Dushbarra / Dushbara

Dushbarra or Dushbara is one of the typical dishes from Azerbaijan. It is a broth with small raviolis filled with lamb and herbs. Dushbara is a soup made with tiny dumplings stuffed with lamb. They look like tiny or small Raviolis which is flavored with fried onion, cilantro, mint and dried sour cherry-plums. Dushbara may be served with Gutabs as a first course. Vinegar mixed with finely chopped garlic may be added also when the soup is already served at the table if desired. Garlic and vinegar are believed to be two (2) two basic ingredients that assist in the recovery from colds in Azerbaijan. Dushbarra dumplings are made manually in Azerbaijan, they are carefully shaped by hand by placing a pinch of minced lamb into a small square of dough, folding the dough in half to make a triangle and then pinching the two ends of the dough together. Although it is a tedious job to make the small dumplings, those who make them are careful not to make the dumplings thick which change the consistency of the Dushbarra soup and sometimes, the middle of the dumplings are not cooked at all. Dushbarra is very similar to the making of the dumplings used in Pancit Molo of Iloilo, Philippines, although Pancit Molo filling is made of ground pork. Our old reliable cook, was also very careful not to make the Molo dumpling too big and too think. She just put the right amount of filling and see to it that the dumplings are shaped properly. Reading about Dushbarra made to look into the past when I was still living with my Ilonggo family. Somehow, I miss their food and the way they make them.