Is lamb broth essential for dushbara?

Traditionally yes: the broth is made from lamb bones or ribs simmered for 2 to 3 hours. A working ratio is 700 g of lamb ribs or bones to 2.5 litres of water with one onion: simmer over low heat for about 2 hours, skim off the foam, then strain. At home a quick broth of water with a pinch of turmeric for colour is fine; chicken broth is also used, but lamb is the classic.

What do you serve dushbara with?

Crushed garlic with vinegar (grape or white wine) is a must, added to the bowl to taste. Plus dried or fresh mint and cilantro. Some add a spoon of yogurt.

Can I make dushbara ahead and freeze them?

Yes: freeze the folded dushbara on a tray, then bag them and cook straight from frozen — 2 to 3 minutes longer than fresh, and cut one open to check that the filling is grey-brown with no pink. Very handy, since the folding takes time.

How do I keep dushbara dough from tearing?

Roll thin but do not let it dry out, and fill right after cutting. You can dampen the edges with a little water for a secure seal.

Azerbaijan · Soups

Dushbara

Name: Dushbara
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Azerbaijani
Ingredients: 300 g flour; 1 whole egg; 250 g ground lamb; 100 g onion; 2500 ml lamb broth; 3 cloves garlic; 3 tbsp white wine vinegar; 1 tsp dried mint; 3 tbsp fresh cilantro; 0.25 tsp turmeric; 1 tbsp butter; 1.5 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp black pepper; 120 ml water

A classic Azerbaijani soup of tiny meat-filled dumplings simmered in a clear lamb broth. The dumplings are famously small, and the soup is served with crushed garlic and vinegar, dried mint, and cilantro for a sharp, tangy finish. The lamb broth is made ahead — ribs or bones simmered for about 2 hours — and is not counted in the cooking time.

90 min 420 kcal 5 serves Advanced🌍Azerbaijan Jump to recipe

Recipes by emailSubscribe →

Ingredients

ServingsMetric

300 gflour
1 wholeegg
250 gground lamb
100 gonion
2500 mllamb broth
3 clovesgarlic
3 tbspwhite wine vinegar
1 tspdried mint
3 tbspfresh cilantro
0.25 tspturmeric
1 tbspbutter
1.5 tspsalt
0.5 tspblack pepper
120 mlwater

Method

Make the dough: mix the flour and 0.5 teaspoon of the salt, add the egg and water, and knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
Make the filling: combine the ground lamb, grated onion, half the cilantro, the black pepper, and 0.5 teaspoon salt; mix vigorously for a minute until tacky.
Roll the dough out as thin as possible and cut into small squares, about 2.5 cm. Work in batches so the dough does not dry out.
Place a tiny amount of filling (about half a teaspoon) on each square, fold into a triangle, seal the edges, then bring the two corners together and pinch, so the dumplings are very small.
Bring the lamb broth to a boil with the turmeric and the remaining salt. Drop in the dushbara in batches and simmer: they float after 3 to 4 minutes, then give them 3 minutes more. Cut one open to check — the filling should be grey-brown all the way through, with no pink (71°C for ground meat).
Stir the butter into the broth. Crush the garlic and mix it with the vinegar in a small bowl to serve alongside.
Ladle into bowls, scatter with dried mint and the rest of the cilantro, and serve hot with the garlic-vinegar sauce to add to taste.

FAQ

Very small: by tradition, eight to ten should fit in a tablespoon. It is a mark of the cook's skill; large ones are just ordinary dumplings, not dushbara.