Stuffed Vegetables, Plov, and More Uzbek Recipes From a Bukharian Grandmother
Shared by Svetlana Davydov and her granddaughter Elena
Recipe Roots: Tashkent, Uzbekistan > Queens, New York City > Long Island, NY
“We all lived right next to each other,” Elena says about her family when she was growing up in New York City. “So, it was my mom’s house, and then a block away was my aunt, and then a block away from my aunt was my grandma. We were always hanging out at each other’s houses.” When her grandmother Svetlana Davydov describes her childhood in 1940s and 1950s Uzbekistan, the setup was nearly identical. Her grandmother had seven children and all of them lived close by, it was as if they lived together — just separated by a few minutes’ walk. “You have to be all together,” Svetlana, who goes by Sveta, says. “Unity makes you stronger.”
Before heading to school for the day in Queens, Elena and her cousins ate breakfast together and when they came home, Sveta would cook a late lunch for everyone, often with recipes inspired by those she learned from her own grandmother. Sveta’s culinary repertoire is deep and wide with dishes like plof or plov, a rice pilaf with chunks of tender beef and carrots, dumplings like pelmeni and manti, savory pastries called samsa, fried carp with garlic, and bakhsh, a rice made green with cilantro. Her cooking is a melange of recipes that spread across the Soviet Union, Uzbek dishes, and Bukharian ones unique to their community.
Bukharians were once part of a large group of Persian-speaking Jews whose origins date to the ancient Persian Empire, explains Claudia Roden in “The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey From Samarkand to New York.” But, the community became its own, distinct entity in the 18th century, living in various cities in Uzbekistan where they shared traditions with the local Muslim population. They were generally well off and “Their celebratory meals are legendary,” adds Roden. But, life changed with the arrival of the Bolsheviks.
When Sveta was growing up under Soviet rule in Tashkent, Jewish observance was outlawed. Still, her family kept some of their traditions going in the privacy of their homes. Her grandfather was a rabbi and when he was alive, relatives built a Sukkah in the backyard, lining the floor with locally-made rugs and decorating the hut with pears, apples, melons, and pumpkins. Kosher food was hard to find, but for holiday meals, Sveta’s mother would take a chicken to be slaughtered by a rabbi who ensured it was done according to kosher laws.
Being Jewish publically was more complex — Sveta felt a sense of pride, but also fear, Elena explains. On her grandmother’s official state documents, her nationality was clearly written: Bukharian. When Sveta took the entrance exam for medical school, she did exceptionally well. Seeing her marks, the head of the medical school proclaimed his shock that a Bukharian Jew had achieved them. The same thing happened when she received an honor at graduation.
Sveta went on to be a pediatrician and to teach medicine. She kept her religious traditions to herself, not sharing them with her colleagues. On Yom Kippur, she quietly fasted, refrained from writing any prescriptions, and walked to the office instead of taking a car or a taxi.
When the Soviet Union began to collapse, her family, like many Soviet Jews, left as refugees. With just one suitcase each, they made their way to Austria and then Italy, where they lived for a few months while their papers were processed. Finally they arrived in New York City in 1990. Sveta was in her 40s, her daughter Lili was just shy of 20, and Elena would be born a few years later.
The transition was difficult. They slept on mattresses pulled from the garbage and Sveta couldn’t transfer her medical degree. Like her own grandmother in Uzbekistan, she stepped in to ensure the family stayed together and was safe. “She dedicated her life to her grandkids,” Elena says.
In recent years, Elena and her sister Dalia started posting cooking videos featuring Sveta on Youtube and other social platforms. It’s a way to spend time together and show off Sveta’s cooking prowess, but it’s about more than that. For Elena, it’s a way to claim her identity and encourage others to do the same. “It’s super important for [people] to know I am Bukharian,” Elena says. “So people feel proud of who they are and where they come from — and not to shy away from it.”
Pelmeni
Makes: 6-8 servings
Total Time: 1 hour active time, 2 hours inactive time
Ingredients
For the dough:
1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon salt
½ egg, beaten
½ cup water, lukewarm
For the filling:
½ pound ground beef chuck
¼ cup yellow onion, grated or finely ground in a food processor
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
White vinegar for serving
Preparation
Make the dough: Stir the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the egg and ½ of the water and use a wooden spoon or your hands to mix well. Add the remaining water and mix until a dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and homogenous. Shape the dough into a ball.
Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
Make the filling: Mix the beef, onion, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl until the ingredients are well incorporated. Set aside.
Prepare the dough: Place the dough on a heavily floured surface. Knead the dough until it becomes pliable and less sticky, about 2-4 minutes. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a thin circle that is 15 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour and fold the top edge over the bottom to create a semi circle and then fold the semi circle into a quarter of a circle. Let it rest under plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Unfold the dough back into a circle and sprinkle it with flour. Use the rolling pin to roll out the dough as thinly as you can until the circle has doubled in size. Sprinkle the dough with flour again. Shape the dough into an accordion that is 1 ½ inch deep. You can do this by folding the dough back and forth over itself horizontally, in layers that are 2 inches in depth. Use a sharp knife to cut the layered piece of dough crosswise in 2 inch pieces. Unfold each piece into long rectangular strips and horizontally layer them on top of eachother. Use a sharp knife to cut the long rectangular pile of dough into 2 inch pieces crosswise, to create squares. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap to prevent drying.
