Dimlyama: Traditional Uzbek Stew with an Indian Twist!

🌱 Veg & 🍗 Non-Veg Variations | TIME: 1h30m | Gluten Free | Contains Dairy

Dilyara gives you a sneak peek into Uzbek meals by exploring a traditional Uzbek stew - Dimlyama/Dimlama/Damlyama, made with various combinations of meat, potatoes, onions, vegetables, and sometimes fruits. In this recipe, we explore making Dimlyama with some amazing Indian spices!

THIS RECIPE YIELDS:

A large pot of stew for 5 to 7 people.

TIME REQUIRED:

Cutting vegetables: 10 minutes

Preparing meat: 5 minutes

Preparing the pot: 5 to 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 400g

• Onions - 4 pieces

• Potatoes - 3 pieces

• Carrots - 5 pieces

• Cabbage - 1 small piece

• Brinjal - 2 large pieces

• Capsicum - 4 pieces

• Tomatoes - 6 pieces

• Garlic - 12 to 15 cloves

• Green Chillies - 4 pieces

Spices:

• Salt - 2 teaspoons

• Pepper - 2 teaspoons

• Cumin Seeds (Jeera) - 2 teaspoons

• Bay leaf - 2 to 3 leaves

• Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

• Chilli Powder - 2 teaspoons

• Coriander powder - 4 teaspoons

• Garam masala - 2 teaspoons

You can also add any other vegetable of your choice - this dish is THAT versatile! :)

Instructions:

1. Chop all your vegetables into large slices or roughly diced pieces.

2. Take a large pot and fry your choice of meat (we used chicken) in some oil, along with some bay leaves and cumin seeds (jeera) for about 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Next, take your pot off the stove, and start layering your vegetables and spices one layer at a time - we usually start with onions and green chillies over the meat.

   1. Next potatoes, carrots, cabbage, capsicum, brinjal, and tomatoes.

   2. Don't forget to add your spices in between each layer of vegetable.

   3. In this recipe, we used salt, pepper, chilli powder, coriander powder, peeled garlic cloves (whole) and garam masala.

   4. Remember - the harder the vegetable, the lower level it takes up!

4. After layering all the vegetables in your pot, place a few sticks of cooking butter on the top of the final layer and pour in 2 cups of water (2 cups for a 5L pot - vary the amount accordingly).

5. Place the pot back onto the stove and bring it to a boil on a high flame.

   1. Once the water begins to boil, seal the lid and place a weight on top of the pot - we used our pestle & mortar as a weight over the lid.

6. Lower the flame to low/medium (depending on your stove), and cook for 1 hour.

7. After 1 hour, take the pot off the stove, and enjoy your delicious Dimlyama with a slice of bread!

Congratulation! You've successfully made a traditional Uzbek meal with an Indian twist!