It just so happens that Tatar cuisine has undergone a lot of changes throughout its history. The lifestyle and living conditions of the Tatars during their existence led to the exchange of products and the emergence of new recipes for dishes. Due to their practicality and accessibility, many recipes of these people were adopted and mastered by other nations.
Meat with a huge amount of fat is not typical for Tatar cuisine. Hot dishes consist of stewed or boiled meat. To prepare the basics, it is not necessary to use beef. Caucasian cuisine suggests replacing it, for example, with lamb. Horse meat may also work. Tatars like to add potatoes and other vegetables, although they are not included in the classic recipe. It is important to use spices when cooking. Only thanks to them, the meat will truly reveal its taste to the fullest.
What you need and how to cook beef basicsTo prepare you will need the following ingredients:
- beef pulp – 1 kg;
- potatoes – 0.8 kg;
- pickled cucumbers and tomatoes – 0.3 kg;
- vegetable oil – 90 g;
- tomato puree – 120 g;
- onions – 2-3 pcs;
- garlic – 4 cloves;
- wheat flour – 1 tbsp. l.;
- bay leaf – 1 piece;
- salt, ground and allspice - to taste.
Now you need to figure out how to properly cook beef basics. To begin, cut the meat into cubes. Tomato puree is fried in vegetable oil. Separately from the tomato, the meat should be fried, salt and pepper it. When a light golden crust forms, the fried pieces of beef are poured with broth (part of the broth must be left), after which the prepared tomato is added. Now you can simmer the dish, covering it with a lid and not removing it almost until the dish is ready. Next, you need to dry the flour in a frying pan and cool it. After this, the flour is diluted with the rest of the broth. Pickled cucumbers are peeled and cut into thin strips. The onion should be cut into half rings and fried in oil. The potatoes are cut into cubes, and then sent to the frying pan until a crust forms.
At the last stage of cooking, you need to add cucumbers and onions along with the diluted flour sauté to the meat that is already stewing. Everything boils together for 10 minutes. Then add potatoes, pepper strips and bay leaves. All ingredients are still being prepared for a maximum of half an hour. 5 minutes before the end you need to add the tomatoes cut into slices along with mashed garlic. When serving the beef base, sprinkle with chopped herbs.
I probably would have been scratching my head for a long time if I had not read from Aikumena (iqmena) about how she prepares this dish.
Oil! Melted butter! How could I forget. After all, I had my suspicions, because I perfectly remember the clay pot itself in which Grandmother kept it.
To prepare the basics, unless of course you are a Tatar Grandmother, and she already knows what and how to do, you will need: ghee, meat broth, meat (beef or lamb), potatoes, onions, pickles, tomatoes (chopped tomatoes in their own juice or tomato paste), a mixture of peppers, salt.
Peel the onion and cut into half rings or quarter rings.
Peel pickles, preferably in barrels, and cut into small cubes, 3-4 millimeters thick.
Cut the meat (I used beef shank) into oblong pieces, about the size of a thumb.
Heat the cauldron thoroughly and fry the meat in melted butter in parts. Over high heat, until crusted, the meat should under no circumstances let out any juice.
Transfer the cooked meat to a clean plate and set aside.
Add a little more melted butter to the cauldron and fry the onion, which will also remove all the meat from the walls of the cauldron. And the aroma of fried onions will continue to hover throughout the house, making household members languish in anticipation of the meal.
Place the meat back into the cauldron. Add salt, season with freshly ground pepper mixture and mix well.
Add chopped tomatoes in their own juice, or fresh tomatoes, previously peeled and chopped.
Stir and cook for a few minutes, uncovered, to allow excess moisture from the tomatoes to evaporate and a beautiful, rich tomato color to appear.
Pour the meat broth into the cauldron, stir and leave to simmer, covered, over low heat until the meat is almost completely cooked. It took me 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the chopped pickles in a saucepan and simmer in a small amount of broth.
