© 2024 90.5 WESA
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Traditional Turkmen recipes featured in first of its kind book in U.S.

Published November 25, 2021 at 12:33 PM EST

Chef and author Gyulshat Esenova describes how the desert climate of her native Turkmenistan shaped traditional Turkmen food, such as lamb cutlet.

Esenova is the author of “Sachak: Traditional Turkmen Recipes In A Modern Kitchen,” which she describes as the first cookbook of Turkmen recipes published in the U.S.

Excerpt from ‘Sachak’

By Gyulshat Esenova

Lamb Cutlet Kakmaç

Serves 2

  • 4 lean lamb cutlets or 1 lb lamb loin, thinly-sliced against the grain into 4 pieces

  • 1 1/2 tbsp tallow (or 50g mutton fat, chopped)

    • Chef and author Gyulshat Esenova. (Constantine Fedorets)
    /
    Chef and author Gyulshat Esenova. (Constantine Fedorets)

  • 1 medium yellow onion, peeled, thinly sliced

  • 1/2 bunch parsley/1/2 cup/10g, leaves only, chopped

  • 1/2 bunch scallions/3 each, sliced

  • 1/2 bunch cilantro/1/2 cup/10g (optional), chopped

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • In a large frying pan, heat 1 1/2 tbsp of tallow (or render mutton fat, remove cracklings).

  • Cover the sliced lamb with plastic wrap and pound it on both sides to flatten.

  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  • Fry for 2 minutes, flip and cook for 2 more minutes.

  • Transfer the kakmaç to a plate and serve with chopped herbs and onion on the side.

    • Reprinted with permission from SACHAK: Traditional Turkmen Recipes In A Modern Kitchen, by Gyulshat Esenova. Copyright © 2021.

    This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

    Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

    Load More