Dyushbara 

Dushbara is a soup made with tiny dumplings stuffed with lamb, which look much like tiny ravioli. The comforting broth, flavored with fried onion, cilantro, mint and dried sour cherry-plums, may be served with gutabs as a first course (See Gutab). At the table, one may add vinegar mixed with finely chopped garlic-two basic ingredients that are believed to assist in recovery from a cold.

Each dumpling in the dushbara is carefully shaped by hand by placing a pinch of minced lamb into a small square of dough, folding the dough in half to make a triangle and then pinching the two ends of the dough together. Making the dumplings is a time-consuming process. For a large family, a cook must prepare hundreds of dumplings, just for a single meal! It's impossible to try to cheat by making fewer, dumplings that are larger. If the dumplings are too thick, they won't cook and will remain raw in the middle.

Mutton - 108 g; wheat flour - 40 g; egg - 114; onions - 18 g; coriander leaves -25 g or dried mint - 1 g; grape vinegar, pepper and salt to taste.

Dyushbara is a dish of Azerbaijan dumplings. The stock is prepared from bones while the meat is minced together with onions and spices to make the filling. Roll tight unleavened dough 1 mm thick and cut into uniform squares. Put 2-3 g of the filling in the middle of each square. Fold the squares lengthwise or diagonally. Bend back the ears. Boil in the stock for some 5 minutes so that the dumplings rise to the surface. At home dyushbara dumplings are usually made very small so that you can scoop four or five of them with a table spoon at a time. Grape vinegar with garlic is served separately and the dumplings are seasoned with coriander leaves or dried mint.

Dovga 

Yogurt's cooling effect is used to great advantage in the cuisines of many cultures, especially in the Middle East. Indians drink minty yogurt "lassis" on sweltering days; they also serve cucumber-yogurt "raita" as a condiment to cool off the tongue when a curry gets too spicy. Similarly, the Greeks combine yogurt, garlic, cucumber and fresh herbs to make a refreshing dip known as "tzatziki", an ideal accompaniment for meat and fish.

Accordingly, in Azerbaijan, a hot summer day calls for a glass or bowl of dovgha. This yogurt-based soup may be served chilled or at room temperature. It consists of yogurt mixed with cucumber, dill, green onion and a bit of rice. Depending on the region, it may also include a variety of herbs, including coriander, mint and chives. Eggs, chickpeas or beans may be added.

A variation of this dish, called "abdug", is very popular in South Azerbaijan (in Iran). This version has no rice and is served in the summertime with ice cubes. It may include raisins, chopped walnuts and rose petals. At the table, each person may add crushed dried, toasted lavash (paper-thin bread) in the soup. 

 Mutton - 108 g; onions - 15 g; peas - 15 g; matsoni {-sour milk of a kind) -200 g; sour cream - 40 g: egg - 1/4; flour - 8 g; rice - 20 g; spring onions -18 g; spinach - 40 g; greens (coriander, dills, kyavyar) - 30 g; mint - 75 g; celery - 10 g; pepper, suit and cinnamon to taste.

Dovga is a liquid meal prepared from sour milk. Mix matsoni with sour cream, flour and egg and add some rice. Boil the mixture with continuous stirring to prevent the matsoni from curdling. When the mixture begins to boil, add finely chopped greens and sail and boil until cooked.

Dovga can be prepared with or without meat(which mostly popular). In the latter case, peas arc boiled until half-cooked, then small meat balls are made from minced meat and boiled with peas until ready. The cooked peas and meat balls are then joined with the basie mass.

Kyufta-Bozbash

Imagine a meatball as big as a soccer ball, stuffed with a baked chicken that, in turn, is stuffed with a hard-boiled egg. That would be a Tabriz-style kufta. One meatball is enough to feed many people. Because of its dramatic size, kufta is a favorite at big parties.

But kuftas in the Republic of Azerbaijan are rarely that large: they're more likely to be the size of a walnut or, at best, of an apple. In comparison, they are simpler fare, best for a quick winter lunch but not a special occasion.

The root "kuft" in Persian means to hit against something and refers to chopping the meat into small pieces. These days, meat for kufta is usually minced at home in a machine. Inside a kufta you'll find minced lamb, rice and herbs. Split peas, potato, egg, saffron and dried mint may also be added. Dried sour plums are also placed inside and are said to help with the digestion of meat. Kuftas are served in the clear broth, in which they have been simmering for hours.

Mutton -163 g; rump fat - 20 g; rice - 15 g; fresh cherry plum - 30 g or dried - 10 g; peas - 25 g; potatoes - 150 g; onions - 18 g; saffron -0.1 g; dried mint - 0.1 g; pepper and salt to taste.

