Gurza

Ingredients

Dough

• 400 gplain flour
• 1egg
• 150 mlwater
• ½ tspsalt

Filling

• 400 gminced lamb
• 2onions, very finely chopped
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsumac
• 2 tbspwater

To serve

• 200 mlqatiq or thick yoghurt
• 2 clovesgarlic, crushed
• melted butter
• dried mint
• sumac

Directions

1. Make a firm dough with the flour, egg, water and salt, knead it for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, and rest it for 30 minutes under a cloth.
2. Chop the onion as finely as you can manage, almost to a pulp, and mix it into the lamb with the seasonings and the water.
3. Chop the onion very fine and add that splash of water. Between them they make the filling juicy, and the broth that forms inside the dumpling is the whole reason gurza is eaten the way it is.
4. Roll the dough out thin and cut circles about 8 cm across.
5. Put a spoonful of filling on each and fold it into a half moon, sealing the curved edge.
6. Now the gurza fold. Pinch that sealed edge into small pleats along its length, and leave a small opening at one end, unsealed.
7. That open end is the identity of the dish. Gurza is named for a viper, the pleated seam with its open mouth is said to be the snake’s, and it is what separates gurza from an ordinary dushbara or qutab.
8. Bring a wide pot of salted water to a gentle boil.
9. Drop the dumplings in with the open end upward and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until they float and the dough turns translucent.
10. A gentle simmer and never a rolling boil, which would fill the open dumplings with water and burst the seams.
11. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain them briefly.
12. Crush the garlic into the qatiq with a little salt.
13. Serve with the garlic yoghurt, melted butter poured over, and dried mint and sumac scattered on top.
14. Eat them carefully, because the broth inside is hot, and it is drunk from the open end first.
15. It is a speciality of Nakhchivan, and of Ordubad in particular.

Technique

• The pleating takes practice and the first several will be clumsy, which is normal and does not affect the taste.
• They freeze raw on a tray and go into the pot straight from frozen, with a couple of minutes added.
• Sumac in the filling as well as on top is what gives the sourness underneath the yoghurt.

Substitutions

• Minced beef in place of lamb.
• Ready-made dumpling wrappers, at some cost to the texture and the pleating.

Variations

• Fried rather than boiled.
• Served with a tomato sauce instead of yoghurt.
• Made small, closer to dushbara.

History

Named after a viper, since the pinched seam is said to resemble the snake’s mouth; a Nakhchivan and Ordubad speciality.

Frequently asked questions

What is Gurza?

Gurza is a main from Azerbaijan: small pinched dumplings of minced lamb, left open at one end. Named after a viper, since the pinched seam is said to resemble the snake’s mouth; a Nakhchivan and Ordubad speciality.

How long does Gurza take to make?

Gurza takes 1 hr plus 30 min resting of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Gurza?

Yes, within limits. Minced beef in place of lamb. Ready-made dumpling wrappers, at some cost to the texture and the pleating.

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

Chop the onion very fine and add that splash of water. Between them they make the filling juicy, and the broth that forms inside the dumpling is the whole reason gurza is eaten the way it is.