Kozhe (Nauryz Kozhe)
A traditional Kazakh festive soup made with meat, several types of grain and a fermented milk component — thick, hearty and warming.
Ingredients
- horse meat500 g
- sur et, dried or cured meat100 g
- water2500 ml
- pearl barley100 g
- wheat groats100 g
- millet100 g
- kurt (dried yogurt balls)50 g
- ayran250 ml
- salt1 to taste
Instructions
Rinse the millet, wheat groats and pearl barley until the water runs clear. In a large pot, cover the horse meat and sur-et (dried meat) with 2.5 L of cold water, bring to a boil and skim off the foam. Cover and simmer over low heat for 2–2.5 hours, until the meat is tender.
Remove the cooked meat from the broth. Strain the broth, return it to the pot and bring back to a gentle simmer.
Add the pearl barley to the broth and cook for 15 minutes. Then stir in the wheat groats and millet and cook for another 20–25 minutes, until the grains are soft but not mushy.
Cut the horse meat and dried meat into small pieces and return them to the soup. Season with salt to taste and heat through for another 5 minutes.
Mash the kurt with 100 ml of hot broth until smooth, with no lumps remaining.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the diluted kurt and ayran. Do not boil the soup after adding the fermented dairy, so it doesn't curdle.
Cover the kozhe, let it rest for 10 minutes, and serve hot in bowls.
More recipes
Balkaymak
A delicate Kazakh milk dessert with honey that slowly thickens into a glossy, creamy texture.
Baursaks
Puffy, golden baursaks with a soft, airy crumb inside — a traditional Kazakh bread served with tea and at the festive dastarkhan table.
Kazakh-Style Beshbarmak
A traditional Kazakh dish made with tender lamb, thin homemade noodles and onions simmered in a rich meat broth.
Zhent
Traditional Kazakh zhent — a crumbly sweet dessert made from roasted millet talkan, butter, sugar and juicy raisins, served with tea.