Ingredients
Dough
- 600 gplain flour
- 1 tspsalt
- 320 mlwarm water
- 1egg, if wanted
Meat filling
- 600 glamb or beef, hand-chopped
- 150 glamb tail fat, finely diced
- 3onions, very finely chopped
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspground black pepper
- 1 tspground cumin
Vegetable filling
- 500 gpotato, finely diced
- or 500 g pumpkin, finely diced
- 2onions, finely chopped
- 80 gbutter or fat
- salt and pepper
To grease
- vegetable oil, for the steamer trays
To serve
- sour cream or katyk
- a tomato and onion salad
- black pepper
Equipment
- a multi-tier steamer, or a mantovarka
Directions
- Put the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well. Add the egg if you are using it, and most of the warm water. Bring it together into a firm dough. Knead it for twelve minutes until smooth and elastic. It should be firm rather than soft.
- Cover it and rest it for at least thirty minutes. The rest is what lets you roll it thin without it springing back. Cut it into thin slices, then strips, then chop across finely. Dice the tail fat as finely as you can. A lean filling gives a dry oromo. Chop the onions very finely rather than grating them.
- Mix the meat, fat, onion and seasoning gently by hand. Do not knead it, which makes the filling dense. Dice the potato or pumpkin very small, about half a centimetre. Mix them with the chopped onion and the melted fat. Season them well with salt and pepper. Rolling the dough is the part that takes work. Divide the dough into two or three pieces. Roll one piece out on a well-floured surface.
- Keep rolling until it is very thin and almost translucent. Aim for a large rectangle, as thin as you can manage. Spread the filling in a thin even layer over the whole sheet. Leave a clear margin of two centimetres along one long edge. A thin layer is essential, since a thick one will not cook through.
- Press it down gently so it sticks to the dough. Rolling it up is done loosely rather than tightly. Roll the sheet up from the long side into a rope. Roll it loosely, since the filling expands as it steams.
- Brush the clear margin with water and press it closed. Start from the centre and work outward. Leave a small gap between the turns for expansion. Oil the steamer trays thoroughly before the coil goes on. Brush the top of the coil with oil as well. Steaming it takes about forty-five minutes.
- Bring the water beneath to a rolling boil. Put the trays in and cover them. Steam it for forty to forty-five minutes. Do not lift the lid in the first twenty-five minutes. Cut it across into thick slices like a swiss roll. Brush the slices with melted butter if you want. Grind black pepper over generously. Serve sour cream or katyk alongside.
Technique
- Roll the dough almost translucent, since a thick sheet gives a heavy roll.
- Roll the coil loosely, as a tight one bursts or stays raw inside.
- Oil the steamer trays generously or the base tears off.
Substitutions
- Fatty lamb belly in place of tail fat.
- Butter in place of animal fat in the vegetable filling.
Variations
- Filled with pumpkin, which is very common.
- Filled with potato and onion.
- Cut into lengths and laid side by side rather than coiled.
History
Rolled steamed pastry filled with meat, potato or pumpkin and sliced like a swiss roll.
Frequently asked questions
What is Oromo?
Oromo is a main from Kyrgyzstan: coiled steamed dough roll layered with meat or vegetables. Rolled steamed pastry filled with meat, potato or pumpkin and sliced like a swiss roll.
How long does Oromo take to make?
Oromo takes 1 hour plus 30 min resting of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Oromo?
Yes, within limits. Fatty lamb belly in place of tail fat. Butter in place of animal fat in the vegetable filling.
What is the most important thing to get right in Oromo?
Put the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well. Add the egg if you are using it, and most of the warm water. Bring it together into a firm dough. Knead it for twelve minutes until smooth and elastic. It should be firm rather than soft.