Now, you need to peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes and fry them in melted butter until almost fully cooked.
It's time to check the readiness of the meat, adjust the taste for salt and most likely sugar if fresh tomatoes are used.
Beef azu
Beef azu is a traditional meaty, hearty dish of Tatar cuisine. You will learn how to choose the right ingredients and how to cook it deliciously and quickly.
2 hours
180 kcal
5/5 (2)
Azu is a traditional meat dish of Tatar cuisine. Most often it is prepared from beef, lamb and horse meat. Traditional azu, of course, is made from lamb, but I’ll tell you - beef azu is not inferior in taste. In our understanding, it is a stew consisting of vegetables and meat. For a long time, this dish was prepared over a fire in a large cauldron so that the whole large family could try it.
But the basics can also be prepared on a regular gas stove. Of course, such a dish will not have the spicy smell of smoke from the fire, but it will taste no worse. Azu was taught to me by my friend. She said that each Tatar family prepares it with its own characteristics.
They have been developed over many decades, because the recipe is passed down from generation to generation. But these features are insignificant and most often relate to the proportions of certain products. Less often, someone introduces new ingredients to a recipe. I will tell you the method of preparing the basics that I was taught and which I use to this day.
Kitchen utensils: knife, cutting board and frying pan.
Required Ingredients How to Choose IngredientsSince we will be preparing Tatar-style basics with beef, we need to choose good, high-quality meat. If you buy meat in a supermarket, then know that they mostly sell imported products.
That is, this meat was frozen, and it took a certain time to travel to your counter. But even if the meat is from a domestic producer, it will also be frozen. It is very difficult to determine the quality of such meat. In this case, check its shelf life. This is the only quality criterion when choosing frozen meat.
I advise you to choose beef at the market. Of course, on the official meat market and only from sellers who have all the necessary documentation for the product. For basics, it is best to buy tenderloin, this is the most tender meat, without veins and bones.
Fresh meat is easier to choose than frozen, but it also has its own subtleties. The color of the meat should be red; if the meat sits for a long time, it loses its brightness and darkens. To hide this fact, some sellers tint the meat with potassium permanganate. In small quantities it will not harm the body, but it can harm stale meat colored in this way.
Look at the color of the fat or bones; if they are not white, but with a pink tint, then the meat has been tinted. If the fat is yellow, then most likely it is the meat of an old animal. It can be tough.
Choose vegetables at your own discretion. The main thing is that they are without signs of damage. Carrots and potatoes should not be limp, and tomatoes should not be too soft.
— Beef – 450 g.
— Vegetable oil – for frying.
Cut the meat into medium pieces, approximately 1 centimeter thick. Fry it over high heat in vegetable oil until golden brown.
Important! If you fry meat over low heat for a long time, it can become tough because it will lose all its juice.
— Onion – 2 pcs.
Now you need to peel the onion and cut it into thin half rings. Fry it until golden brown and add to the meat.
Did you know? In the original, azu is prepared with the addition of hot capsicum. If you like spicy dishes, add pepper to taste at this stage.
— Carrots (medium) – 1 pc.
The carrots can be cut into pieces, but I recommend grating them on a coarse grater. This way it will cook faster. Fry it and pour it to the cape.
— Pickled cucumbers – 4 pcs.
— Tomatoes (medium) – 2 pcs.
Chop the cucumbers and add to the rest of the ingredients. Grate the tomatoes, squeezing out the juice. Add vegetables to remaining ingredients and stir. Then add a little water or, preferably, broth, cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.
- Greens - 1 bunch.
— Garlic – 5-6 cloves.
When you finish stewing vegetables and meat, add fried potatoes and garlic to them. Then add salt and spices to taste. Next, stir gently so that the stew does not turn into porridge and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Did you know? Serve this dish hot, sprinkled with chopped parsley or dill.
Cooking video recipeI suggest watching a video of preparing the basics.
