Ingredients
Meat or fish
- 1 kgmutton or lamb, on the bone
- or 1 kg firm fish steaks
- 2 teaspoonssalt
The pot
- 2 litreswater
- 2onions, quartered
- 4potatoes, in large chunks
- 4tomatoes, quartered
- 2carrots, in thick pieces
- 1green pepper, quartered
- 4garlic cloves, whole
- 2bay leaves
- 1 teaspoonblack peppercorns
- salt to taste
To finish
- a handful of dill, chopped
- a handful of coriander, chopped
- black pepper
To serve
- flatbread
- green tea
- raw onion, sliced
Directions
- Put the meat into a large pot. Cover it over with the cold water. Starting from cold water matters. Bring it up slowly to a bare simmer. Skim it off with a large spoon.
- Keep skimming until no more appears. That takes about ten full minutes. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Add the whole garlic cloves in.
- Add a little salt to the whole pot. Cover it and simmer very gently. Give the mutton about an hour.
- Add the quartered onions first. Give them a good ten full minutes. Cook the vegetables in water or stock first. Give them about twenty-five minutes.
- Simmer them for eight minutes only. Do not stir the pot after the fish goes in. Taste the broth and adjust the salt. It needs more salt than you expect.
- Spoon most of it off at the end. Leave a little of it for flavour. Finishing it is done off the heat. Stir in the chopped dill and coriander. Add plenty of ground black pepper.
- Let it stand five minutes covered. Serving it is done in two parts. Serve flatbread alongside the bowl. It keeps two days refrigerated.
Technique
- Sturgeon was historically used on the Caspian coast, but Caspian sturgeon are now critically endangered, protected under CITES with the wild caviar trade heavily restricted after overfishing and dam building; the atlas records the practice rather than recommending wild sturgeon, and any firm fish makes the same soup.
- It is a clear soup with nothing fried at the start and nothing thickened at the end, and that simplicity is its whole character.
- Skimming the grey foam as it comes to heat is what separates a clear soup from a cloudy muddy one, and hard boiling emulsifies fat into the liquid and ruins it.
Substitutions
- Any firm fish stands in for sturgeon on the coastal version.
- Beef can replace mutton, though it needs longer cooking.
Variations
- Some households serve the broth first and the meat separately afterwards.
- A version cooked over an open fire is made by herders.
- Similar clear boiled soups are made across the Caucasus and Turkey.
History
A herders’ and fishermen’s one-pot soup, made on the Caspian coast with sturgeon and elsewhere with mutton.
Frequently asked questions
What is Gaynatma?
Gaynatma is a soup & stew from Turkmenistan: clear boiled soup of mutton or fish with potato and tomato. A herders’ and fishermen’s one-pot soup, made on the Caspian coast with sturgeon and elsewhere with mutton.
How long does Gaynatma take to make?
Gaynatma takes 25 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Gaynatma?
Yes, within limits. Any firm fish stands in for sturgeon on the coastal version. Beef can replace mutton, though it needs longer cooking.
What is the most important thing to get right in Gaynatma?
Keep skimming until no more appears. That takes about ten full minutes. Add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Add the whole garlic cloves in.
