New food discoveries are good. Hopefully in a few years ‘going for an Uzbek’ could be a common phrase. Two weeks eating traditional Russian food would mean seriously overdosing on mayonnaise, dumplings and pickled vegetables. Without meaning to criticise the poor Russians this is not necessarily the best of eating. Thankfully, Moscow is full of Uzbek tea lounges. We need some Uzbek tea lounges in London.
The food is fantastic; fresh salads, dressed in nut oils and herbs with marinated onions, light fluffy cheese breads and grilled meats with spicy tomato and garlic sauces. Obi Non bread is round and bagel-like only better.
Uzbekistan itself is a mixed of Turkic, Arab and oriental cultures and this is reflected in the food. Mantay dumplings are much lighter than Russian pelmeni or Georgia Khinkali but have spiced and peppered ground lamb and beef fillings, still served with sour cream. The signature dish is plov, a risotto of stewed meat and fruit in long grain rice. It’s wonderful served with Shar karap salads and wrapped in thin, warm lavash bread. Skewers feature heavily, with grilled and marinated chicken and fish again served with lavash and sauces on the side. Nothing is too overpowering: coating or marinating is quite subtle rather than the overwhelming saturation in mayonnaise and sour cream that you find ever present in Russian food.
The Uyghur region is primarily in the Xinjiang province of China, but there is a significant population native to Uzbekistan. Their influence is significant on the nations menu. The food is light: stir fried meat combined with sesame oils and coriander and mint. It tastes oriental but without the cloying sugar rich sauces that so dominate in western oriental foods. They steam their plov so the meat and rice cook together and for winter soups, Xurpa, are meaty and thick, mainly made with stewed lamb.
Tea unsurprisingly features heavily. Fruit teas made from dried fruit peels are served with fruit in glass tea pots on stands over tea lights to keep them warm. Everyone in Moscow seems to spend hours sitting around smoking shisha pipes and drink fruit tea.
Chaihona No. 1 is a Moscow restaurant chain which has turned the Uzbek tea lounge into a glamorous place to be seen, eat good food and generally people watch. They took high profile retail units all over Moscow, some are in modern shopping centres but others are in park tents. Each one is individually decorated in traditional Uzbek materials and manages to retain a bit of the sense of the tented Nomads. Cocktails and karaoke do sneak in to please the Moscow glitterati and some amount of dressing up is required in order not to feel like a bag lady.
Somewhat addictively, many feature large plasma screens with cooking TV. These show continuous stir fry action.
I have grown strangely fond of live stir fry action.
The food is fantastic; fresh salads, dressed in nut oils and herbs with marinated onions, light fluffy cheese breads and grilled meats with spicy tomato and garlic sauces. Obi Non bread is round and bagel-like only better.
Uzbekistan itself is a mixed of Turkic, Arab and oriental cultures and this is reflected in the food. Mantay dumplings are much lighter than Russian pelmeni or Georgia Khinkali but have spiced and peppered ground lamb and beef fillings, still served with sour cream. The signature dish is plov, a risotto of stewed meat and fruit in long grain rice. It’s wonderful served with Shar karap salads and wrapped in thin, warm lavash bread. Skewers feature heavily, with grilled and marinated chicken and fish again served with lavash and sauces on the side. Nothing is too overpowering: coating or marinating is quite subtle rather than the overwhelming saturation in mayonnaise and sour cream that you find ever present in Russian food.
The Uyghur region is primarily in the Xinjiang province of China, but there is a significant population native to Uzbekistan. Their influence is significant on the nations menu. The food is light: stir fried meat combined with sesame oils and coriander and mint. It tastes oriental but without the cloying sugar rich sauces that so dominate in western oriental foods. They steam their plov so the meat and rice cook together and for winter soups, Xurpa, are meaty and thick, mainly made with stewed lamb.
Tea unsurprisingly features heavily. Fruit teas made from dried fruit peels are served with fruit in glass tea pots on stands over tea lights to keep them warm. Everyone in Moscow seems to spend hours sitting around smoking shisha pipes and drink fruit tea.
Chaihona No. 1 is a Moscow restaurant chain which has turned the Uzbek tea lounge into a glamorous place to be seen, eat good food and generally people watch. They took high profile retail units all over Moscow, some are in modern shopping centres but others are in park tents. Each one is individually decorated in traditional Uzbek materials and manages to retain a bit of the sense of the tented Nomads. Cocktails and karaoke do sneak in to please the Moscow glitterati and some amount of dressing up is required in order not to feel like a bag lady.
Somewhat addictively, many feature large plasma screens with cooking TV. These show continuous stir fry action.
I have grown strangely fond of live stir fry action.