Tuxum barak

Ingredients

The dough

• 400 gplain flour
• plus extra for dusting
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• about 180 ml cold water
• 1egg, optional
• for a firmer dough

The filling

• 8eggs
• very fresh
• 80 gbutter, melted and cooled
• or 80 ml mild oil
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• half a teaspoon black pepper
• a large handful of dill
• chopped very finely
• 2spring onions, chopped finely
• optional

For boiling

• a large pot of water
• 1 tablespoonsalt

To serve

• suzma, strained sour milk
• or thick plain yoghurt
• melted butter
• chopped fresh dill
• black pepper

Directions

1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add cold water gradually while mixing. Cold water gives a firmer dough. Add the egg if you want extra strength. Mix it until it comes together roughly. Turn it out and knead it hard.
2. Knead for a full ten to twelve minutes. This dough should be stiff and strong. Wrap it and rest it for at least thirty minutes. An hour is better for this dough. Crack the eggs into a pouring jug. Beat them lightly with a fork. Do not whisk them up to a foam. Add the melted and cooled butter. Hot butter would begin to cook the egg.
3. Add the salt and the black pepper. Add the very finely chopped dill. Chop the dill very finely indeed. Add the spring onion if you are using it. Set the filled jug aside for now. Work with a quarter at a time.
4. Keep the rest covered so it does not dry. Roll it thin but not paper thin. About two millimetres is right here. Cut the sheet into neat rectangles. About ten by eight centimetres works. Fold each rectangle over in half. Press the two long edges together firmly.
5. Press one short edge together as well. Leave the remaining short edge open. Press the sealed edges very firmly. Hold a pocket upright in one hand. Pour egg mixture in from the jug. Fill it only about two thirds full.
6. Press the edges together very firmly. Wet them lightly with water if needed. Fold the sealed edge over once. Press that folded edge down firmly. Lay each finished parcel on a floured tray. Do not let them touch each other. Work fairly quickly once they are filled. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
7. Use a slotted spoon or your hands. Do not crowd the pot at any point. Cook only four or five at a time. Simmer them for about eight to ten minutes. Give them a further two minutes after that.
8. Lift them out with a slotted spoon. Drain them briefly on a plate. Do not stack them while they are hot. Serve them immediately while hot. Pour melted butter over them generously. Spoon suzma alongside or over them. It is thick, tangy and slightly salty.
9. Use thick plain yoghurt instead. Strain it through muslin for a few hours. Scatter plenty of fresh dill over the top. Grind black pepper over generously. They are eaten hot and freshly made.

Technique

• This is a dumpling with a liquid filling, which is genuinely unusual and is what makes it hard. Raw beaten egg is poured into a sealed pocket and sets as it boils. A weak seal loses the whole filling into the water, so sealing is the entire technique.
• Roll the dough about two millimetres, not paper thin. Here strength matters more than thinness, which is the opposite of most filled dumplings.
• Fill each pocket only two thirds full. The egg expands as it sets and an overfilled parcel bursts — this is the mistake beginners make.
• Simmer gently, do not boil. A rolling boil batters the parcels apart; a gentle simmer lets the egg set inside intact.
• Beat the eggs lightly with a fork, not to a foam. Foam puffs up inside and bursts the parcel. Let the melted butter cool before it goes in, or it starts cooking the egg.
• Chop the dill very finely. Large pieces block the narrow opening when you pour, and dill is essential to the flavour rather than a garnish.
• The filling goes in raw and must be cooked through — cut the first one open and check that it is a soft set custard, not runny. That matters particularly for young children, pregnant women and anyone immunocompromised.
• Traditional suzma is made from naturally soured raw milk, which can carry bacteria that souring does not reliably destroy. Thick plain yoghurt strained through muslin is a close and safe substitute.
• The dish belongs to Navruz, the spring equinox new year, when hens historically laid more and dill and green herbs returned. That seasonality is the reason for it.

Substitutions

• Thick plain yoghurt, strained, replaces suzma safely and closely.
• Mild oil replaces butter in the filling, though butter gives a much better result.
• An egg in the dough makes it stronger and more forgiving, which is worth doing on a first attempt.
• Spring onion or a little chopped coriander can join the dill, though dill alone is traditional.
• A piping bag with the tip cut off replaces a funnel for filling and is easier to control.
• A little grated cheese added to the egg mixture is a modern variation rather than a traditional one.

Variations

• Some Khorezm cooks make them square rather than rectangular, folded corner to corner.
• A version with a little minced meat added to the egg is made in some households.
• Chuchvara and manti are the meat-filled dumplings of the same broad tradition.
• Some cooks fry the boiled parcels briefly in butter afterwards, which crisps the dough.
• Related egg-filled boiled parcels appear in parts of Turkmenistan bordering Khorezm.
• A version served in broth rather than drained is made in some homes.

History

Khorezm speciality poured full of raw egg before boiling, served with suzma and dill.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tuxum barak?

Tuxum barak is a main from Uzbekistan: boiled dough parcels filled with beaten egg and butter. Khorezm speciality poured full of raw egg before boiling, served with suzma and dill.

How long does Tuxum barak take to make?

Tuxum barak takes 1 hour of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Tuxum barak?

Yes, within limits. Thick plain yoghurt, strained, replaces suzma safely and closely. Mild oil replaces butter in the filling, though butter gives a much better result. An egg in the dough makes it stronger and more forgiving, which is worth doing on a first attempt. Spring onion or a little chopped coriander can join the dill, though dill alone is traditional. A piping bag with the tip cut off replaces a funnel for filling and is easier to control. A little grated cheese added to the egg mixture is a modern variation rather than a traditional one.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tuxum barak?

Knead for a full ten to twelve minutes. This dough should be stiff and strong. Wrap it and rest it for at least thirty minutes. An hour is better for this dough. Crack the eggs into a pouring jug. Beat them lightly with a fork. Do not whisk them up to a foam. Add the melted and cooled butter. Hot butter would begin to cook the egg.