Hearty Uzbek lamb and vegetable soup — a slow-simmered broth with whole vegetables and tender bone-in lamb.
Shurpa is one of the most fundamental dishes of Uzbek cooking — a rich, golden broth simmered for hours from bone-in lamb, whole vegetables and spices. Unlike Western soups, the vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions, peppers) are cooked whole or in very large pieces and served whole, with the broth poured over them. It is simultaneously a soup and a main course.
Serves 6
Place lamb in a large pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and skim foam. Drain and rinse lamb.
Return lamb to pot with 1.5 litres fresh water. Add onions, garlic head and spices. Simmer 1 hour.
Add carrots and potatoes whole. Continue simmering 30 minutes.
Add peppers and tomatoes. Simmer another 20 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
Ladle broth into bowls, place a piece of meat and some vegetables in each bowl. Garnish with fresh dill and parsley.
Skim the foam well in the first 20 minutes for the clearest broth.
The vegetables are meant to be very large — resist the urge to chop them.
A whole roasted onion added early gives the broth a beautiful golden colour.
Beef can replace lamb for a milder broth.
Add chickpeas with the root vegetables for a more filling version.
Refrigerate for 3 days. Reheat gently to avoid overcooking the vegetables.
Shurpa is one of the oldest dishes in Central Asian cuisine, with roots in nomadic cooking where large pots over open fires were used to cook meat and whatever vegetables were available.
Whole vegetables cook more slowly, releasing flavour gradually into the broth without turning to mush. This is the traditional Uzbek approach.
Per serving · 6 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes