Uzbek cooking grew up along the Silk Road and is built on rice, meat, fresh herbs and warm spices. If the names are new to you, here is a short guide to each dish: what goes into it, how it is put together and what to expect. Everything is made fresh, and everything is kosher.
The traditional Uzbek rice dish, the heart of the menu
Oshpalov, better known as plov, is the flagship dish of Uzbek cooking. Rice simmers slowly together with spiced carrot, onion, tender meat and a warm blend of spices (cumin, coriander and more). The result is rich, fragrant and filling, served at family celebrations and just as happily as an everyday lunch. Ours is cooked fresh every day.
The green plov, generous with fresh herbs
Bakhsh is a special kind of plov, green in colour thanks to a generous amount of fresh coriander, dill and parsley cooked together with the rice and the meat. It is a signature Uzbek dish: deep, herby and surprisingly delicate. If you only know regular plov, the freshness of bakhsh comes as a happy surprise.
A crisp baked pastry filled with meat
Samsa is a baked pastry with a crisp shell and a juicy filling of seasoned meat and onion, scattered with sesame. It was originally baked in a blazing tandoor oven and is found right across Central Asia. Perfect as a starter, as a hot snack or alongside a rice dish.
The pumpkin version, gently sweet and delicate
Pumpkin samsa is the much loved vegetarian take on the classic: the same crisp baked pastry, this time filled with spiced pumpkin and a soft sweetness. It comes shaped as a triangle and topped with pumpkin seeds, so it is easy to tell apart from the meat one. A lighter, festive choice.
A crisp fried turnover filled with meat
Cheburek is a thin dough pocket fried to a golden crunch and filled with juicy, well seasoned meat. The contrast between the crisp shell and the soft, juicy filling made it a street food favourite across Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Large steamed dumplings filled with meat
Manti are large, soft dumplings filled with meat and onion and cooked in steam. They are bigger and juicier than pelmeni and are served hot, on their own or with a sauce. Comfort food that children and grown-ups agree on.
Hand-pulled noodles with meat and vegetables
Lagman is built on long noodles pulled by hand, served with meat, vegetables and a rich, spiced broth. It comes from Uighur cooking and travelled the length of the Silk Road. Enjoy it as a warming soup or as a full, satisfying meal.
A round fried bun filled with beef
Belyash is a round yeast-dough bun, fried until golden and filled with juicy beef. Hot, generous and satisfying: a classic from the kitchens of Central Asia and Eastern Europe.