Dumpling Soup / Dushbere

Hi, I am back. And I am going to challenge you today as I did myself yesterday, cooking DUSHBERE, Azerbaijani dumpling soup. I want to dedicate it to my friend Pauline who loves it and I like the way she calls it:)

It is my 4 year old daughter’s favorite, too, who loves this soup so much that she will trade her favorite macaroni and cheese for a bowl of Dushbere without any hesitation. When she asked me to make it again yesterday I knew it was going to be a challenge, since she stayed home from school with a little cold and my 6-month old was around too, wanting attention. Since I was going to cook it anyway, I thought why not take pictures and share them with you? It was a huge challenge with the kids around, but luckily (mostly due to the baby’s longer nap this time) it worked out fine.

So what is Dushbere after all? It is a classic soup, indigenous to Baku,the capital, but popular all over the country. Traditionally the broth is prepared by boiling chunks of lamb in water and then straining it. But nowadays this quicker and lighter version given in this recipe is preferred by busy cooks like myself. Pour some vinegar-garlic sauce in your soup and you will say YES, please, another serving!

A tip before we start. You rolled the dough thinly - work fast from that point on, since it tends to dry out quickly. When dry it is difficult to seal the squares into dumplings.

Now, if you want to claim you are a good cook, here’s a challenge for you - try to fit 5 cooked dumplings on a spoon, and yes, Azerbaijanis will recognize you as an expert in making Dushbere! Preparing the dumplings requires some patience, true. But over time you will get a hang of it. Believe me, to be able to fit 5 dumplings on a spoon I started with a jumbo size Dushbere 5 years ago, slowly progressing towards a smaller size and finally achieving the goal of 5 on a spoon! So, it is possible. And I hope I will make the process easier for you with the pictures I took the day I challenged myself! Enjoy!

DUMPLING SOUP / DUSHBERE

Preparation time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For the Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cups water

For the Filling
8 oz / 225g ground lamb or beef
1 small onion, finely chopped or grated
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

For the Broth
3 tablespoons oil (corn or vegetable) or butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 teaspoon salt
8 cups water

To Garnish
Chopped fresh cilantro, or dried mint

To Serve
About 4 tablespoons wine (grape) vinegar mixed with 2 gloves crushed garlic

1. Make the dough. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, egg and water and stir using your hands until a rough ball forms.

2. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Press any loose dough pieces into the ball and knead the dough, punching it down with your fists, folding it over and turning. If the dough sticks to your hands, add a little more flour. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

3. Shape the dough into a ball and put it into a bowl. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel or a plastic wrap. Leave the dough to rest while you prepare the filling.

4. To prepare the filling, in a mixing bowl combine ground meat, onion, salt and pepper. Using your hand, knead thoroughly until well blended.

5. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat the dough into a disc and using a rolling pin begin rolling out into a flat circle, about 1/8 in / 32mm thick.Wrap the near edge of the dough around the rolling pin, and begin rolling the dough away from you. As you roll back and forth, gently slide your hands away from the center towards the edges of the rolling pin, thinning out the dough. Flour the dough lightly if it sticks to the pin. Continue rolling until you obtain a paper-thin circle about 16 inches / 40 cm in diameter.

6. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into small squares, about 1 inch / 2.5cm. Place a little filling into the middle of each square.

7. Bring two opposite corners together and seal the edges to make a triangle. Bring the two farthest ends of the triangle together and seal (See pictures). Arrange the dumplings on a lightly floured surface, apart from each other to prevent from sticking together.

8. Prepare the broth. In a medium pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add tomato paste and stir fry for another half a minute. Add salt, then pour in water and bring to a boil.

9. Reduce the heat to medium. Drop dumplings into the pan in small batches. Stir gently once and cook for about 7-10 minutes. Cooked dumplings will surface to the top. Check to see if the dough and the filling are cooked. Cook longer if needed. Adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.

10. Ladle the dumplings and the broth into individual serving plates and garnish with fresh cilantro or dried mint. Serve immediately, with the vinegar-garlic sauce on the side, to be added to taste, as desired.

NUSH OLSUN!

VARIATION: You can substitute tomato paste with 1 medium ripe tomato, finely chopped, with juices. Sauté the tomato with the browned onion for about 2 minutes, or until soft.