Jorat Kutab is one of the favorite dishes of Baku residents. People go specifically for it to the Jorat village, located on the Absheron peninsula, on the shores of the Caspian Sea between Baku and Sumgait.
In the ancient times, one of the routes of the Great Silk Road lay through Jorat – and caravans with jewelry, silk and other goods passed through the village. People say that the recipe of Jorat Kutab is ancient, and it has its own peculiarities: it is baked in an oven with no butter. Jorat Kutabs are delicious – and matzoni on the side is an absolute must!
Chef of “Chayki” restaurant and huge fan of Azeri national cuisine Bakhtiyar Aliyev shared the recipe with us, while his assistant Sevda made Jorat Kutabs for us with greens, chees and beef.
DOUGH
- Flour — 833 grams
- Water — 300 grams
- Salt — 17 grams
First, make simple dough from flour, water and salt. Let it rest for half-hour for fermentation, then roll it into a tube and slice into bits – each bit around 20 grams.
Jorat Kutab with greens
- Butter — 5 grams
- Spinach — 250 grams
- Sorrel — 165 grams
- Green onion — 165 grams
- Cilantro — 200 grams
- Dill — 200 grams
- Salt — 10 grams
Wash the greens then chop it into small bits, add salt. Mix it. Roll the dough flat, put greens on one side and a piece of butter on the other. Connect the edges and “close” them. Heat up the tray in a wooden oven, put Kutabs onto the tray and put it inside the oven. Let it become golden and crispy. If you’re doing this in an electric stove, 5 minutes on 220 degrees should be enough.
Jorat Kutab with cheese
- Chanakh cheese — 250 grams
- Cottage cheese — 100 grams
Grind the Chanakh cheese, rub the cottage cheese through a sieve. Mix the filling.
Roll the dough flat, put the filling onto one side, thoroughly flattening it. Connect the edges and “close” them. Heat up the tray in a wooden oven, put Kutabs onto the tray and put it inside the oven. Let it become golden and crispy.
Jorat Kutab with beef
- Barberry — 1 grams
- Onion — 250 grams
- Salt — 5 grams
- Black pepper — 2 grams
- Lamb shoulder — 400 grams
- Lamb fat — 150 grams
- Beef — 200 grams
Slice the beef, onions and fat and put it all through a grinder. Add salt and pepper, mix the mince. Roll the dough flat, put minced meat onto one side and thoroughly rub it in. Add barberry, which needs to sit in warm water for a while before that. Connect the edges and “close” them. Heat up the tray in a wooden oven, put Kutabs onto the tray and put it inside the oven. Let it become golden and crispy.
