It is part of the custom: "besh barmak" means "five fingers". At Kazakh and Uzbek celebrations, people take the meat by hand from a shared platter. Today it is fine to use a fork.
Beshbarmak (literally "five fingers", because it is eaten by hand) is a traditional dish in both Kazakh and Uzbek cooking. It is boiled lamb or horse meat with wide unleavened noodles and an onion sauce, served on a large flat platter. You eat it with the fingers of your right hand rather than a fork, tearing off a piece of noodle and wrapping the meat in it. Beshbarmak is a festive dish, made for celebrations and large gatherings.
Method
- 1
Cover the lamb with cold water, bring it to the boil and skim off the scum.
- 2
Add the whole onions and carrot, the peppercorns and bay leaves, and simmer gently for 2 hours.
- 3
Meanwhile, knead the noodle dough, cover it and leave it to rest for 30 minutes.
- 4
Roll the dough out into a thin sheet (1 mm) and cut it into large 10 × 10 cm squares.
- 5
Leave the squares to dry on the board for 20 minutes.
- 6
Halve and thinly slice the onions for the sauce; pour 300 ml hot broth over them and add black pepper.
- 7
When the meat is cooked, lift it out onto a board and cut it into large pieces.
- 8
Cook the noodle squares in the boiling broth in batches, for 4–5 minutes each.
- 9
Layer the noodles, meat and onion sauce on a large platter.
- 10
Spoon a little broth over the top and serve with piyola bowls of broth on the side.
Cook's tips
- The meat needs long, gentle simmering: that is what makes it tender and the broth rich.
- The noodles should be thin and wide. Do not confuse them with lagman noodles: beshbarmak noodles are thinner and wider.
- The onion and broth sauce is essential; without it the dish is incomplete.
- Serving everything on one large platter is part of beshbarmak culture: everyone eats from the shared dish.
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FAQ
Beshbarmak: common questions
In Kazakhstan, horse meat (zhaya, kazy); in Uzbekistan, lamb. Beef is an acceptable substitute for anyone who eats neither horse meat nor lamb.
Wide egg noodles will do, but homemade unleavened noodles have the right texture and soak up the broth better.
Classic beshbarmak uses very few spices: salt, black pepper and bay leaves. Zira (cumin) and coriander are left out so that the clean flavour of the meat comes through.
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Get the ingredients at Arkan Bazar
You will find rice, spices, dried fruit, nuts, non flatbread and tea for most of these recipes on our counter at Riga Central Market, Nēģu iela 7, open daily from 09:00 to 17:00.