Fill and shape the dough: Place 1 teaspoon of the beef filling into the center of a piece of dough. Take the top edge of the square farthest from you and fold it over towards you to just cover the filling leaving a ¼ inch border of dough on the bottom section of the piece of dough. Use your fingers to pinch and seal the dough over the filling. Pick up the pelmeni holding each bottom corner of the dough with your thumbs and pointer fingers. With one of your middle fingers, press in the center of the meat-filled dumpling and fold one edge of dough over the other with your thumbs. Seal these two edges together tightly to create the pelmeni’s signature shape, a ring shaped dumpling with a pouch on the bottom. Repeat filling and shaping the rest of the pelmeni.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place all the pelmeni into the pot and boil for 3-4 minutes until they float to the top and are cooked through.
Serve hot and lightly drizzle with white vinegar.
Cook’s note: After shaping the pelmeni you can place them into the freezer on a plate to freeze into shape for about 20 minutes. Then place the frozen pelmeni into a large container or bag and freeze them for up to 1 month. To defrost the pelmeni directly, put them into a pot of boiling water and cook.
Plov
Makes: 6-8 servings
Total Time: 50 minutes prep, 40 minutes inactive
Ingredients
¾ cup vegetable oil
3 large carrots, peeled and julienned
1- 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
1 pound beef chuck, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 cups medium grain rice, rinsed and drained
1 ½ tablespoon salt
Preparation
Place 1 cup of the carrots into a small bowl and set aside. Place the remaining carrots into a larger bowl. Add the cumin seeds into the large bowl of carrots and mix well.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until very hot.
Add the beef into the pot and fry, stirring it once the bottom pieces have browned. Fry for about 5 minutes until all sides are browned.
Add the onions to the beef and mix, frying the onions until they are soft for about 3 minutes.
Use a spatula to move the beef and onion onto the edges of the pot and place the cup of the carrots into the center of the pot. Fry the carrots for 5 minutes until they are soft.
Use a spatula to mix the carrots with the beef and onion mixture. Skim any foam or impurities that rise to the surface.
Add the remaining carrots with cumin seeds in one layer into the pot on top of the beef mixture. Add 2 cups of boiling water into the pot and cover.
Bring the mixture to a boil, about 5 minutes and reduce the heat to medium.
Add the rice into the pot in one even layer. Sprinkle the rice with 1 tablespoon of salt. At this point there should be enough water in the pot to just cover the rice. Add more boiling water if needed.
Continue cooking the plov over for about 5 minutes until the water begins to evaporate. Using a spatula, form the rice into a circular mound. Use the back of a spatula or large spoon to make about 6 deep holes in the rice mixture.
Place a shallow bowl large enough to fit into the pot and cover the rice mixture, over the rice mixture. Place a towel over the pot and cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low.
Cook the plov for 40 minutes until all the water has evaporated and the rice is tender and cooked through.
To serve the plov, place the rice and carrots onto a serving platter and then add the beef, onions and remaining carrots over the rice.
Manti
Makes: 6 servings
Total Time: 45 minutes active time and 3 hours inactive
Ingredients
For the dough:
1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ teaspoon salt
½ beaten egg
½ cup luke-warm water
For the filling:
1 pound beef chuck, finely chopped into ⅙ inch pieces
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
2 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Preparation
Make the dough: Place the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and stir. Add the egg and ½ of the water and mix with a wooden spoon. Once the water is incorporated add the remaining water and mix until a dough comes together. Use your hands to knead the dough on a heavily floured surface until the dough is smooth and homogenous. Split the dough in two equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and cover in plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
Place the grated onion, salt and pepper into a mixing bowl. Toss the onion with the seasoning and set aside for about 10-15 minutes.
Add the chopped beef into the onion mixture and mix to combine. Cover and refrigerate.
Transfer the rested dough onto a heavily floured surface. Knead the dough for 2-4 minutes, until it is no longer sticky. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a thin circle that is 15 inches in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour and fold the top edge over the bottom to create a semi circle and then fold the semi circle into a quarter of a circle. Loosely cover the dough with plastic wrap and put it aside to rest for 5 minutes. Take the dough and place it onto a floured surface and unfold the dough back into a circle. Sprinkle the dough with flour. Use the rolling pin to roll out the dough as thinly as you can, until the circle has about doubled its size. Cut out 4 inch circles with a circular cookie cutter.
Fill and shape the dumplings: Fill a circle of dough with about 3 ½ tablespoons (or as much as can fit) of the beef filling. Pick up the piece of dough with filling into the palm of your hand. Using your other hand, crimp together the two halves of the circle over the filling to create a stuffed half moon shape. Repeat this step until you use all of the filling.
