I’ll be honest – I don’t have a very high opinion of horses.

Growing up in Nevăda, I never understood the fascination with the equine creatures. They died out in America after the ice age, along with ground sloths, sabertooth cats and wooly mammoths. They used a lot of food and water in the desert, and I always felt like that food and water was better reserved for either cattle or non-invasive species… but not horses.

I know this is not a popular opinion. I respect those who have a differing opinion. And I do have a point in bringing this up.

I have no plans to eat horse.

Just because I don’t necessarily like something doesn’t mean I want to boil it and eat it. So, for the Kazakhstan episode of this project – beshbarmak, one of the more fun-to-say foods I’ve encountered – I went with lamb.

Beshbarmak wasn’t my favorite dish. The broth I tried to make by boiling the lamb didn’t really turn out the way I expected.

Maybe it tastes better with horse?

This recipe was sourced from a few sites, including the Peace Corps and Foodista.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs lamb shank, bone-in
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 Tb cumin
• 1 Tb salt
• 3 medium sized onions
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 carrot
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup chives, minced

Instructions

1. 

   Round noodles! Boil them in the lamb broth.

   Marinade the lamb for a few hours in the lemon juice, cumin and salt.

2. Cook the lamb in a pot full of water over medium-low heat, adding sliced celery, sliced carrot and 1/2 sliced onion. Simmer for 2 1/2 hours until meat is tender.
3. After about an hour, mix flour, 1 cup water and 2 eggs.
4. Roll dough into 1/2-inch thick sheets. Set aside in an airtight container.
5. Remove lamb from broth; reserve stock. Separate meat from bones.
6. Sautee onions and carrots until carmelized. Add lamb meat.
7. Using a glass or other round object, cut the sheets of dough into circular noodles/dumplings.
8. Thicken about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce and set aside.
9. Bring the remaining stock to a boil, add noodles and cook.
10. Serve by placing lamb on a plate, surrounded by noodles, pour small amount of broth on top, sprinkle with chives. Serve broth separately in small bowls.