Lamb or Beef Stew (Uzbek Dimlama)

Dimlama is a robust one-pot stew typically associated with harvest time in Uzbekistan. It's full of meat (lamb or beef), potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage, peppers and garlic. To prepare dimlama, all of the ingredients are layered in a deep pan, covered and simmered for several hours. If you're in Uzbekistan in the spring or fall you'll certainly encounter dimlama as a seasonal special. This Uzbek dimlama recipe is an incredibly simple dish to make with amazing results: tender, juicy, lamb meat that melts in your mouth, in a rich vegetable broth with soft carrots and potatoes. It involves a lot of vegetable cutting and about almost 2 hours to cook after the preparation is done. But rest assured that the result is well worth it.

2.2 lbs lamb shoulder chops (1 kg)
2 onions
4-5 potatoes
3-4 carrots
3-4 tomatoes
2 bell peppers
1 head cabbage
2 heads garlic
sea salt
cumin seeds
white pepper, freshly ground
paprika
fresh basil or cilantro
1 fresh chili pepper (optional)
dried chili peppers (optional)
eggplant (optional)

For the Dimlama:
First you need to chop the veggies and prepare other ingredients. Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters; peel off several leaves from the cabbage, set aside, and then chop it into thick slices; cut the carrots into discs; slice the onions thinly; cut the bell pepper into slices; cut the tomato into quarters; chop the eggplant. Cut the lamb into medium to large pieces, making sure to leave some fat on them. Lastly, roughly grind the cumin seeds.

Layer the Dimlama:
Remember that through the layering, the heat is turned off. Add some oil to cover the bottom of the wok, and then place the meat pieces in it. Make sure the pieces are sitting in oil and not directly on the wok surface. Season the meat with salt, cumin seed, white pepper, and paprika.

Top the meat with onions to make another layer. Sprinkle the onion slices with some salt. Then, place the tomato pieces on top of the onions. Top the tomato with carrot slices, and then top that with bell pepper slices. Now add the whole fresh chili pepper and some dried chili peppers. Now put the garlic heads, digging them in a bit so they will not fall off the pile.

Continue layering your dimlama by adding the potatoes on top. Top the potato pieces with the chopped cabbage and season again with salt, cumin seeds, white pepper, and paprika. Next, arrange the eggplant and basil leaves at the very top. Make a dome over the ingredients with the cabbage leaves you set aside at the beginning. This will help keep the steam in while cooking.

Cooking:
Cover the wok and if it does not quite fit, weigh the lid down to seal it tight. Set the heat to medium and let your dimlama cook for 15 minutes. After this time, set the heat to low and let the ingredients simmer for at least 1½ hours or longer if you are using tougher meat. Do not set the heat so low that the simmering stops.

When done, open the dome and break through the outer layers. You will see that the inside has turned into a vegetable broth. Plate the dimlama and serve with some bread and hot green tea.

Makes 5 servings.