15 replies to this topic

[Dbuckley]

A few years ago my family started a tradition of making Christmas meals that are traditional to other ethnicities, and this year I though of Armenian. I'm not Armenian myself, in case you haven't figured that out yet. I was able to find info on what might be included in a traditional Armenian Christmas meal, but am having a lot of trouble finding recipes. I found kuku recipes, but does anyone have recipes they can share for khozi mis, nshkhark or plav??
Dan

[Yervant1]

A few years ago my family started a tradition of making Christmas meals that are traditional to other ethnicities, and this year I though of Armenian. I'm not Armenian myself, in case you haven't figured that out yet. I was able to find info on what might be included in a traditional Armenian Christmas meal, but am having a lot of trouble finding recipes. I found kuku recipes, but does anyone have recipes they can share for khozi mis, nshkhark or plav??
Dan

Hi Dan,

Sorry I do not have any recipes for you, but I'm sure others will.
Welcome to Hyeforum, please stay around.

[Arpa]

Welcome Dan,
Bari Ekar, literally- “may your arrival be good”.
I don’t have holiday recipes either. I’m sure our multitalented ladies will help you.
One thing. Just so you will not be terribly disappointed, there will be very few if at all “khozi mis” recipes. As a rule Armenians specially those from the (Middle East) Diapora are primarily mutton and beef eaters and very little pork. There is a method to that madness. Having lived with neighbors who don’t eat pork the latter would be very difficult to find. In fact, in Aleppo , Syria, a city of a million at that time, there was only one butcher shop that handled pork and it was exclusively for European customers. Sometimes, once or twice a year some Armenians would buy also. Besides, the butchers would have to be Christian as well as Muslims and Jews not only (publicly) don’t eat pork they don’t even handle or touch it.

[Anoushik]

A few years ago my family started a tradition of making Christmas meals that are traditional to other ethnicities, and this year I though of Armenian. I'm not Armenian myself, in case you haven't figured that out yet. I was able to find info on what might be included in a traditional Armenian Christmas meal, but am having a lot of trouble finding recipes. I found kuku recipes, but does anyone have recipes they can share for khozi mis, nshkhark or plav??
Dan

Hello Dan, welcome to Hyeforum

Oooohh, you should definitely look for recipes for grape leaf tolma stuffed with meat. Yum! Here's an interesting read.

[Armenak]

ՂԱՓԱՄԱ / GHAPAMA

Ghapama is a traditional eastern Armenian food, often served during new years and Christmas. It is pumpkin stuffed with rice, dried fruit, raisins, etc. There is a very famous Harout Pamboukjian song about Ghapama.

Recipe

* 1.5 kg pumpkin
* 70g rice (2.5oz)
* 70g butter (2.5oz)
* 70g dried plums, apricots, peaches (no seeds) (2.5oz)
* 25g honey (or sugar) (1oz)
* 30g raisins (1oz)
* 200g apples (diced/cubed) (7oz)
* 1g cinnamon powder
* optionally some chopped almonds
* salt to taste

Wash pumpkin, cut off top, remove guts and wash again.

In bowl, mix cooked rice (only half cooked if the rice may turn to mush), washed raisins, dried prunes/apricots/peaches, apples (cubed small), and cinnamon. Mix and stuff pumpkin, pour on honey (or mix in sugar if you don't have honey). Put top of pumpkin back on and bake at 150c until soft (poke with toothpick to determine).

Bring pumpkin to table whole and cut it up there to serve it.

http://www.armeniape...p?title=Ghapama

[vava]

You may also want to try THIS RECIPE for "garan mis", or lamb. Happy tasting

[Dbuckley]

Thanks! All that sounds amazing. I'll keep checking for more recipes, and keep on sending in the general info too. All very interesting...

[Sip]

The Armenians from Iran definitely have a tradition of eating "kuku" on Xmas eve ... however note that for us this is on Jan 5th.

Here is a recipe.
Here is another one.

Also, our family tends to eat a lot of salty fish (and now salmon) but that's about all the meat we get that night. Plain yoghurt is also a must!

Edited by Sip, 12 December 2007 - 02:09 PM.

[Sip]

I just reread the first post and realized you already have kuku on there .. sorry I was on a small portable with a bad connection at the time and didn't get to read the whole post.

As far as "nshkhark or plav" ... we get the nshkhark from the church as technically it is somehow supposed to be blessed and holy to be equivalent to eating Jesus's body (don't ask me why we have this canibalistic ritual but that's how it is). "Plav" just refers to steamed white rice.

