe. But that same traditional recipe for basics in Tatar is also not forgotten.

Traditional (classic) recipe

In accordance with this recipe, the dish is prepared from meat, usually beef is used, less often lamb or horse meat. But not chicken and certainly not pork, which Muslims do not eat.

In addition, a cauldron is used to prepare the basics. In Tatar cuisine, various dishes are prepared in it, boiled, stewed and fried. The good thing about a cast iron cauldron is that it allows you to simultaneously fry and stew a large volume of various products.

The process of preparing a step-by-step recipe for basics in Tatar with photos:

1. Cut the meat into oblong slices the size of a finger;
2. Cut the onion into half rings, and pickled cucumbers without skin and carrots into small pieces. Scald the tomatoes with boiling water and, after removing the skin, cut into cubes;
3. Heat the cauldron well and fry the meat in melted butter. It is recommended to do this over high enough heat so that a crust quickly appears on the pieces and the meat does not have time to release juice. Then remove the meat onto a plate;
4. Add more oil to the cauldron and fry the onion;
5. As soon as the onions are golden, return the meat back to the cauldron, add carrots, salt and seasoning from a mixture of peppers, mix well and add the tomatoes to the meat and onions;
6. Simmer a little, stirring constantly. There is no need to close the lid, this will allow excess moisture to evaporate from the tomato. Add meat broth to the cauldron and continue to simmer under the lid until the meat is completely cooked;
7. While the meat is stewing, simmer the cucumbers in a small amount of broth, peel and cut the potatoes into cubes and fry them in melted butter;
8. When the meat is cooked, add cucumbers and potatoes, stir and simmer for another 10-15 minutes;
9. Sprinkle the finished base with a mixture of finely chopped garlic, parsley and cilantro.

The step-by-step process of preparing this dish is slow, but it's worth it. The dish turns out surprisingly tasty, aromatic, and the meat is juicy and tender.

Now watch the video, which shows all the stages of preparing this nutritious meat dish:

Modern varieties of basics in Tatar

They say that as many housewives as there are, there are so many recipes. And nowadays there are many varieties of this dish. Sometimes only the main ingredients remain common to them, such as meat, cucumbers and potatoes.

And even then not always, there is, for example, a recipe for basic fish. It is prepared in approximately the same way, only instead of beef they use fish fillet, usually red. And for the basics they use a variety of meats: chicken, turkey, rabbit, pork.

In a number of recipes, ghee is replaced with sunflower oil, fresh tomatoes with tomato paste, and a mixture of peppers with hot adjika. Along with onions, carrots and sometimes even raisins are often added.

This does not make the dish worse; on the contrary, it acquires new shades of taste.

Progress does not stand still; various technical innovations and devices appear that make the hard work of a cook easier. Thus, many modern housewives enjoy cooking in a slow cooker.

Azu Tatar-style lamb in a slow cooker

Product composition:

• Meat (lamb shoulder) – 0.5 kg;
• Potatoes – 5–6 pieces;
• 1 onion;
• Carrots – 150 grams;
• Pickled cucumbers – 2–3 pieces;
• Raisins – 150 grams;
• Garlic – three cloves;
• Water – 2 glasses;
• Tomato paste – 2 tablespoons;
• Sunflower oil;
• Salt and spices (pepper, bay leaf, etc.).

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In you will find wonderful recipes for meat soufflé, which is prepared quickly and easily.

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Preparation:

1. Cut the meat, carrots and potatoes into cubes, finely chop the onion;
2. Pour oil into the bottom of the multicooker and fry the meat until crispy;
3. Add vegetables and fry them together with meat for 5-10 minutes;
4. Without changing the frying mode, add cucumbers, fry for another 2 minutes and turn off the multicooker;
5. Add potatoes, tomato paste and raisins to the meat and vegetables, as well as spices and garlic, passed through a garlic press. Mix vegetables and spices, add water and salt;
6. Close the lid and cook the basics for 1 hour in the mode intended for preparing liquid dishes.

This, of course, is not the classic Tatar basics, but it is undoubtedly a tasty and nutritious dish.

Only instead of lamb in the recipe there will be beef, traditional for this dish.

• If you want to cook the basics in accordance with the traditional Tatar recipe, but there is no cauldron in the kitchen, then you can use any thick-walled (preferably cast iron) pan, for example, a duck pot or a frying pan with high walls. You can prepare this dish with sunflower oil, but the most delicious basics are obtained if you use ghee;
• It is pickled (or better yet, barrel) cucumbers that should be added to the dish, since pickled cucumbers have a completely different taste and contain vinegar;
• Having prepared the basics in Tatar style, you should remember that the best addition to it will be fresh, soft flatbread.

Azu in Tatar is a delicious dish that is rightfully popular.

Having a centuries-old history, it has not lost its attractiveness today. In addition, traditional foods are an important part of the culture of the people, and getting to know the culinary side of this culture can be not only educational, but also enjoyable.