I had never heard of the country Azerbaijan! To pick the country this week, I closed my eyes, scrolled up and down a page with all of the countries of the world, and this is what I landed on. It is located between Russia and Iran, two countries that have had major influences on the cuisine of Azerbaijan. I chose 5 dishes the appetizer was Shuyudle Suzme (Yogurt cheese with dill), a bread Tandoor Cheyri (Tandoori Bread), a side dish Et Gutabi (Meat Flatbread), another side dish Soyug Salat (Barbecue Salad), and the main dish dasharasi cucelari (flattened herb chicken) . All of the dishes were great, and the bread was the best loaf of bread I have EVER baked!
Shuyudle Suzme (Yogurt cheese with dill)
This dip was made with plain yogurt, strained and mixed with herbs, we ate it on the bread.
Recipe: http://www.news.az/recipes/29237
Your suppose to use a cheese cloth, I didn’t have one, so I poured the yogurt over coffee filters, strainer and a bowl, worked perfectly.
The final product, smeared on some of the Tandoori bread.
Tandoor Cheyri (Tandoori Bread
This was absolutely the best bread I have ever bakes, perfect amount of chewiness on the crust, and inside was soft and moist. This WILL be my #1 bread recipe from here on out.
Recipe: http://www.azcookbook.com/tandir-bread-tendir-choreyi/
Tandoori bread, before baking, brushed in egg yolk.
Fresh out of the oven.
Everly kept sneaking licks in on the loaf. Caught in the act.
Et Gutabi (Meat Flatbread)
This was very good, I didn’t have the fruit it called for, so I substituted with pureed raisins (much better flavor than you are thinking) and orange zest. This had to be rolled out paper thin, I was pretty proud of myself!
Recipe: http://www.azcookbook.com/meat-stuffed-flatbread/
The dough before it was rolled (obviously)
Look how thin!
Filled with meat.
All done!
Soyug Salat (Barbecue Salad)
Veggies skewered and grilled, dice, and spiced, can’t go wrong!
Recipe: http://www.news.az/recipes/25307
Before the grill.
After the grill.
Finished.
Dasharasi Cucelari (flattened herb chicken)
Flattened chicken is getting pretty popular around here, the spices were perfect in this recipe. If you have never butterflied a whole chicken and weighted down on the grill, please do!!
Recipe: http://www.azcookbook.com/flattened-chicken/
Grilling to perfection.
Ready to Eat.
Thank you for choosing some of the recipes from my blog. I am flattered! Your dishes look great. I hope you enjoyed your culinary ride to Azerbaijan:) Cheers!
I absolutely loved the recipes! I had read on a couple of blogs that pickled garlic was popular, have you pickled your own before? Any recipe suggestions? We love garlic, and would have loved to had it with the meal, but didn’t have time to pickle garlic, but plan to do some just for the heck of it soon!
I lived in Azerbaijan for a year and a half and fell in love with the food! Glad you stumbled upon it
Everything looks/sounds very good.
Yes, pickled garlic is popular – especially in wintertime with pasta dishes:) Drop me a line at feride at azcookbook dot com, I will email you the recipe.