Uzbek-Style Basma in a Cauldron
Healthy, tasty, colorful, unusual, interesting. Basma is stewed meat with vegetables. It’s usually cooked in a kazan, covered with a flat ceramic or metal plate of any shape and weighted down. A very tasty and simple Uzbek dish!
Updated : 04 March, 2026
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
300 grams
Tail fat
1.5 kilograms
Lamb
800 grams
Tomato
100 grams
Garlic
500 grams
Bell pepper
800 grams
Cabbage
600 grams
Onion
500 grams
Zucchini
1 kilograms
Potato
500 grams
Carrot
to taste
Table salt
to taste
Cumin
to taste
Greens
to taste
Hot chili pepper
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make basma in a kazan? Before layering into the kazan, prep the ingredients. Slice the fat tail (kurdyuk) into thin sheets.
Step 2
Slice the onion into half-rings, removing the core.
Step 3
Slice the carrot into rounds about 4-5 mm thick.
Step 4
Slice the tomato into rounds as well, removing the core.
Step 5
Slice the zucchini into rounds about 5 mm thick.
Step 6
Cut out the core and seeds from the sweet pepper and slice into thick strips.
Step 7
Peel the potatoes and cut into large pieces.
Step 8
Cut the lamb into medium pieces.
Step 9
Before adding the meat to the kazan, briefly marinate it with spices (coriander, cumin) and salt.
Step 10
Cut the cabbage into large pieces. Remove the large, tough outer leaves and set them aside - they’ll be used to cover the ingredients at the end.
Step 11
Line the bottom of the kazan with a layer of fat tail.
Step 12
Next, add a layer of meat.
Step 13
Then add the onion.
Step 14
Next, the carrot. At this stage, season with pepper, salt, cumin, and coriander.
Step 15
Add a layer of tomatoes. Season again.
Step 16
Place the garlic into the kazan, making crosswise cuts so it releases juice faster.
Step 17
Add hot chili peppers.
Step 18
Add a layer of zucchini.
Step 19
On top of the zucchini, add the sweet pepper and season with spices.
Step 20
Next, add a layer of potatoes. They should not touch the tomato layer, because potatoes will stay firm if stewed with tomatoes. Season the potatoes with spices to taste as well.
Step 21
Place the cabbage on top of the potatoes, along with a bunch of herbs.
Step 22
Cover everything with the reserved cabbage leaves.
Step 23
Cover the kazan with a lid and set it to stew over very low heat. Place a weight on top of the lid - press it down with something heavy. Stew for about 2-3 hours.
Step 24
After the set time, the dish will be ready. Don’t forget to serve the broth in a separate bowl alongside the stewed vegetables and meat!
Author note
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