Chuchvara
 | |
| Alternative names | Dushpara, tushpara, tushbera |
|---|---|
| Type | Dumpling |
| Place of origin | Uzbekistan |
| Main ingredients | Dough (flour, eggs, water, salt), meat (other than pork) |
 Cookbook: Chuchvara  Media: Chuchvara | |
Chuchpara, chuchvara, chöchöre, dushpara, tushpara or tushbera (Uyghur: chöchöre, Kyrgyz: чүчпара́, Uzbek: чучвара́, Kazakh: түшпара́, Azerbaijani: düşbərə) is a small dumpling typical of Central Asian cuisine. Made of unleavened dough squares filled with meat, it is similar to the Russian pelmeni and the Chinese wonton, but in observance of the Islamic dietary rules, the meat filling is without pork. The dough for chuchvara is made with flour, eggs, water and salt, unrolled in a layer 1—1.5 mm thick, and cut into squares. A dollop of meat filling, seasoned with chopped onions, pepper, salt and thyme, is placed at the centre of each square, and the corners are pinched and folded. Chuchvara is boiled in meat broth until the dumplings rise to the surface. Chuchvara can be served in a clear soup or on their own, with vinegar or sauce based on finely chopped greens, tomatoes and hot peppers. Another popular way of serving chuchvara is topped with syuzma (strained qatiq) or with smetana (sour cream), Russian-style.
A nearly identical dish is also found in Tajik cuisine, where it is known as tushbera, and in Azerbaijani cuisine, where it is called dushbara. It is also the Uyghur traditional food.
References
- Chuchvara on pelemeni.ru (Russian). See English translation here
- Chuchvara in Uzbek cuisine (with a photograph)