A rich, slow-simmered Uzbek lamb and vegetable soup — hearty enough to be a meal, served as the first course at every feast and the cure for every cold.
Shurpa is Uzbekistan's foundational soup, as central to the cuisine as borscht is to Ukraine or pho to Vietnam. It is the soup served at the start of every osh (feast), the broth that clears your head after a long day, the restorative meal cooked when someone in the family is sick. The method is uncomplicated but demands patience: lamb on the bone goes into cold water with a whole onion, then simmers for a very long time until the broth becomes rich and golden. Vegetables are added in stages based on their cooking times — carrots and turnips first, then potatoes, tomatoes last. The distinguishing feature of Uzbek shurpa is that the vegetables are left whole or cut into very large pieces, almost theatrical in size. You do not mince or chop small here. A bowl of shurpa should look abundant. Some versions are cooked with chickpeas. The fat that rises to the top is not skimmed off — it is flavor. Fresh herbs and raw onion slices go in right at the end, adding contrast to the long-cooked richness.
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