• jlg84 on October 08, 2016

  Beautiful book, with a lot of recipes that I plan to try. But I noticed an error in the pumpkin manti recipe--for the filling the instructions call for butter that is not included in the list of ingredients (and the ingredients call for olive oil that is not used). A minor error, but makes me wonder what other errors slipped by.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Tomatoes, dill, and purple basil

  • TrishaCP on July 10, 2017

    I had all of the ingredients on hand, which led me to make this salad. It is quite austere- not even any oil or vinegar- just the onion, herbs, and sugar/salt/chile flake mixture adding the flavor. I had an avocado that needed to be used, so added it on top. This was fine but we probably won't be repeating it.

• Walnut stuffed eggplant rolls

  • Jviney on February 26, 2021

    My favorite recipe of 2021 so far. These were absolutely delicious. We used a mandolin to slice the eggplant to probably 1/4" thickness and the walnut stuffing spread easily on it. The whole process of this recipe was unusual to me - pounding walnuts to a paste, spreading it on eggplant, and rolling, but I made six dishes from this book for a group of somewhat picky eaters... these disappeared in a heartbeat.

• Cucumbers with yogurt and mulberries

  • Frenchfoodie on August 03, 2019

    Fresh, tasty and beautiful looking too. Soaked dried (sweet) cranberries in cider vinegar to sub for mulberries/sour cherries.

• Koryo spicy carrots

  • jenburkholder on July 15, 2020

    These are DELICIOUS, spicy and “different,” and keep very well in the fridge. They made a gorgeous component of a packed lunch. I used walnut oil instead of sunflower oil and it was an unobtrusive sub.

  • alysekstokes on February 12, 2026

    A fresh and bright side dish to go with any number of meals. The spices paired with the sweet/tart vinaigrette is a really refreshing combination.

• Radish, cucumber, and herbs

  • zorra on June 07, 2017

    Disagree with instruction to serve at once. To us, the flavor was more appealing an hour later. Short on the quantity of radishes & cilantro, so just used a market bunch of each. Crunchy & herby, colorful too.

  • MarieMacCheese on January 21, 2026

    This salad is very basic and I think I’d add a bit of lemon and olive oil to bring it together.

  • MissKoo on February 12, 2026

    Served as part of Samarkand cookbook dinner. Salad was transported to my home by person who made it so probably sat for an hour, or longer, before being served. Flavors were bright and refreshing. Everyone commented that it makes a terrific palate cleanser and would be good served after a main course. Definitely worth repeating.

• Grated zucchini with pine nuts and poppy seeds

  • Frogcake on April 29, 2017

    This recipe is a eureka moment for me - a new and innovative way to eat boring zucchini! Amazingly delicious with the poppy seeds, rose petals and roasted pine nuts. And very simple, quick prep time.

• Green olive and walnut salad

  • zorra on June 12, 2017

    Olive-lover's excuse to consume too many. (But it's a salad, right?) Intriguing flavor from the combination of seasonings.

  • mjes on October 07, 2021

    This is a salad/salsa of walnuts (fresh) and green olives (high quality) and herbs. This Central Aisan blend is adictive when served with fresh pitas to scoop it up.

  • Frenchfoodie on November 20, 2022

    This is delicious! My green olives were very tangy but with the mellow walnuts, fresh herbs and oil/vinegar dressing the whole dish was punchy but great.

• Mushroom caviar

  • ethedens on April 27, 2025

    This was really good. Have made it twice and didn't like it as much the second time. 3.75/5

  • cookingalice on May 26, 2026

    Simple but delicious. The whole thing can also be served wonderfully on blinis, but I went for the simple—or “poor man’s”—version with bread instead. I’ll definitely be making this again!

• Smoky eggplant caviar

  • MissKoo on February 12, 2026

    Appetizer selected as part of Samarkand cookbook dinner. Everyone just loved this. Just the right smoky flavor. Pomegranate seeds add crunch and color. The person who made this chose to use mint (cilantro and basil are other options) which worked extremely well. Easy to make and worth repeating.

• Azeri apple and walnut

  • jenburkholder on July 15, 2020

    I had to use lemon juice, since verjuce is unavailable here, but it was still tasty. Nothing to write home about, but perfectly pleasant with some good bread as part of a lunchbox.

• Yogurt, cucumber, and rose petal soup

  • MissKoo on February 12, 2026

    Prepared by friend as part of Samarkand cookbook dinner. Nice flavor from Persian cucumbers. The rosewater was not particularly noticeable. The rose petals were a bit crunchy and seemed to work better when they had a bit of time to soften in the soup. It is a nice change from other cucumber soups but probably a once in a while soup. The soup went particularly well with a Malbec rosé and freshly baked non bread.

• Apricot and red lentil soup

  • TrishaCP on October 13, 2017

    This was a very delicious and different (to me) twist on lentil soup. It cooked up quickly enough to work for a weeknight. It calls for red split lentils, but I didn't have quite enough, so used half green lentils, which was fine. (The apricots and carrots provided enough orange color.) I had huge lemons so only used half of one and it added the right level of acidity to offset the sweetness of the apricots.

  • jenburkholder on August 17, 2020

    We agree this is very good, although as one would expect, it’s quite sweet. Perhaps not one to eat in large portions, but well-balanced with the acid. We threw in kale at the end.

  • Clog on November 17, 2023

    An excellent lentil soup, with a new flavour profile for us.

  • Clog on November 17, 2023

    An excellent lentil soup, with a new flavour profile for us.

• Tajik green lentil and rice soup

  • JulieQC on March 14, 2018

    Very good. More stew than soup. As per the suggestion in the book, subbed green paste for a handful of cilantro in the last few minutes of cooking.

  • Clog on July 07, 2023

    A very tasty, filling soup. The green paste and goat's cheese lifted an otherwise rather ordinary dish to quite another level for us, so don't skimp on those.

• Winter kuksu

  • tmitra on March 03, 2026

    I made the Koryo spicy carrots from the same book and used them in lieu of the cucumbers.

• Lamb and noodle laghman

  • lkgrover on November 12, 2017

    Great lamb stew or noodle sauce with lots of vegetables. I substituted a green jalapeño chile for the red chile, and used udon noodles (as suggested in the note). A savory & fragrant mix of flavors.

  • grindabod on September 15, 2020

    Can't say I've eaten a lot of Uyghur dishes before! This was as delicious as it was interesting, with its combination or Far and Middle Eastern influences. It starts off as a simple stir-fry, around which you create a subtly fragrant broth with star anise and cinnamon and at the very end, you finish it off with the oomph of chilli flakes and sumac. Loved this recipe.

  • joanne_rrfnxi on April 15, 2026

    I swapped the lamb for beef, the turnip for a potato and used dried chill flakes. Delicious fragrant result.

• Chicken shashlik with pink onions and pomegranate

  • Frogcake on April 29, 2017

    Amazing combination of flavours. My chicken marinated for about four hours. Another simple but flavourful recipe from this book. Will be making this again.

  • TrishaCP on May 22, 2017

    This is probably the best chicken kabob that I have tried. We marinated the chicken overnight and it was incredibly moist and flavorful. I adored the pink onions too to cut the richness of the chicken. In particular, the addition of pomegranate seeds (I used frozen) is inspired.

  • Frenchfoodie on October 21, 2018

    So good. A regular in our house. Still delicious without the pomegranate seeds (we rarely have them in).

  • amandabeck on March 04, 2022

    really tender, tasty chicken, will start keeping mayo in the house to make this marinade again!

  • ethedens on April 27, 2025

    This was really good but not my favorite. Will try with sumac next time. 3.5/5

• Roast lamb with a sticky pomegranate glaze

  • NikkiPixie on November 08, 2016

    This was amazing. Very little effort for a huge reward at the end. Next time I'll double the onions though!

  • SarahL on October 04, 2025

    This made an incredible sauce! Made it twice and hope to make it many more times

• Slow-roast mutton with sultan's delight

  • Frogcake on March 31, 2018

    I was inspired by the spice paste to make something similar for leg of lamb steaks. However, I made the sultan’s delight sauce as written and served it with the lamb. Oh my, so good and I’m not a huge fan of eggplants! -will be making this again!

• Grilled lamb kebabs with cinnamon, cloves, and hot hummus

  • TrishaCP on July 10, 2018

    I only made the lamb (didn't have time for the hummus). It was excellent. I marinated it overnight and served it with a yogurt and dill sauce. I look forward to trying the hummus at some point.

• Thunderstone lamb chops with sour cherry sauce

  • TrishaCP on April 06, 2018

    The sauce is a nice accompaniment for lamb. Definitely go heavy on the pepper.

• Chapli kebabs

  • Frogcake on May 03, 2017

    We loved these kabobs. Great combination of spices and herbs and the pomegranate seeds do provide an intriguing crunch and sweetness. I baked these patties in a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven to give me some leeway to make the salsa, which was also delicious -despite having lousy tomatoes. (It was a noble destination for second hand tomatoes for sure)! Although the salsa was good, I found myself looking for a garlic-tahini-yoghurt sauce for the patties -just threw one together based on taste. I didn't plan to make the non bread but made garlic-bread instead. I served this with a basmati- lentil rice pilaf and sliced cucumbers. Will be making this again. I think these patties would make a delicious and unique Afghani burger on ciabatta, toasted, with garlic aioli, fried red onion, tomato and mint leaves. Yumbo!

• Beef shashlik with tahini and pistachio sauce

  • zorra on June 01, 2017

    Delicious prepared from lamb (as the head note suggests) with the pistachio sauce. We really enjoyed the spice combination in the shashlik. Next time will try them on the outdoor grill.

• Lazy cabbage rolls (Golubtsy)

  • Rutabaga on December 05, 2016

    These are a fun and different way to make what are essentially meatballs; I never would have thought to mix raw rice into the meat, but it cooked up well in the patties. The mixture was very wet when raw but held together well once cooked. After browning the patties, I only cooked them an additional 15-20 minutes in the sauce, which was enough. I used ground dark turkey for the meat.

  • jenburkholder on July 15, 2020

    These are indeed easy and quite good, well worth trying. We liked them even better with equal parts pork and mushrooms, as opposed to all meat - more flavor and more healthful!

  • amandabeck on January 18, 2023

    These meatballs were tasty but about 50% fell apart for me-- my cabbage never really cooked down in the pan, I think it needed to be salted earlier to let the moisture out. Another challenge was the imprecise measurements (my local cabbages are huge, so a fraction of my cabbage is definitely much larger than a small cabbage). I swapped brown rice for white and more than doubled the cooking time; they could have used even longer.

• Buckwheat kasha with caramelized mushrooms

  • zorra on June 15, 2017

    When I want a simple mushroom-loaded dish the answer is usually an omelette, but this is a good alternative. Used cremini which appear to be close to chestnut mushrooms, but a mix might be even better. Cut the quantity of groats by 25% & would do so again. Liked the generous fresh herbs. Maybe some garlic next time?

  • kitchen_chick on March 16, 2018

    Delicious! I couldn’t find groats, so I substituted quinoa. Works well with quinoa. I also used 2/3 veggie stock and 1/3 mushroom stock for extra mushroomy goodness.

  • tmitra on April 09, 2023

    I used hulled buckwheat/groats, and it turned out much mushier than I imagined, based on the picture. The mushrooms and herbs got lost in the mush. I didn't want to eat the leftovers and wouldn't make it again.

• Mountain Jew omelet

  • mjes on October 07, 2021

    Mountain Jew omelet (khoyagusht from Azerbaijan) is poached chicken, onions, and chestnuts in an omelet. Traditionally served with rice or wrapped in a flatbread. This is not a quick omelet given the preparation of the chicken and vegetables but this is so tasty it is worth the effort.

• Georgian chicken with walnut sauce

  • Frogcake on May 04, 2017

    Another great and unique recipe in this book! I used chicken breasts rather than a whole chicken, allowing the spice olive oil rub and fresh lemon to marinate the breasts for about two hours at room temperature. The sauce is a lovely, tasty pesto (loved the fenugreek -note to self: absolutely do not omit!) with a bit of nip added from the freshly ground pepper. I might toast the walnuts next time for some extra flavour but In my view it's a perfect recipe as it is. Will make this again. I'm sure the walnut sauce can be used in other delicious ways too!

  • valbe on May 12, 2022

    Agree wholeheartedly with Frogcake. Cooking from this book is like taking a trip to Central Asia. The sauce is interesting (although I used parsley) and would certainly complement fish like halibut and vegetables. I will make this recipe again.

  • Clog on November 13, 2022

    Worked very well with chicken thighs in an air fryer. Beautifully crisp and juicy.

• Chicken, potato, and prune hotpot

  • valbe on October 20, 2020

    I will make this again but next time I will use the garnishes: fresh tarragon and pistachio nuts. I think they would add to the flavor and the presentation.

• Spicy meatballs with adjika and yogurt

  • TrishaCP on June 07, 2019

    These were interesting but I don’t think I would repeat them. The meatballs were a bit tough to start, although the flavors were good. I need to consult my other recipes for adjika- this version was garlicky but I didn’t think it was very spicy.

  • MarieMacCheese on November 26, 2025

    I made half the sauce and it was still a lot. The combo of the meatballs, yogurt and sauce were great though I think I would add a bit more chili to give it a little more heat next time. Really loved the flavour on the meatball though I likely would add an egg as they were a bit loose in the pan and a few broke even though I chilled these to set them.

• Bukharian family style chicken and rice

  • Rutabaga on December 05, 2016

    This dish is has a delicate, sweetly fragrant flavor. It's nice, but can border on bland. Although the recipe calls for chicken breasts, I wonder if thighs would be a more flavorful option. I also like the idea of adding barberries for a little sourness.

  • e_ballad on January 20, 2020

    Our family really enjoyed this, with the kids devouring their portions. It was hard to turn the chicken without ‘muddying’ the layers, so next time I plan on cooking the chicken, removing from pan, cooking veg, the layering with chicken, then the rice.

  • Jviney on February 13, 2020

    I liked this and would change up a few things next time: add more cashews - they were a highlight for me. It does feel like the dish needs more seasoning, I added salt to make up for it and took Rutabaga’s suggestion for chicken thighs.

  • Clog on June 08, 2023

    Sublime and very easy to put together. We found the paprika and salt gave plenty of flavour. (I must have used about a heaped tablespoon of paprika)

  • Anea25 on June 30, 2024

    We found this a bit disappointing - too sweet from the added sugar but otherwise lacking flavour

• Jerusalem artichokes with rice, parsley, and tarragon

  • Rutabaga on December 05, 2016

    Even though I left out the herbs, this dish was quite tasty. The Jerusalem artichokes become buttery and silky soft - it turned out to be a great way to use old sunchokes that were past their prime.

  • maestra on March 11, 2021

    I made this for a sunchoke-themed dinner party, and it was delicious. The tarragon is excellent with sunchokes. I also fried sunchoke coins until crisp and showered them over the top of the rice for texture. Great, unique recipe. I love this book!

• Grape and pistachio orzo

  • hirsheys on March 17, 2017

    This is incredibly easy - took me all of 15 minutes flat. (Everything gets done while the pasta boils.) I made a half recipe and it made a vat. Waking the garlic up in the oil has a huge effect and the combo of flavors is interesting and tasty.

  • Frogcake on May 04, 2017

    We really enjoyed the flavour combinations here. As another reviewer noted, it's so easy coming together very quickly. I've made it as written and with a few adaptations when I didn't have all of the ingredients. The recipe worked well for me using Costco quinoa penne instead of orzo, and drained pomegranate seeds instead of grapes. I've also used green basil. I would definitely dry roast the pistachios next time.

  • zorra on June 12, 2017

    Grateful for the suggestion to halve the recipe, it could easily serve 8. We found it a bit bland, so added sheep's milk feta, which made it more to our liking.

  • lkgrover on December 21, 2019

    Refreshing pasta salad with an unusual combination of ingredients. I used regular green basil, and dry roasted the pistachio nuts. This was a favorite item at a potluck Christmas party today!

  • ricki on September 15, 2021

    We liked this. Israeli couscous instead of orzo and only had green basil, but otherwise as written. A little saucy, so maybe cut back on oil and lemon juice next time?

• Melting potatoes with dill

  • Frogcake on March 19, 2017

    Excellent! These are truly meltingly delicious. So simple -you just have to be patient and let the potatoes pan roast. I've also roasted the potato onion butter combination in the oven, slow roasting for 45 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit with great success. I prefer the oven roasting technique for the more intense potato onion flavour. The results were just as buttery too.

  • TrishaCP on May 20, 2017

    I agree these are amazing. A must have if you like dill. I really like the idea of oven roasting the potatoes for more even cooking.

  • zorra on June 16, 2017

    A celebration of dill. Reminds me of my late uncle in Australia who loved to serve "bread with grass" (buttery crostini covered with minced dill & parsley.) Reduced the butter slightly & it was still luscious.

  • Frogcake on March 31, 2018

    A reminder to self not to forget about this amazing recipe! Served with spiced lamb steaks and sultans delight eggplant sauce.

  • Lepa on May 09, 2019

    This is easy and delicious!

  • jenburkholder on July 15, 2020

    I have to be a dissenting voice here. These were tasty enough, sure (potatoes, butter, and dill, so of course), but nothing special. We didn’t feel that they were more than the sum of their parts, or that the cooking method had much benefit over the even-easier roasting. Ok, but never repeated.

  • Frenchfoodie on September 12, 2022

    I enjoyed this, it was pretty easy to cook too - just needed a higher heat for the last 5 minutes to caramelise the potatoes. I added peas and warmed weiners in the pan to make a one dish meal.

  • Clog on November 13, 2022

    Excellent and very easy. The dill is a nice touch.

• Azerbaijani lamb with chestnuts

  • TrishaCP on March 21, 2017

    This was an intriguing and delicious lamb stew that I served over rice studded with chestnuts. As the recipe header indicates, it is in the vein of a sweet and sour flavor combination from the pomegranate juice/molasses, which is appealing to me but may not be to those who are generally suspicious of fruit/meat combinations. The recipe stipulates one braising lamb, which I think was an editing error. So I just used slightly over a pound of lamb stew meat and that seemed to work well.

• Sweet and sour braised carrots

  • Aggie92 on April 24, 2017

    Wow! I loved this. Lightly sweet, sour and spicy. The sugar and cinnamon gave the carrots an initial dessert-like quality on the palate and then the red pepper flakes kick in and promptly return this dish right back to savory. The only thing I did different was to double the amount of water. The initial amount was way too skimpy and left the carrots in a thick goo that would not have allow them to braise. I removed the pan cover a few minutes before the end of the cooking time which allowed the glaze to thicken. Also doubled the amount of raisins too, as 1 tablespoon just didn't seem like enough.

  • rumon on October 07, 2017

    I make this all the time, an extremely useful veg side dish to have up your sleeve as it has a relatively long braise time and is quite happy sitting around once cooked. I can assure you that the recipe works perfectly with the stated amount of water and raisins. There is enough moisture in the pan with the lid on to slowly braise the carrots and the flavours intensify this way.

  • jenburkholder on August 17, 2020

    I didn’t love this one; it felt a bit monotonely sweet. Wouldn’t repeat, probably.

  • MissKoo on February 12, 2026

    Made this as part of Samarkand cookbook dinner to accompany the Chicken and Almond Pilaf Pie (p. 128). The flavors of the two dishes blended beautifully and the carrots in their braising sauce added a needed pop of color to the plate. I used half the suggested amount of chile flakes, concerned about heat, but could have used the full amount. Everyone loved this and no one thought it too sweet. I added extra raisins as others have suggested. The amount of water called for worked perfectly. I love carrots and am happy to have this new way to prepare them.

  • Anea25 on September 03, 2023

    It's good but I think switching the tomato to something else would be better. I also had to add a lot more water in order to get the carrots to braise. The spicing is quite nice, especially the next day.

• Dill, cilantro, and tarragon flatbread

  • Frogcake on April 29, 2017

    Really, really delicious flatbread, which my son and I ate as an appetizer to a late supper. We loved the combination of herbs with the gooey old cheddar. The cheddar not only added saltiness but lovely, tasty fat to the filling. Yummy. These reminded us of empanadas - very easy to make if you've made chapatis or empanadas (but less work actually). I brushed butter on the Flatbreads while they were frying on the fry pan. This generated some smoke, but no big deal with the fan. I did allow twenty minutes for the dough to rest and found the dough very workable using a rolling pin with dough between wax paper and plastic wrap. I anticipate these would come together very quickly second time around having made them once. Definitely a keeper. lOVED the dill seed, which added another dimension of flavour.

  • Frenchfoodie on November 15, 2025

    Easy to make and enjoyable- who knew cheddar and these herbs went so well together. Needed a little more milk than recipe caled for for dough that after a 30 min rest was a breeze to roll out, no extra flour for rolling needed.

• Sesame and nut bulgur pilaf

  • Frogcake on May 06, 2017

    A beautiful, fragrant Pilaf that I would make again without a doubt. It's a perfect dish to prepare ahead for guests. We served this with flank steak and grilled vegetables. I'm looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch (not much). As the author suggests, would be super delicious with braised vegetables.

• Cinnamon potatoes with pine nuts

  • Frogcake on May 18, 2017

    Yum! One of the most interesting potato dishes I've tried. I threw some brussel sprouts into the braising liquid (they needed to be used) and this was quite good! I served this with broiled white fish, tossed salad (honey poppyseed vinegrette) and freshly baked bread.

  • MarieMacCheese on January 21, 2026

    This was delicious and also unlike anything I’d ever had before. The spiced onions and pine nuts really made the dish. I did this with larger potatoes sliced 1.25 inches thick and would be interested in trying baby potatoes as well. Was really great with plain grilled pork.

  • MarieMacCheese on January 21, 2026

    This was delicious and also unlike anything I’d ever had before. The spiced onions and pine nuts really made the dish. I did this with larger potatoes sliced 1.25 inches thick and would be interested in trying baby potatoes as well. Was really great with plain grilled pork.

• Spinach khachapuri

  • sosayi on November 15, 2017

    Absolutely delicious spinach/cheese boat with crunchy/chewy bread exterior. Only change: rather than have the dough rise for two hours on the counter, I did an overnight rise in the refrigerator and then just brought it to room temperature while I prepared other parts of dinner. This made it much more doable on a weeknight. My only issue was that I made a much "taller" boat, less flat than the photo, which made it harder to make room for the egg and it overflowed. Oops.

  • jenburkholder on August 17, 2020

    This is a solid khachapuri recipe, one of the better ones I’ve tried. I (unfortunately) has to replace feta with cheddar, as I was serving a feta-hating friend, but it was still delicious. Make in the heart of winter, when carbs and cheese are what you need.

  • Bloominanglophile on August 18, 2020

    This link is no longer available.

• Roasted cauliflower with pistachio and tarragon

  • lkgrover on September 30, 2018

    Lovely, fragrant, and delicious cauliflower side dish.

  • jenburkholder on August 17, 2020

    Didn’t love this. The tarragon was the only identifiable flavor, although it doesn’t seem like there’s a ton of it at the beginning. Lots of more interesting roasted cauliflower out there.

  • Jviney on February 26, 2021

    This was middling to me. The flavors were fine, the dish was completely edible, and it was pretty, but it wasn't a standout.

• Fish and saffron pilaf

  • Frogcake on January 19, 2019

    Delicious! I used monkfish and light chicken stock instead of fish stock. The recipe comes together rather quickly. I also added a few lemon slices to the poaching water. Definitely a repeat.

• Dushanbe pilaf

  • e_ballad on August 18, 2019

    This is essentially a ‘Scotch egg’ using lamb mince, cooked in a pilaf. A couple of things worth noting: Firstly, this is a lot of carrot in the pilaf, with more carrot than rice. Secondly, season the mince very well - more than what is specified. The mince is like a rissole & if left bland, this dish is a bit meh. Thirdly, the dill really is needed to brighten the dish.

  • lkgrover on May 22, 2022

    I really enjoyed this recipe, although I increased the seasonings according to eballard's suggestion. My meatball-eggs completely fell apart, so it did not look pretty--although still tastes great.

• Ruins of a Russian count's castle

  • tges on October 05, 2019

    Along with the Medovik and Japonaise cakes - this cake is now a firm favorite. I actually have cravings of these flavours and textures together that I make it quite often. It is straightforward and the quantities and recipe works. It hits just the right sweetness and I love the inclusion of prunes in a cake as somehow, I feel I'm getting some goodness in. I do feel, though, it is a cake best eaten within a maximum of two days or else, too smooshy.

  • MissKoo on February 12, 2026

    The grand finale as part of Samarkand cookbook dinner, made by another member of our cookbook group. The cake not only looks spectacular, it tastes over-the-top wonderful. The flavors and textures combine beautifully and it is not heavy. Even after a meal with many dishes to sample it did not seem like too much. Lovely and moist with terrific crunch from the meringues and the unctuousness of beaten heavy and sour creams.

• Glazed beets and greens

  • AlyssafromRhody on July 26, 2020

    Do not sleep on this - it’s fantastic! Works with mint, etc. as well.

• Uzbek pumpkin manti with sour tomato sauce

  • tmitra on October 04, 2020

    The filling and sauce were both good, but no amount of kneading yielded "elastic" dough. Consequently, the dough was nearly impossible to roll out and ended up too thick. It looks like other manti dough recipes call for more water than this one, which just suggests wetting your fingertips.

• Samarkan plov

  • Jviney on February 26, 2021

    This was fine, my second plov from this cookbook and I've come to believe that the spices are meant to be muted - comfort food. I added a lot of salt and should have added even more throughout the process of browning the meat and adding the carrots. It's a monster of a dish, over half of it was left and I served eight.

• Baklava baked apples

  • Jviney on February 26, 2021

    Straightforward apple recipe. I liked it but would amp it up next time. I used Granny Smith apples, would probably go slightly less tart or figure out a way to add more of the walnut honey sweetness to it. Recipe called for one filo sheet per apple, I'd probably use two or three next time. Mine had to bake quite a bit longer in order to be tender, but they were easy to assemble and everybody liked them.

• Sesame, almond, and ginger brittle

  • Jviney on February 26, 2021

    Wasn't sure about this recipe when I read through it, but I had the 15 minutes or so required and all the ingredients on hand. It was excellent and aged really well.

• Green herbed plov with chickpeas

  • jenburkholder on August 26, 2022

    This was good, but I felt like it was missing a sweet note. Would have been better with some added raisins or other dried fruit. Still, cooking went well (just watch the amount of water added) and was quite tasty with a good scoop of full-fat yogurt.

  • Clog on April 09, 2023

    A truly unexpected find - I was just looking for something to use up some things in the fridge. The combination of onion and fennel creates a superb base for the flavours from the herbs and spices.

  • MarieMacCheese on November 26, 2025

    I found this a bit bland considering the amount of veg that went into it. I would double the spice.

• Rosh Hashanah plov with barberries, pomegranate, and quince

  • Frenchfoodie on November 20, 2022

    This was fine for a low faff main course but probably not a repeater, it was fairly bland though the quince was a nice sweet (but not too sweet) note.

• Rhubarb, apple, and clove kompot

  • laurenlangston on May 22, 2023

    Lovely. Like everything else in this book, lovely. I might cut the water and sugar by 10-15% next time for more fruit flavor, but I'm very happy to sip on it all spring.

• Chicken and almond pilaf pie

  • MissKoo on February 12, 2026

    Made this as main course for a Samarkand cookbook dinner. Poached a whole chicken, shredded its meat, and reduced the chicken stock a day ahead. A moist rotisserie chicken could likely be substituted to save time. Rice is nicely spiced and aromatic. The recipe does not say whether to mix the fragrantly spiced rice and chicken or to layer separately. I chose to mix them together, had filling leftover after filling filo lined springform pan. The accompanying saffron yogurt is essential and lick the plate delicious. It would be good with other meats, fish, and veggies. Pilaf pie is good -- the sauce sends it over the top. Everyone raved about the sauce.

• Pomegranate and vodka sorbet

  • MissKoo on February 12, 2026

    Made this as part of Samarkand cookbook dinner and served between courses as a palate cleanser even though it appears in the dessert section of the cookbook. As recipe headnote states, this is softer than a typical sorbet -- somewhere between a sorbet and a granita. The color is gorgeous and the flavor is tart without being too much so. All around rave reviews. It would make a lovely dessert served with cookies on the side and/or artisanal chocolate.

• Kyrgyz swirled onion flatbread (Katama)

  • ethedens on April 27, 2025

    Not the easiest recipe to make, but very tasty. 4/5

• Eat Your Books by Jenny Hartin

  Interview with the authors of Samarkand.

  Full review

• Food52

  The 2017 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks, Semifinal Round: Samarkand vs. Taste & Technique

  Full review

• Food52

  The 2017 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks, Semifinal Round: Samarkand vs. Taste & Technique

  Full review

• Food52

  The 2017 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks, Quarterfinal Round: Samarkand vs. Taste of Persia

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• Food52

  The 2017 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks, Quarterfinal Round: Samarkand vs. Taste of Persia

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• Food52

  The 2017 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks, First Round: Samarkand vs. Golden

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• Food52

  The 2017 Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks, First Round: Samarkand vs. Golden

  Full review

• Eat the Love

  The recipes are from Central Asia which gives you a blend middle eastern recipes and influences like Turkey, Russia, Korean and Jewish cuisines...recipes I never thought about making at home.

  Full review