TAJIKISTAN: Beef, Yogurt, and Bread Salad (Qurutob)

This is a simple, showstopper kind of dish. The kind of thing you can throw together for a one-pot dinner that feels simultaneously impressive and accessible. Because it uses minimal ingredients, go for high quality beef, yogurt, and bread. It makes a huge difference.

While there are many recipes for fatir, the bread used as a base for the salad, my suggestion is to buy some frozen or fresh plain paratha or roti, or even pita, to save yourself the time. If you want to split the difference and go with semi-homemade, you can buy frozen puff pastry, roll it out, piece it all over with a fork, and bake per package directions. As the bread gets torn into the salad, the shape does not matter. Whichever route, you want a dough with lots of flakes and/or air pockets to soak up the sauce. Delicious!

Normally balls of dried yogurt are used to make the sauce, but as they are special-order in most parts of the world, thick, Greek yogurt is a good substitution.

Qurutob can be made either with beef or lamb or vegetarian.

Beef, Yogurt, and Bread Salad (Qurutob)

12 ounces beef sirloin or tenderloin (it will be cut into pieces before cooking, so feel free to use tips or strips), optional

2 tablespoons salted butter

½ large yellow onion

16 oz whole milk Greek yogurt

2 large rounds of prepared fatir, paratha, roti, or pita or 1 rectangle prepared puff pasty dough

1 large beefsteak tomato or 2 Roma tomatoes

2 Persian cucumbers

¼ cup chopped, fresh cilantro (~½ bunch)

2 tablespoons chopped, fresh dill leaves

3-4 pickled or fresh whole hot peppers, optional

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the beef into bite-size pieces, ~1-inch cubed. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat the butter in large skillet over medium heat. When bubbling, at the cubed beef to the pan. Cook until browned on all sides and to the doneness you prefer (times vary depending on types and size of meat and temperature preference) and use a slotted spoon to remove to a dish, saving as much fat and drippings as possible in the skillet.

3. While the meat cooks, slice the onions into slivers. Add the onions to the fat and drippings in the skillet, and sauté about 7-10 minutes, until the onions caramelize. If onions start to stick, you can either add more butter to the skillet or a few tablespoons of water.

4. As soon as you start to cook the onions, mix the yogurt with ¼-½ water (varies based on how thick your yogurt is) until it becomes a thick sauce. Place in a saucepan over low heat to simmer while the onions caramelize.

5. Cut the cucumber vertically, then into thin slices. Dice the tomato(s).

6. When the onions are done, remove them from the heat.

7. In a large, shallow dish, spread half of the yogurt mixture. Tear the bread into 2-3" pieces and spread over the yogurt. Pour remaining yogurt on top. Spread with the cooked onions, then the beef, if using, then the chopped vegetables, then the herbs. Place the whole peppers on top, if using.

8. Serve immediately.

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FUN FACTS:

• The Fedchenko Glacier, in the Pamir Mountains, is 48 miles long, the longest glacier outside of the polar regions.

• In 2016 Tajikistan began building what is expected to become the world’s tallest dam. The planned Rogun Dam will be 1099 feet tall. Construction is expected to be completed in 2028.

• The winter sport of buzkashi is popular in Tajikistan. Played on horseback, the game is similar to polo, but rather than use a ball, the aim is to scoop up a dead carcass (usually a goat) and land it in a goal.