The Republic of Khakassia lies on the flood plains of the Khakass-Minusinsk Hollow in southern Siberia. These fertile lands have kept the Khakassians’ larders stocked with a rich variety of fare, from light milk drinks to filling meat dishes and all sorts of delicious sweets The staple meat of Khakassia is mutton. Even now, a family’s prosperity is gauged by whether or not it can eat meat every day. And Khakassians will tell you that they never get fed up with eating meat. Serving up cooked meat is a ritual in itself. Different members of the family and guests are given different cuts. The sheep’s ears are given to the sons so that they listen to their elders. Andrey Ivanov finds out all this and more in his culinary adventure as he learns to cook Khakassian-style and even finds out what they’re singing about...

Recipe «Bogg»

Recipe «Myun»

Recipe «Potkhy»

Recipe «Talkan»

Bogg (leg of mutton)

serves 6 persons; preparation time ~ 15 minutes; cooking time ~ 2.5 hours
Ingredients:
1 leg of mutton (shoulder), 250g of sour cream, 100g of tomato paste, 5 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper.

Directions:

Peel the garlic and slice each clove in half lengthwise.

Make deep incisions in the mutton leg and push the garlic into them. Rub with salt and pepper.

Mix the sour cream and tomato paste. Spread thoroughly over the meat.

Put it all on a tray and roast in the oven for 2.5 hours.

Myun

serves 6 persons; preparation time ~ 15 minutes; cooking time ~ 2 hours
Ingredients:
1kg of mutton (rack), 2 large onions, water, salt, bay leaf.

Directions:

Put the water on to boil.

While the water for our stock is heating up, wash the mutton and cut it up into large chunks. Chop the onion in half-rings, not too thin.

When the water comes to the boil, add the meat, put the lid on and turn the heat down. Boil the stock for 2 hours.

About 10 minutes before the stock is ready, add the onion and bay leaf, and salt to taste. Once it’s ready, leave the lid on and leave it to stew for 5 minutes. r />

Potkhy (porrige)

serves 4 persons; cooking time ~ 10 minutes
Ingredients:
500g of sour cream, 3 handfuls of flour, salt.

Directions:

Pour the sour cream into a pre-warmed kazan and bring it to the boil on a low heat, stirring all the time. Salt to taste and add the flour. Boil for 5-7 minutes until oil appears on the surface and then take it off the heat right away. Serve hot.

Talcan (biscuits)

serves 4 persons; preparation time ~ 20 minutes; cooking time ~ 1 hour
Ingredients:
350g of barley and millet, 150g of mashed bird cherry, 300g of melted butter, 100g of sugar.

Directions:

Roast the barley and millet, crush and sieve it.

Add the mashed bird cherry and sugar. Mix well. Carefully add the melted butter. Mix to a thick, doughy consistency. Shape into cakes or cut into slices like a cake and leave it to stand in a cool place to set.