Pour about 2 inches of water into a pot and then place an oiled steamer or flat colander into the pot. Carefully place the dumplings into the steamer or colander, making sure to space the dumplings in the steamer. Put a lid on the pot and steam the dumplings over simmering water for 30-45 minutes until the filling is cooked through and the dumplings are tender. If needed, steam the dumplings in two batches.
Serve immediately.
Cooks note: After shaping the manti, transfer the dumplings into the freezer on a plate to freeze into shape, about 20 minutes. Then place the frozen manti into a large container or bag and freeze them for up to 1 month.
Samsa
Makes: 8 servings
Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Ingredients
For the beef filling:
1 pound finely chopped beef chuck, chopped into ⅙ inch pieces
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the squash filling:
1 ½- 2 medium butternut squashes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pack parve mini puff pastry squares (3 inches x 3 inches)
2 eggs, beaten
Preparation
For the squash filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place one oven rack in the center and one in the upper third of the oven. Peel and chop the squash into small pieces. Season with salt pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Once the squash has cooled, mash it with a fork to a chunky consistency. Mix in the onion, salt and pepper and combine well.
Reduce the oven to 350 degrees.
For the beef filling, place the beef, onion, salt and pepper into a bowl and mix well.
Lay out all the puff pastry squares onto a clean counter top. Add 2-3 tablespoons of the beef or squash filling into the center of each square.
Fold the top two edges of the puff pastry square over the filling to the center to create a triangular shape on the upper part of the samsa and fold the bottom flat edge up and into the center of the samsa to seal the filling. Pinch the edges together to create a triangular shape.
Place the samsas seam-side down with onto a few parchment lined baking sheets. Separate the samsas by about 1 inch to leave room to rise. Brush the samsa with egg wash.
Bake each sheet tray one at a time. Place one tray of samsa into the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
Transfer the baking sheet to the upper rack of the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining baking sheets.
Serve hot.
Stuffed Vegetables and Grape Leaves
When Svetlana Davydov was growing up under Soviet rule in Tashkent, the capital city of Uzbekistan, Jewish observance was outlawed. But, her grandfather, who was a rabbi, made sure the family built a sukkah in their backyard. They lined the floor with locally-made rugs and decorated the hut with seasonal produce like pears, apples, melons, and pumpkins.
Her grandmother’s cooking for the holiday was a blend of traditions. There were Uzbek dishes like samsa (little pastries stuffed with meat or squash), alongside fried carp served with garlic and cilantro, and the Bukharian dish bakhsh, a rice made green with cilantro. She also stuffed zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and grape leaves with meat and rice.
After Svetlana’s grandfather passed away, many Jewish traditions faded from her life, including building a sukkah. But today, her family once again enjoys meals al fresco in a sukkah they build next to their home in New York.
Cook’s Note: These stuffed vegetables are excellent year round, but are particularly fitting for Sukkot when it’s customary in some communities to serve filled foods on the holiday in a nod to the abundance of the season’s harvest.
Serves: 4-6 people
Total Time: 1 hour active + 1 hour 30 minutes inactive
Ingredients
3 large zucchini
1 pound ground beef
½ cup rice, rinsed and drained
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
3 tomatoes, 1 peeled and finely chopped and 2 hollowed out
1 ½ large sweet onions, 1 thinly sliced and ½ small diced
3 ½ teaspoons salt, divided
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 bell peppers, top and seeds removed
6-8 grape leaves, rinsed and drained
½ cup olive oil
⅓ pound beef chuck, cubed
½ cup canned tomato sauce
Preparation
1. Cut the zucchinis into 3 pieces lengthwise and hollow out the insides with a spoon, leaving a bit of flesh on one end so that the rice mixture does not fall out. Finely chop the zucchini insides and set aside in a bowl for later use.
2. Mix in the ground beef, rice, cilantro, chopped tomato, diced onion, 1½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and ⅓ cup water in a large bowl.
3. Stuff the vegetables and grape leaves: Stuff each of the bell peppers, zucchinis and tomatoes with the beef and rice filling. Place a grape leaf onto a clean surface. Lay out about 2 tablespoons of the filling in the bottom third of the grape leaf, spreading into a 3½-inch line. Fold the right and left sides of the grape leaf to meet the ends of the line of rice, then tightly roll up the leaf from the bottom up, making a tight package. Continue stuffing the grape leaves until you have used all of your filling.
4. Heat ½ cup of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place the sliced onion into the pot and cook until nearly translucent. Add in the cubed meat, 1 teaspoon salt, zucchini insides and tomato sauce. Cook for 2-4 minutes while stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low.
5. Carefully layer in the stuffed vegetables. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt and pour ¼ cup water over the vegetables. Place an upside-down plate directly onto the stuffed vegetables, and then cover the pot with a lid.
6. Continue cooking on an active simmer over medium-low heat for at least 1 hour. The stuffed vegetables and grape leaves are done when the rice is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
