Kuurdak
Kyrgyz Meat and Potatoes
Kuurdak is a very simple dish of beef, onions and potatoes. It has its origins in the Central Asian steppe, where nomads would slaughter an animal, usually a sheep or horse, and then cook both meat
and offal it in its own fat. With time and modernity, the dish evolved and now cooking oil is used as often as fat - it's cheaper and more convenient. Kyrgyz now use a variety of meats for this dish, though offal is still
popular, and add onions and potatoes. Still, the simplicity of the dish hasn't really changed. I was hoping that this dish would be something more than the sum of its parts, but in reality it was just what I expected: meat and
potatoes. There is nothing wrong with that, but I don't think the cut of beef I used - top sirloin - benefited from being braised after being sautéed. I'm not sure what other cut I'd use, however, given that the braising
is only supposed to take half an hour. Perhaps beef is just not the right meat for this dish, and it'd be better with lamb.
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Kuurdak
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 2 lbs beef, cubed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 onions, sliced
- 6 cloves of garlic, halved
- 1 lb potatoes, cubed
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley or other herbs
Directions
Heat oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the beef and brown on all sides. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the onions and garlic. Stir well and cook until the onions brown, stirring occasionally.
Add 1/2 cup boiling water followed by the potatoes. Season generally with salt and pepper. Stir and add the rest of the boiling water. Cover, bring heat down to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Sprinkle chopped herbs on top and serve, spooning some broth on top.
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Adapted from a recipe at Folkways
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