Ingredients
Grain
- 400 gwhole millet
- 2 tablespoonsbutter or rendered fat
- a pinch of salt
To serve
- hot black tea with milk
- butter
- kaimak or thick cream
- sugar, for a sweet bowl
Equipment
- a heavy cast iron pan or cauldron
- a wooden spoon
Directions
- Use whole hulled millet, the small round pale grain. Rinse it in cold water to remove dust and chaff. Drain it thoroughly and spread it on a cloth. It must be completely dry before it goes in the pan.
- Heat a heavy dry pan over a medium heat. Add the butter or fat and let it melt. Some households roast the grain completely dry instead.
- Add the millet in a layer no more than two grains deep. Roasting too much at once gives an uneven result. Stir it constantly with a wooden spoon. Never leave the pan for even a moment.
- Keep stirring through the popping. The colour should move to a warm golden brown. Add the pinch of salt near the end of roasting.
- Tip it out onto a tray the moment it is ready. Leaving it in the hot pan will carry on cooking it. Spread it out so it cools quickly and evenly. Storing it dry is what makes it a travelling food.
- Let it cool completely before putting it away. Keep it somewhere cool, dark and dry. It keeps for several months in good condition.
- Put a few spoonfuls into a bowl. Add a knob of butter and let it melt through. Stir in sugar if you want it sweet. Pour hot milky tea over it for a soft porridge. Let it stand a minute to swell before eating. Kaimak, the thick clotted cream of the region, is spooned over it.
Technique
- Tary and talkan are related but distinct.
- Tary keeps the roasted grain whole, while talkan grinds it into a coarse flour.
Substitutions
- Wheat and barley are roasted the same way in some households and eaten identically.
- Butter can be replaced with rendered mutton fat, which is the older practice.
Variations
- A sweet version is roasted with sugar added at the end so it caramelises lightly.
- Some families roast it completely dry with no fat at all.
- Ground into a flour it becomes talkan, which is used differently.
History
Fried in a cauldron and stored dry; a staple travelling food of the steppe eaten with milk products.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tary?
Tary is a snack from Kazakhstan: roasted millet grains eaten by the spoonful with tea, butter or cream. Fried in a cauldron and stored dry; a staple travelling food of the steppe eaten with milk products.
How long does Tary take to make?
Tary takes 5 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 400 g. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Tary?
Yes, within limits. Wheat and barley are roasted the same way in some households and eaten identically. Butter can be replaced with rendered mutton fat, which is the older practice.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tary?
Use whole hulled millet, the small round pale grain. Rinse it in cold water to remove dust and chaff. Drain it thoroughly and spread it on a cloth. It must be completely dry before it goes in the pan.
