Karako'l Ashlyan-Fu

Azhlyan-Fu

This is a cold soup of Dungan origin, prepared from a sour-spicy vegetable broth, lagman noodles, and starch. The dish is widespread in the Chui and Issyk-Kul regions of the country, but the most delicious Azhlyan-Fu is considered to be the one made in the city of Karakol, where it is served with a small fried pie filled with potatoes. It is believed that Azhlyan-Fu came to Kyrgyz cuisine from China, where there is a similar dish called "Lianfen" or "Lian-Fu".

Ingredients:

Corn starch 280 g.
Water 500 ml.
Vinegar essence 10 ml.
Salt 30 g.
Sunflower oil 100 ml.
Sugar 100 g.
Star anise 6 g.
Ginger 20 g.
Clove 1 pc.
Vinegar 50 ml.
Bell pepper 2 pcs.
Celery 100 g.
Onion 1.5 pcs.
Carrot 1.5 pcs.
Hot pepper pods 10 pcs.
Tomato paste 15 g.
Egg yolks 3 pcs.
Black pepper, ground to taste
Hot pepper, ground to taste
White pepper to taste
Noodles 1 kg.
Chicken eggs 10 pcs.
Cucumbers 5 pcs.
Tomatoes 5 pcs.
Adjika 100 g.


Dissolve 280 g of starch in 500 ml of water, mix well, and ensure there are no lumps. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add and dissolve 10 g of salt.
Boil 1.5 liters of water, add 10 g of salt.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of sunflower oil to the boiling salted water.
Pour the starch water into the boiling water in a thin stream while constantly stirring.
Steep the starch. Stir for about 8 minutes over a fairly strong heat. The starch will become transparent and homogeneous.
Then reduce the heat to the minimum, cover the starch, and cook for 20 minutes.
For the vinegar dressing, pour 1-2 tablespoons of sunflower oil into a wok.
When the oil is well heated, add sugar and stir quickly. This will create an oil caramel that will turn the dressing brown.
If you are a beginner, use a pan and a spoon with longer handles.
Start adding water, half a ladle at a time (a total of 0.5 to 1 liter).
It will sizzle. Stir.
Let it boil for a minute and come to homogeneity.
Add ginger (peeled and cut into pieces) and star anise.
Cook for a minute while stirring constantly.
Add clove and Chinese vinegar (2 tablespoons).
Cook and let cool.
For the vegetable sauce, pour 1-2 tablespoons of sunflower oil into a wok.
Add finely chopped onion and sauté slightly.
Add finely sliced carrot (you can use a Korean grater) and sauté.
Add paste from dried hot pepper, mash, and sauté.
Add a little water.
Add finely sliced bell pepper.
Mix and sauté.
Add a little chopped celery greens.
Add 0.5 tablespoons of salt.
Add 3 tablespoons of Chinese vinegar.
Add tomato paste, a little water, black, hot, and white pepper. Simmer for a few minutes.
Add 2-2.5 liters of water, bring to a boil.
To set the starch, prepare bowls or one large container, greasing it with sunflower oil. Place the starch mixture in the bowls and leave to cool overnight.
When the vegetable sauce has cooked, add the beaten yolks drop by drop.
Stir.
Let the sauce simmer slightly, remove it from the heat, and let it cool and infuse.
Before serving, prepare the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Ideally, the noodles are made at home, stretched by hand like lagman. Cut cucumbers and tomatoes into thin strips. From the eggs (mixed with a small amount of water), fry thin omelets and cut them into the noodles. Cut the starch into slices or cubes. Chop the greens.
Place the noodles and starch in a plate.
Next - the vegetable sauce.
Next - the vinegar dressing.
On top, beautifully arrange tomatoes, cucumbers, omelet noodles, celery, and a bit of adjika. Serve.


Main Dishes of Kyrgyzstan