Steep peas. Make meat stock from bones and put the peas into boiling stock. Put meat and onions through the mincer. Add rice, salt and pepper, mix thoroughly and make meat balls; 1-2 balls for one helping. Put 2-3 rinsed dried cherry plums inside each ball. When the peas are cooked, put the balls, potatoes and finely chopped browned onions into the stock. Add pepper, saffron infusion and salt 10-12 minutes before the dish is ready and boil until cooked. When serving, sprinkle with fresh coriander leaves in summer and dried mint in winter.

Piti

Meat so tender it falls off the bone. A melding of flavors (lamb, onion, potato and chickpea) that only comes after hours and hours of simmering. Add some lavash on the side, and you have piti, an Azerbaijani stew worth traveling all the way to the Caucasus for. It's a favorite among Azerbaijanis in both the Republic and in Iran, where it is popular in teahouses.

The unique thing about piti is that the meat and vegetables are traditionally prepared in individual clay pots and cooked over a charcoal hearth.

Pieces of dried lavash or sangak (bread) are put into the delicious piti broth, which is traditionally eaten separately from the meat and vegetables. Later the stewed meat and vegetables may be mashed together and eaten. Raw onion on the side gives the dish a special "bite".

You can still find cafes in Azerbaijan called "pitikhana" (piti houses), where piti is served in the traditional clay jars. Alternatively you can visit Shaki, a town northwest of Baku in the foothills of the Caucasus that is renowned for its piti. Or you might even want to try it in a teahouse in Tabriz.

The same quantities of food-stuffs as for kyufta-bozbash. In summertime saffron is replaced by fresh tomatoes.

Steep peas in water for 4-5 hours. Boil the meat and peas in a saucepan on a slow fire. Add potatoes, coarsely chopped onions, rinsed cherry plums, salt and saffron infusion 30 minutes before the dish is ready and boil until cooked. As a rule, piti is served in the saucepan in which it was cooked and poured out into plates. Peeled onions and sumakh (barberry powder) are served.

Govurma-Bozbash

Mutton - 163 g; mutton fat - 20 g; onions - 72 g; potatoes - 100 g; chestnuts -50 g; fresh cherry plums - 20 g or dried - 10 g; coriander - 10 g; saffron -0.1 g; pepper and salt to taste.

Cut mutton into 30-35 g pieces, sprinkle with pepper and salt and brown with onions in mutton fat. Pour in the stock and boil. Add potatoes, peeled chestnuts and cherry plums 30 minutes before the dish is ready and boil until cooked. Before serving, season with saffron infusion and sprinkle with greens. In summertime use 50 g of fresh tomatoes instead of saffron and cherry plums.

Khamrashi (soup with beans and noodles)

Mutton - 163 g; wheat flour - 35 g; egg - 114; butter oil - 10 g; white beans -20 g; onions - 20 g; coriander leaves - 20 g; dried mint - 1 g; grape vinegar, pepper and salt to taste.

Make meat stock from bones. Mince mutton, divide into small balls, 5-6 pieces for a helping. Cook beans separately. Roll unleaven dough 1 mm thick and cut into strips 5 cm wide, then cut them into noodles. Boil the meat balls in meat stock and add the noodles and cooked beans. Season the cooked dish with chopped greens and sprinkle with dried mint before serving. Grape vinegar is served separately.

Sulu-Khingal

Sulu Khingal, traditional Azerbaijan dish, is pea soup with lamb and homemade noodles. Special taste is given to this dish by spices and herbs. Sulu Khingal is served, sprinkled with mint. Wine vinegar is served in a separate bottle. Slice lamb and cook in cold water until done. Cook in the broth peas, soaked in water before cooking, until done. Knead unleavened dough from flour, water, and egg, salt and roll out finely. Cut out small rectangles and put them in the broth 5 minutes before finishing. Bring soup to boil, add fried onion, salt, greens.

Mutton - 163 g; wheat flour - 40 g; egg - 116; peas - 25 g; butter oil - 25 g; onions - 25 g; coriander and dills - 10 g; dried mint - 1 g; grape vinegar, pepper and salt to taste.

Boil mutton brisket, blade or loin and separate meat from bones. Steep peas in cold water for 3-4 hours, cook separately and put into boiling stock. Make tight dough from flour, water and egg, roll 1 mm thick, cut into pieces 2x3 cm and cook in boiling stock. When cooked, add simmered onions and chopped greens. Sprinkle with dried mint before serving. Vinegar is served separately.

Shorba with Chicken
Chicken - 155 g; rice - 25 g; butter oil - 20 g; dried cherry plums - 20 g; peas - 20 g; onions - 20 g; dills - 10 g; pepper, saffron and salt to taste.

Make chicken broth. Strain it. Boil rice in the broth and add simmered onions. Add cooked peas and cherry plums 15 minutes before cooking is over. Then add slices of cooked chicken and chopped dills and boil for 1-2 minutes.