Kazakh Recipes

Kazakh cooking comes from the food of nomadic herders on the Central Asian steppe, where meat and dairy were the foundation of life. Horse, lamb and beef are the main meats, and they are usually boiled until tender instead of grilled or heavily spiced. Dough is the other pillar: wheat noodles, dumplings and fried breads such as baursak and shelpek fill out the meal. Dairy includes sour milk, dried cheese balls called kurt and fermented mare's milk, and tea with milk is drunk throughout the day. Flavors are simple and savory, built on onion, black pepper, bay leaf and fresh dill, with few spices. Beshbarmak, meaning five fingers, is the dish served to guests, and it is traditionally eaten by hand from a communal platter. Russian, Uzbek and Uyghur neighbors have added dishes such as manty, pilaf and lagman, which are now part of everyday Kazakh cooking, especially in cities.

Staple ingredients

• lamb, beef and horse meat
• wheat flour
• onions
• potatoes
• sour milk and dried cheese (kurt)
• black tea with milk
• rice and carrots
• dill

• Soups 1
• Main Dishes 5
• Breads 2
• Snacks 1
• Drinks 1

Soups

• Sorpa (Kazakh Lamb Broth with Potatoes)KZ2 h 40 minEasy

Main Dishes

• Beshbarmak (Kazakh Boiled Meat with Noodles)KZ3 h 10 minMedium
• Kuyrdak (Kazakh Fried Lamb with Potatoes and Onions)KZ1 h 40 minEasy
• Lagman (Kazakh Noodles with Beef and Vegetables)KZ1 h 30 minMedium
• Manty (Kazakh Steamed Lamb and Pumpkin Dumplings)KZ1 h 45 minChallenging
• Palaw (Kazakh Lamb and Carrot Pilaf)KZ2 h 30 minMedium

Breads

• Baursak (Kazakh Fried Dough Puffs)KZ50 minMedium
• Shelpek (Kazakh Fried Flatbread)KZ45 minEasy

Snacks

• Samsa (Kazakh Baked Lamb and Onion Pastries)KZ1 h 40 minChallenging

Drinks

• Sutti Shai (Kazakh Milk Tea)KZ15 minEasy