Chuchvara

Chuchvara is a classic Uzbek dumpling that is frequently referred to as the Russian or Italian ravioli of Uzbekistan. It's similar to manti, but smaller in size, and it's generally boiled in a soup with meat and vegetables.

A basic dough is rolled out and cut into smaller squares before being stuffed with a mixture of minced meat (typically lamb or beef), onions, and seasonings to form chuchvara. After that, the dumplings are cooked in broth with fried meat and veggies. Think of chuchvara as the Uzbek counterpart of Chinese wonton soup, often served with a dusting of fresh dill.

Chuchvara dumplings are typically served in soup, but they can also be fried. Kovurma chuchvara, also known as fried chuchvara, is a type of fried chuchvara that is generally served with sour cream or cold yogurt on the side.

Osh kuktli chuchvara and ugra chuchvara are two other forms of chuchvara in Uzbekistan. The former is stuffed with finely chopped greens, onions, tail fat, and hard-boiled eggs, while the latter is made with classic chuchvara dumplings cooked in a broth with meatballs and noodles.