In Armenian cuisine, basturma is a cured tenderloin made from salted meat, which has a layer of spicy seasoning called chaman on the surface. Basturma is served as a snack, cut into thin slices. Due to the not too high fat content, the calorie content of basturma is not very high.
Recipe for making Armenian basturma
Prepare the following ingredients: 1 kg of fresh beef meat (loin or any piece without veins and fat), 100 g of coarse rock salt, 100 g of chaman (fenugreek) spice, 150 g of ground red hot pepper, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon allspice, half a teaspoon of cumin (cumin), 1-2 heads of medium-sized garlic, bay leaf.
Use the lean tender meat of young animals for cooking Armenian basturma.
Use a wide saucepan or large bowl. Place a layer of paper napkins on the bottom, and whole bay leaves on them. Sprinkle the meat with salt, put it in a bowl and sprinkle the rest of the salt on top. Put paper napkins on the meat, on them - a board of a suitable size and place oppression, for example, a three-liter jar filled with water. Place the dishes with meat in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
Check the meat once a day and turn it over, adding salt if necessary. If a lot of liquid has leaked out of it, and the napkins are very wet, replace them with new ones. After 5-7 days, the meat should form into elastic flat pieces, which must be dried in the wind for several hours. If it is not possible to do this, dry the pressed piece for basturma with a fan.
Plaster for basturma
Prepare the coating. Grind the chaman into a fine powder, sift through a fine sieve into an enamel pan. Add warm water gradually, stirring constantly. The mixture should acquire the consistency of liquid sour cream. Leave it at room temperature for half an hour. Pour in the rest of the ingredients and mix everything, add more warm water if necessary. The resulting mass should not have lumps, for this you can squeeze it through cheesecloth folded in two layers.
Wash the jerky with cold water using a brush to remove excess salt. Pat it dry with a towel or paper towels. Place the prepared spice mixture in a bowl and place the jerky in it. Spread the mixture over the top and sides of the meat with a spoon. Cover the dishes with cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours. After a day, take out the meat, remove excess coating and cover open places with it.
The thickness of the coating can be from 0.5 to 1 centimeter.
Hang the meat back up to dry completely. Basturma can be dried for up to seven days, depending on the humidity of the air. On the finished basturma, the coating adheres well and does not crumble much when cutting. Wrap the cooked meat in a linen towel and store in the refrigerator. Serve delicious Armenian basturma cut into very thin slices.
