UZBEKISTAN: Khivan Green Noodles with Meat Stew (Shivit Oshi)

My dogs were rapt watching me eat this stew. To be fair, they generally stare intently at anyone eating anything that smells like they might enjoy it, but I also think they were mesmerized at the canine-like speed at which I polished this off. It. Was. So. Good.

It did take longer than the 45-minute OWW limit to prepare, but mostly do to resting time — it was much simpler than one would expect with the complex taste. I decided to go for it anyway after I saw a few mentions that it is often the favorite dish of children. My teenager took one bite and concurred that it was one of the top ten OWW dishes to-date.

If you are looking for a naturally red-and-green dish that is crowd-worthy and unique for the holidays, I suggest shivit oshi!

Khivan Green Noodles with Meat Stew (Shivit Oshi)

Pasta

1 large bunch dill

1 large egg

2¼ cups all purpose of 00 flour, plus extra for dusting (I used Cup4Cup)

1 teaspoon table salt

1 tablespoon olive oil (to toss with cooked pasta)

Stew

1 lb lamb shoulder, lamb leg, or boneless beef short ribs

1½ teaspoons table salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoon tomato paste

2 small Yukon gold potatoes

1 small carrot

1 cup milk

½ red bell pepper

1 jalapeño or red fresno chili

1 medium tomato, such as a Roma

½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream, to serve

For the pasta:

1. Remove a few sprigs of dill for garnish, and coarsely chop the rest of the bunch. Add the chopped dill and 1 cup of water to a blender. Blitz until puréed thoroughly. Place in the refrigerator for one hour to infuse the dill color and flavor in the water. (You can start the stew at this point or later when the pasta dough rests.)

2. After the hour, either use a fine mesh sieve to strain the liquid into a bowl (you will use the liquid, not the dill) or, for a brighter green and more dill-forward noodle, don't strain and use the dill blend as is. Add 1/3 of the green water or dill blend to a small bowl. Add the egg in and whisk together.

3. Sift the flour and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on a low, and with the mixer running, slowly pour in the egg and dill water mixture. Increase the mixer’s speed to medium, pausing occasionally to wipe the flour from the sides of the bowl. You want a firm dough. If it's too wet or dry, add either more flour or more dill water, respectively. Let dough kneed in mixer for 5 minute, then form it into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in fridge for 30 minutes.

4. After dough has rested, lightly dust both a baking sheet and your work surface with flour. Roll dough into a long, wide rectangle about 1∕16in thick, and about 28 inches wide by 14 inches high. If you do not have a work space large enough, you can cut the dough in half before rolling and roll to about 14 by 14.

5. Dust the top of your dough with flour, ensuring even coverage so your soon-to-be-rolled noodles do not stick. Roll the dough lengthwise into a thin log, starting with the top edge.

6. Use a sharp knife to slice your dough log into rounds. You can make thin or wide noodles, based on your preference. Unfurl the strips as you go, gently shaking them out onto the prepared baking sheet. Dust some flour on top of your unfurled noodles so that they don’t stick to one another.

For the stew:

1. Cut the meat until small dice and season on all sides with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper.

2. Turn an Instant Pot to sauté medium and heat the olive oil (or make in a Dutch oven if no instant pot, over medium heat). Once the oil is hot, add the meat. Brown, about 2 minutes, without stirring.

3. Dice the onion and add to the pan with the meat, then stir together. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and transluscent. While the meat and onion are cooking, peel and cube both the potatoes and carrot into a small dice.

4. Stir in the paprika and the cumin into the pot, then add the tomato paste. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring often, to toast the spices. Then add the diced potatoes and carrots. Pour in the milk, stir, and leave everything to simmer for ~7 minutes, or until the milk has turned a dark tan, stirring every minute or so and has reduced.

5. Seed and chop the red pepper, jalapeño or chili, and tomato. Add all to the pot. If using an Instant Pot, add 1 cup of water, stir, cover, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. If using a Dutch oven, add 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until meat is tender.

To finish:

1. When your stew is about 10 minutes from done and your noodles are prepped, bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Grab a handful of noodles, shake off any excess flour, and add them to the boiling water; repeat until all your noodles are in the pan. Cook for 2–3 minutes, to al dente, then drain and place into a large bowl. Toss with the tablespoon of olive oil.

2. Serve noodles immediately. Place in a portion in a soup bowl and top with a tablespoon or two of yogurt or sour cream. Ladle stew on top and garnish with extra dill.

 #greennoodles #homemadenoodles #lamb #redandgreen #landlocked #uzbekistan 

FUN FACTS:

• Uzbekistan is know as the Melon Capital of the World; more than 150 different types of melons are grown in the country.

• The ancient Silk Road ran through Uzbekistan and functioned as a central point that linked East and West.

• Not only is Uzbekistan landlocked, but so are each of the countries bordering it. There is only one other double landlocked country in the world: Liechtenstein.