A multicooker is one of the main assistants of a modern housewife. I want to tell you how to cook Tatar-style beef in a slow cooker. Prepare all the ingredients indicated in the previous recipe.
First, take onions and tomatoes. Some housewives advise frying onions in a frying pan. This is difficult to do in a slow cooker, and the vegetables end up stewed rather than fried. But it doesn't matter for this recipe, so use your own discretion.
- If you want to make beef aza with gravy, add more water. Then the dish will turn out very juicy, with delicious soup.
- The ingredients of this dish can be changed at your discretion. But still, there are basic components, without which this stew can no longer be called azu. This is meat, onions and pickles. The remaining ingredients can be replaced (carrots, potatoes and garlic).
- Tomatoes are also a mandatory ingredient. They can be used in any form. For example, you can take tomato paste, tomato juice or fresh vegetables.
- I am often asked how long does it take to cook the basics? From the start of cutting the meat to serving the finished dish on the table, it takes about an hour. To cook the basics faster, use two frying pans. This way you can prepare several ingredients at the same time.
- Greens are usually used for this dish. You can take any of it according to your desire, but parsley is best suited here. In terms of its taste, it is in perfect harmony with azu.
I hope that my detailed recipe will help you prepare a delicious dish. And now I want to recommend you a few more similar recipes so that you choose the best one.
Azu is a native Tatar dish: fried pieces of meat, stewed with tomatoes, onions, potatoes and pickles. And since it’s Tatar, there shouldn’t be any pork in the recipe. Beef, lamb, horse meat - please, but not pork!
The origin of the word “azu” is explained in different ways. Translated from Persian, “azu” means small pieces of meat in a spicy sauce. In Tatarstan it is believed that the name of the dish comes from the word “azdyk” - food, food. And some researchers believe that the word “azu” is onomatopoeic, symbolizing the whistle of a sharp chopping instrument at the moment of chopping off a piece of meat. Be that as it may, azu is delicious, and in this article we will talk about how real Tatar azu is prepared, as well as azu made from the most unexpected ingredients.
Classic basics 
Ingredients:
700 g beef or lamb,
3 large tomatoes,
1 large onion,
3 medium cucumbers,
1 tbsp. tomato paste,
5-6 potatoes,
100-150 g broth or water,
salt, pepper, parsley, bay leaf, garlic.
Preparation:
Cut the meat into 2x4 cm cubes, trying to cut across the grain. Cut the tomatoes crosswise, put them in boiling water for 1 minute, then rinse them with cold water and remove the skins and also cut them into cubes. Cut the cucumbers into cubes and the onion into half rings. Quickly fry the meat in a very hot frying pan until golden brown, laying it out in parts so that it does not have time to release juice. Place the meat in a cast iron pan, add a little salt and pepper. Also fry the onion and add to the meat. Pour in water or broth just enough to cover the meat, place the tomatoes on top and simmer with the lid closed for 30 minutes. Then add bay leaf, pickles, tomato paste, stir and simmer for another 15 minutes. Taste, sometimes you need to add a little sugar to reduce the acidity of the tomatoes. Peel the potatoes and fry until done. Mix chopped parsley and garlic. Place potatoes on a plate and top with stewed meat. Sprinkle with parsley and garlic.
Ingredients:
500 g meat,
2-3 onions,
2-3 carrots,
3-4 pickled cucumbers,
500 g potatoes,
salt, ground black pepper, bay leaf and spices - to taste.
Preparation:
Chop the onion and carrots and fry in a small amount of vegetable oil, add the meat cut into small pieces and simmer for about 15 minutes. Then pour in a little water, add all the spices and simmer until the meat is half cooked. Peel the potatoes, cut into cubes, add to the meat and add water so that it just covers the potatoes. Simmer over medium heat until fully cooked, then add diced or coarsely grated cucumbers and bay leaves. Stir, leave on fire for 5 minutes.
