Chekdirme

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 kglamb, on the bone and in cubes, with its fat

Vegetables

• 800 gpotatoes, in thick chunks
• 3onions, sliced
• 4tomatoes, chopped
• 2red peppers, sliced

Seasoning

• 1 tspcumin seeds
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 2bay leaves
• salt
• a bunch of dill or coriander

Also

• 3 tbspoil or lamb tail fat
• about 200 ml water

To serve

• with çörek, Turkmen bread
• and green tea

Directions

1. Use lamb on the bone, with fat left on. Heat the pot until genuinely hot and brown the lamb hard, in batches. Brown it properly rather than crowding the pot, since crowded meat releases water and stews grey. Let each batch develop real colour before turning it.
2. Let the lamb fat render out as the meat browns, which takes several minutes. You should end up with a good layer of hot fat in the bottom of the pot.
3. Add the sliced onions and cook them in the fat until softened and golden. Cook them properly, since they dissolve into the juices and are much of the seasoning. Return all the meat to the pot and spread it out. Layer the potatoes over the meat, then the peppers, then the tomatoes on top.
4. Layer them rather than stirring them in, so each layer steams in the rising vapour. The tomatoes go on top because they release the most liquid, which then runs down through everything below.
5. Season each layer as you build it rather than only at the end. Add cumin, black pepper and bay. Add only a small splash of water, a couple of hundred millilitres at most. Use far less than seems right, since the point is steam rather than boiling. Too much water gives a soup and washes out the concentrated flavour that makes the dish.
6. Cover the pot tightly and reduce the heat to low. A tight lid is essential, since escaping steam means the vegetables dry out and catch. Cook for about an hour without stirring. Do not stir it, which would break up the potatoes and destroy the layering.
7. Shake the pot gently by the handles if you are worried about it catching. After forty minutes, check that the potatoes are softening and that there is liquid in the bottom. Add a splash more water only if it is genuinely dry. Now the finish it should reach.
8. Scatter chopped dill or coriander over off the heat. Serve it straight from the pot, spooning the juices over. Serve çörek or another flatbread alongside, which is used to mop the juices.

Technique

• The vegetables steam over the browned meat rather than boiling in liquid.
• Very little water goes in, since the vegetables release their own.
• Season each layer, since the dish is never stirred.

Substitutions

• Beef in place of lamb, though lamb is traditional.
• Vegetable oil in place of lamb tail fat.

Variations

• Made with more tomato, for a wetter dish.
• With carrots added to the layers.
• Made with chicken, which is quicker.

History

Everyday Turkmen pot dish in which the meat is browned first and the vegetables steam in the fat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chekdirme?

Chekdirme is a main from Turkmenistan: lamb fried with potato, tomato and onion in a deep pot. Everyday Turkmen pot dish in which the meat is browned first and the vegetables steam in the fat.

How long does Chekdirme take to make?

Chekdirme takes 20 min of preparation and 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Chekdirme?

Yes, within limits. Beef in place of lamb, though lamb is traditional. Vegetable oil in place of lamb tail fat.

What is the most important thing to get right in Chekdirme?

Use lamb on the bone, with fat left on. Heat the pot until genuinely hot and brown the lamb hard, in batches. Brown it properly rather than crowding the pot, since crowded meat releases water and stews grey. Let each batch develop real colour before turning it.