- Plov: Plov is a nutritious rice dish that originated in the Middle East and Central Asia. It’s made by sauteing meat, onions, and carrots in oil or fat, and then adding rice, water or broth, and spices like cumin, coriander, turmeric, and zira.
- Samsa: Samsa is a savory pastry that is popular both as a snack and street food. The pastry is made by filling a thin layer of dough with a mixture of spiced ground meat, onions, and sometimes potatoes or pumpkins. The dough is then molded into a triangular shape and baked in a tandoor.
- Mastava: Mastava is a thick, hearty soup of rice, meat, potatoes, and other vegetables, served with a dollop of sour cream.
- Beshbarmak: The dough for Beshbarmak is made of white durra flour, salt and hot boiled water. The dough is made into oblong dumplings with fingerprint ornaments. They are cooked in a meat broth. The finished dumplings are served with meat and an onion sauce.
- Lagman: The dish is made of hand-pulled noodles that are cooked in a savory broth made with meat, like lamb or beef, vegetables, and a blend of spices. The broth is seasoned with a mixture of spices, like cumin, coriander, and paprika, which gives it a rich and complex flavor.
- Chuchvara: Chuchvara, often called Uzbek dumplings, are small, bite-sized dumplings with minced meat (like beef or lambs), chopped onions, and aromatic spices as their fillings.
- Manti: Manti is essentially dumplings, typically filled with a mixture of ground meat (such as lamb or beef), onions, and various seasonings. The wrappers are generally made from a simple dough of flour, water, and sometimes eggs.
- Shashlik: Known for its simplicity and irresistible flavor, shashlik consists of skewered and grilled pieces of marinated meat, like beef, lamb, chicken, or even horse, if you’re lucky enough to find one.
- Ju’weri Gu’rtik: Ju’weri Gu’rtik is cooked just like a ‘Buvday Gu’rtik’, but the dough is made from sorghum flour, divided into small pieces and boiled in broth.
- Mayek Borek: Rolled dough squares are formed into envelopes and filled with whipped eggs and melted butter. The ready-made Mayek Boreks are cooked in a mixture of boiling water and fried onion in a large cauldron.
- Ak Saulak: It’s baked in a large cauldron, then dressed with sour milk or butter. For special occasions Ak Saulak is prepared in advance, dried and served with broth and meat.
- Hanum: It’s a steamed meat or potato roulette made with pasta dough exactly the same as the Moroccan Meloui dough but without the semolina.
- Sumalak: Sumalak (a wheat bran pudding) is a dish cooked exclusively for the spring festival of Navruz and thus available for tasting only once a year.
- Goje: Goje is a Karakalpak cereal, which is made by boiling rice in water and adding kefir and salt once ready.
- Uzbek Bread ‘Non’: Non is a round flatbread characterized by its unique surface, decorated with intricate designs and patterns that are made by pressing the dough with a special tool called a ‘chekich’. The bread is traditionally baked in a tandoor oven or on a flat griddle.
