Uzbek Mastava (Rice and Vegetable Soup with Meat)

About This Recipe

Uzbek Mastava is a real, traditional Uzbek dish, known as Rice and Vegetable Soup with Meat. A hearty, tomato-tinged soup of rice, vegetables and meat, similar to a lighter, soupier cousin of plov.\n\nMastava reflects Uzbek cuisine's ability to transform plov's signature ingredients — rice, meat, carrots and onion — into a lighter, brothier soup, historically valued as a gentler, easier-to-digest alternative to the richer pilaf.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Uzbek home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 500 glamb or beef(cubed)
• 4 tbspneutral oil
• 1yellow onion(diced)
• 2carrots(diced)
• 3tomatoes(diced)
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 150 grice(rinsed)
• 2potatoes(diced)
• 1.5 Lwater or stock
• 1 tspfine sea salt(to taste)
• 3 tbspchopped fresh cilantro
• 100 mlplain yogurt(to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Brown the meat

   Heat oil in a pot and brown the meat cubes on all sides; set aside.

2. 2

   Cook the aromatics

   Add onion and carrots to the same pot, cooking until softened, about 10 minutes.

3. 3

   Add tomatoes

   Stir in diced tomatoes and tomato paste, cooking for 8 minutes until thickened.

4. 4

   Build the soup

   Return the meat to the pot, add water or stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 40 minutes until the meat is nearly tender.

5. 5

   Add rice and potatoes

   Add rice and diced potatoes, and simmer for another 20 minutes until both are tender and the soup has thickened slightly.

6. 6

   Serve

   Season with salt, garnish with fresh cilantro, and serve hot with a dollop of yogurt.

Variations

• •

  Add a handful of chickpeas, soaked beforehand, for extra heartiness.

• •

  Some households use bell peppers in addition to carrots for more vegetables.

• •

  Adjust the rice quantity for a thicker or thinner soup depending on preference.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions