Chuchvara

Chuchvara is a small Uzbek dumpling with a filling of minced beef and onion, boiled and usually served in broth.

Chuchvara comes from Uzbekistan, where it is served as a complete dish rather than a side. Its name is the same in Uzbek. The filling is simple, with minced beef, onion, black pepper and salt wrapped in a thin dough made from wheat flour. Because the dumplings are small, a bowl usually holds several, and the broth they sit in is part of the serving.

What it really is

A chuchvara is made from a thin dough of wheat flour, cut into rounds and wrapped around a spoonful of filling. The filling is minced beef mixed with finely chopped onion, black pepper and salt, and it goes in raw. Each dumpling is closed by hand into a small parcel, then dropped into boiling water until it is cooked through. The dumplings are then served in broth, and the broth is part of the dish.

Chuchvara is a soup-style dumpling: the dumplings and the broth are eaten together.

How it's served

• Hot, in a bowl of broth, with the dumplings floating in it.
• Several small dumplings to a bowl, eaten with a spoon or fork.
• Often with vinegar, chili or sour cream served on the side.

How to write it on the menu

• Name the filling: minced beef with onion and black pepper, and state if any other meat is used.
• Flag wheat, since the dough is made from wheat flour.
• Say whether the broth is meat-based, and list milk as an allergen if sour cream or yogurt is offered.
• Give the portion as a number of dumplings or as a weight, and note whether it is a starter or a main.