Ingredients:
1 kg beef,
2 pickled cucumbers,
2 onions,
3 potatoes,
cream or sour cream, hot ketchup, salt, pepper to taste.
Preparation:
Cut the meat into thin strips, the onion into small cubes, place in a frying pan with oil and a small amount of water. Pour in ketchup (more spicy and if you want), add salt and fry this whole mixture until all the water has evaporated. We put the meat in pots, cover with cucumbers, cut into small cubes, put potatoes on top, also cut into cubes (or strips) and fill half with water. Salt and pepper - to taste. Fill with cream (sour cream), cover with herbs and place the pots in the oven, preheated to 180-200ºC for 1 hour.
Ingredients:
500 g beef,
200 g onions,
150 g tomato paste,
250 g pickled cucumbers,
40 g flour,
100 g melted lard,
salt, pepper, bay leaf, garlic to taste.
Preparation:
Cut the meat into cubes and fry in lard until golden brown, pour in hot broth. Add onion, sautéed until transparent, tomato paste and simmer until the meat is cooked. Drain the broth and prepare the sauce: the flour, fried until light yellow, is diluted with broth, stirred well so that there are no lumps. Place meat, cucumbers minced through a meat grinder and crushed garlic into the prepared sauce. As a side dish, potatoes are served, previously boiled in their skins, then peeled and fried until golden brown.
Ingredients:
1 chicken,
5-6 tomatoes,
2 pickled cucumbers,
2 carrots,
2 onions,
herbs, spices, bay leaf.
Preparation:
Cut the prepared chicken into large pieces, add salt and pepper and fry over medium heat until golden brown. Cut the onions and carrots into large pieces, mix with pieces of chicken, cut the peeled tomatoes into cubes and also add them to the frying pan. Add bay leaf, spices, pour in one and a half glasses of water and simmer over low heat for 40-50 minutes. Then add finely chopped cucumbers, simmer for another 10 minutes, sprinkle with herbs. Ready!
Azu is prepared not only from meat, but also from completely unexpected products.
Ingredients:
500 g boiled giblets,
1 onion,
1 tbsp. flour,
1 tbsp. myrrh or vegetable oil,
1 pickled cucumber.
Preparation:
Cut the boiled giblets into strips, mix with fried onions, and fry a little. Fry the flour in a clean, dry frying pan until creamy. Dilute with hot giblet broth, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, and boil. Add finely chopped cucumber, fried giblets, spices, salt and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve with boiled rice.
Squid azu
Ingredients:
500 g squid fillet,
2 pickled cucumbers,
2-3 onions,
1 tbsp. tomato paste,
1 tbsp. flour,
80 g butter,
parsley, bay leaf, allspice, salt.
Preparation:
Cut the onion into strips and saute until transparent. Add tomato paste diluted with a small amount of water and simmer for 5 minutes. Peel the cucumbers, cut into slices, and simmer in ½ cup. water. Cut the squid fillet into strips, add salt, bread in flour and fry in oil until golden brown. Combine all ingredients, add bay leaf, pepper, simmer for 10 minutes. Serve mashed potatoes as a side dish, sprinkle with herbs.
Ingredients:
1.5 kg horse meat,
3-4 onions,
5 barrel pickles,
2-3 pcs. tomatoes,
1 kg oyster mushrooms or champignons,
50 g butter,
sour cream, salt, pepper, bay leaf, herbs.
Preparation:
Prepare the meat: cut into 2x4 cm pieces, separating the fat and veins along the way. Place the trimmings in a cauldron and render the fat, put a piece of hot pepper in it, fry a little and take it away. In prepared fat, fry the meat in small portions until golden brown, placing it in a separate bowl. Then fry the onion, cut into half rings, in the same fat until transparent. Cut the tomatoes crosswise, scald with boiling water and dip in cold water. Remove the skin, remove the grains, cut into cubes. Mix meat, onion, tomato pulp, simmer over low heat, add salt, pepper and seasonings to taste. Simmer for 40 minutes over medium heat, covered. Meanwhile, sauté the onion in butter until transparent, add finely chopped mushrooms, simmer for 3 minutes, add sour cream and leave covered over medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Peel the cucumbers, cut into cubes, and simmer in a small amount of water until soft. Mix with meat and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add flour to mushrooms, stir, add water or broth, simmer a little until desired thickness. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes, place azu on top, put mushroom sauce on the side and sprinkle all this splendor with herbs and garlic.
