Azerbaijani Dushbara

    Little Middle Eastern wontons called Dushbara

    Ingredients

    • 3/4 Pound Ground Beef
    • 1 Small Onion
    • 1 Handful Dill
    • 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
    • 2.75 Cups Flour
    • 1 Cup Yogurt
    • 1 Egg
    • Splash Water

    Instructions

    1. Mix the filling ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined and somewhat smooth.
    2. Mix the dough, allow to rest for a half hour, then knead in your pasta roller by rolling it through, folding it over, and rolling it through again. Repeat until smooth, then start thinning it until you get to the thinnest setting. Cut into very small squares. Add like a quarter a teaspoon of filling. Fold corner to corner into a triangle, then touch the far ends of the triangle together to form the shape. (see images) Boil in a quick (or store bought) veggie stock for about 6 minutes until pasta is tender and meat is cooked.
    3. To make the pomegranate dip - Simmer pom juice with a pinch of salt for a few hours till its reduced to 1/4.

    Notes


    Some friends     invited me over for an Olympic potluck, where each guest was tasked with bringing a dish from a different country. Because I can sometimes be a bit of an ass, I dared them to give me the toughest country they could think of. Because they decided call my bluff, they assigned me Azerbajian, which I am pretty sure they got by spinning a globe and randomly pointing at it. I studied the country’s cuisine for an hour or so, and this is the dish I decided to cook.

    A pomegranate dipping sauce is common in Azerbaijani cuisine, but on grilled meats and fish, not these dushbara. To make the sauce, just salt some pomegranate juice and reduce it until it’s 1/4 the volume.

    I made a quick veggie stock to boil the dushbara in.

    The pasta dough had some yogurt in it.

    Mix the dough well and let it rest for about a half hour.

    Meanwhile, make the filling.

    This mixture reminded me of some Persian meatballs my friends mom makes.

    These are meant to be really really small. Supposedly, 5 are supposed to fit on one single soup spoon!!! This was as small as my fingers were physically able to make them.

    Making these got me excited for my annual post-thanksgiving tradition.

    Boil them in the stock for about 6 minutes.

    Serve with some of the broth and a bowl of the pomegranate dipping sauce.

    The party was a great time with great food. Thanks for inviting me guys!

    It feels good to be back after that long break! I’ve missed you all so much.