Mastoba

Ingredients

Meat

• 800 glamb on the bone
• in pieces
• 3 tablespoonsoil or tail fat
• 2onions, chopped

The pot

• 250 gshort grain rice
• rinsed
• 3carrots, in chunks
• 3potatoes, in chunks
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 1red pepper, chopped
• 1turnip, in chunks, optional
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 teaspoonsground cumin
• 1 teaspoonground coriander
• 1bay leaf
• about 2.5 litres water
• salt and black pepper

To finish

• 400 gsour milk
• qatiq, or thick yoghurt
• a large handful of dill, chopped
• a handful of coriander, chopped

To serve

• in deep bowls
• flatbread
• more yoghurt alongside

Directions

1. Take the pot right off the heat first. Let it cool for a couple of minutes. Never let it boil after that point. Spoon a little hot broth into it. Stir it and add a little more. Thick yoghurt is the usual substitute. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Add the lamb pieces in batches. Brown them well on all of their sides. Do not crowd the pot at any point.
2. Work in batches rather than all at once. Add the chopped onions to the pot. Cook them for a good ten minutes. Let them soften and turn golden. Add the crushed garlic to them. Cook it for two more full minutes. Add the cumin and the coriander.
3. Fry them for about thirty seconds. Thirty seconds in hot oil is the limit. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pot. Add the chopped red pepper as well. Cook them down for about eight minutes. Put the browned lamb back in the pot. Add the water and the bay leaf. Season it with just a little salt. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Skim off any grey scum that rises. Grey scum rises in the first minutes.
4. Cover the pot and lower the heat. Let it simmer for about ninety minutes. Judging the lamb takes a check. Simmer it on if it still resists. Add the carrots and the potatoes. Add the turnip if you are using it. Give them about ten full minutes. Add the rinsed rice to the pot.
5. Stir it through the whole broth. That stops it thickening too much at once. Rinse until the water runs fairly clear. Cooking the rice takes about twenty minutes.
6. Let it simmer for about twenty minutes. Stir it now and then as it cooks. Do it every few minutes or so. Add hot water if it goes too far. Make it slightly loose for that reason. Taste it and adjust the salt as needed. Add plenty of black pepper as well. Take the pot right off the heat.
7. Let it stand for two or three minutes. The pot must not be boiling for the yoghurt. Put the yoghurt in a separate bowl. Spoon a ladle of hot broth into it. Stir it in thoroughly to combine.
8. Add another ladle and stir again. Two or three ladles is enough. Pour the tempered yoghurt into the pot. Stir it through the soup gently. Stir it in slowly and quite evenly. Do not return the pot to the heat. Stir in the chopped dill and coriander. Keep a little back for the top. They should still be bright green.
9. Ladle it out into deep warm bowls. Scatter the reserved herbs over the top. Serve warm flatbread alongside it. Put more yoghurt on the table. It keeps two days refrigerated.

Technique

• The yoghurt goes in off the heat, never boiled: boiling tightens the proteins and leaves grainy curds in the broth. Take the pot right off, let it stand two or three minutes, then temper the yoghurt by stirring two or three ladles of hot broth into it before adding it back. Many households simply serve it separately for each person to stir into their own bowl, which guarantees it never splits.
• Short grain rice releases starch and thickens the broth, which is part of the dish; rinse it first so it does not thicken all at once, and stir the pot every few minutes since rice sinks and catches on the bottom.
• It thickens considerably as it stands, so leave it slightly looser than you want it and add hot water when reheating. Reheat gently and never boil it after the yoghurt is in.

Substitutions

• Thick yoghurt stands in for qatiq, the sharper Central Asian sour milk.
• Whatever vegetables are about go in; this is an everyday one-pot rather than a fixed recipe.

Variations

• Dill and coriander go in generously right at the end so they stay bright.
• Some households stir the yoghurt into the pot and others serve it alongside.
• The name comes from mast, the word for yoghurt across the Persian world.

History

A thick everyday soup whose name comes from mast, the word for yoghurt across the Persian world.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mastoba?

Mastoba is a soup & stew from Tajikistan: rice and vegetable soup with lamb, finished with plenty of sour milk. A thick everyday soup whose name comes from mast, the word for yoghurt across the Persian world.

How long does Mastoba take to make?

Mastoba takes 30 minutes of preparation and 2 hours of cooking. The recipe makes serves 8. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Mastoba?

Yes, within limits. Thick yoghurt stands in for qatiq, the sharper Central Asian sour milk. Whatever vegetables are about go in; this is an everyday one-pot rather than a fixed recipe.

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

Take the pot right off the heat first. Let it cool for a couple of minutes. Never let it boil after that point. Spoon a little hot broth into it. Stir it and add a little more. Thick yoghurt is the usual substitute. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Add the lamb pieces in batches. Brown them well on all of their sides. Do not crowd the pot at any point.