As you can see, the basics, prepared in any way, both traditional and innovative, are a satisfying, high-calorie dish and quite far from the concept of “light”. But there are also “basic” recipes that do not have the usual long stewing, and their composition is very far from the classic recipe. But for some reason the authors of such recipes still call them azu, probably because of the method of cutting the meat. Here, for example, is a basic recipe that is perfect for a romantic dinner.
Ingredients for marinade:
100-150 ml olive oil,
2 tbsp. ground sweet paprika,
1 tsp ground coriander,
½ tsp. salt or 2 tbsp. soy sauce,
a mixture of peppers, coarsely ground.
Preparation:
Cut 1-1.5 kg of turkey meat into long pieces, marinate for 2-4 hours. Remove the spices and quickly fry over high heat. For a side dish, you can prepare leeks: cut them into slices diagonally, fry in olive oil, add 1 glass of white wine. Place the side dish on a plate, place pieces of turkey on top, sprinkle with herbs.
In general, create, invent, try! After all, a real cook does not calculate the grams required by a recipe, but adds something of his own. This is exactly how masterpieces turn out even from simple basics!
Larisa Shuftaykina
Azu is a traditional dish of Tatar cuisine, which is prepared from beef, lamb or horse meat. Small pieces of meat are stewed in tomato sauce with the addition of onions and pickles. In our realities, the easiest way to prepare the basics is from beef. This dish is not at all difficult to prepare, but it requires quite a long simmer. The result is very soft and tender beef that just melts in your mouth. During the cooking process, the sauce acquires a spicy and very rich taste and a delicate velvety consistency, turning the meat and any side dish for it into something completely special and unique. Try cooking beef basics using this simple recipe, and you will get an amazingly tasty and healthy second course for the whole family!
Useful information How to cook azu from beef - recipe for azu with beef and pickles with step-by-step photosINGREDIENTS:
- 600 g beef
- 1 large onion
- 2 medium pickled cucumbers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste
- 1 tbsp. l. flour
- salt pepper
- 4 tbsp. l. vegetable oil
COOKING METHOD:
1. In order to prepare beef basics, wash the meat and cut into thin long strips across the grain. For this dish, it is better to use beef with a small amount of fat, such as tenderloin or shoulder.
2. In a large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, place the meat in one layer and fry on all sides over high heat until golden brown.
This quick frying “seals” the meat and retains all the juices. If the beef has already released a lot of liquid, it should be evaporated over high heat, then reduce the heat and allow the meat to brown slightly.
3. Add tomato paste and a little hot water to the fried beef, add salt and pepper, mix everything and simmer covered over low heat for 30 minutes. 
4. While the meat is stewing, cut the onion into thin half rings and fry it in the remaining vegetable oil for 8 - 10 minutes. 
5. Fry the flour in a dry frying pan for 5 minutes until a slight nutty smell appears.
6. Gradually pour half a glass of hot water into the flour and mix thoroughly with a whisk. 
7. Cut the pickled cucumbers into thin strips.
Pickled cucumbers are also quite suitable for beef basics; in this case, the dish will turn out a little hotter and spicy.
8. Add onions and pickles to the beef, pour in the flour sauce and simmer under the lid over low heat for 20 minutes. 
9. A minute before it’s ready, add the garlic, passed through a press. You can also add parsley or cilantro if desired. 
You can serve the basics of beef with absolutely any side dish, generously flavoring the dish with a delicate, rich sauce! 