[Arpa]

The Armenians from Iran definitely have a tradition of eating "kuku" on Xmas eve ... however note that for us this is on Jan 5th.

Here is a recipe.
Here is another one.

Also, our family tends to eat a lot of salty fish (and now salmon) but that's about all the meat we get that night. Plain yoghurt is also a must!

So that's what kuku is. My people called that otjeh. They even had a special pan with concave "etes" for it, much like the muffing pans we have here.
As far as "nshkhar" , we know that it literally means relic, mnatsourd. I did not know that it would be classified as food, if so then it would be called a "wafer", like those, as you say, disepnsed at communion.

[Maral]

So that's what kuku is. My people called that otjeh. They even had a special pan with concave "etes" for it, much like the muffing pans we have here.
As far as "nshkhar" , we know that it literally means relic, mnatsourd. I did not know that it would be classified as food, if so then it would be called a "wafer", like those, as you say, disepnsed at communion.

When I was a little girl growing up in Massachusetts the other kids in school used to call it Martian Food
we don't put dill in ours,or cilantro either,but I like the idea of using cilantro.

there is a site called The Gutsy Gourmet,try his site for recipes.

Edited by Maral, 13 December 2007 - 10:52 AM.

[Arpa]

When I was a little girl growing up in Massachusetts the other kids in school used to call it Martian Food
we don't put dill in ours,or cilantro either,but I like the idea of using cilantro.

there is a site called The Gutsy Gourmet,try his site for recipes.

I don't even know what cilantro is, except that it looks like parsely. There was an extended article about it by Aris Sevak of the Armenin reporter where he expressed his hatred about it, exscept that, it seems some people in Armenia don't know the differnce between it and parsley.
As to dill, whatever it may be, I see it at the supermarket, there is not even one Iranian recipe without it!

[Dbuckley]

I just reread the first post and realized you already have kuku on there .. sorry I was on a small portable with a bad connection at the time and didn't get to read the whole post.

Yeah, but I didn't have recipes...or even know what it was. Thanks!

[Yervant1]

I don't even know what cilantro is, except that it looks like parsely. There was an extended article about it by Aris Sevak of the Armenin reporter where he expressed his hatred about it, exscept that, it seems some people in Armenia don't know the differnce between it and parsley.
As to dill, whatever it may be, I see it at the supermarket, there is not even one Iranian recipe without it!

Arpa cilantro I think is "Kezpara" that is used widely with frog legs. As for dill it's something like oregano which gives a nice taste to potato cuts when baked in an oven.

[Arpa]

I don't even know what cilantro is, except that it looks like parsely. There was an extended article about it by Aris Sevak of the Armenin reporter where he expressed his hatred about it, exscept that, it seems some people in Armenia don't know the differnce between it and parsley.
As to dill, whatever it may be, I see it at the supermarket, there is not even one Iranian recipe without it!

Maybe it is. I don't know, except that we used to call "kzbara" "kous mara" . Do you know Arabic?
Dill is "samith/սամիթ" in Armenian and "sibit/shivit" in Persian.

[gamavor]

There is NO Armenian New Year and Christmas without those below!


A traditional New Year pudding (ANUSHABUR)
-Lucy Jansizian

1 cup dzedzadz (hulled wheat)
6 cups water
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins (opt.)
1½ cups sugar
½ tsp. salt

Wash wheat twice. Add this to 6 cups of cold water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook slowly for 1½ hours. DO NOT STIR DURING COOKING PROCESS.

Five minutes before end of cooking wheat, add sugar. vanilla, salt, walnuts, raisins and mix well. Pour into deep serving dish and garnish with walnut halves and blanched almonds. Serve cold.

Serves 4-5


Royal Armenian pudding (HAIGAGAN ANOUSHEGHEN)
-Elmas Merigian

¼ lb. blanched almonds
¼ lb. pine nuts
¼ lb. blanched hazel nuts
¼ lb. blanched walnuts
1/8 lb. butter
1 cup sugar
1 qt. milk
2 tbsp. cornstarch

Put blanched nuts through a food chopper, then shake them through a coarse sieve. Reserve one fourth of the nuts; the coarsely chopped ones for the top of the pudding. Bring milk to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan and pour in balance of nuts. Let simmer for ½ hour, then add sugar and butter and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Dilute cornstarch in half cup of water and pour into mixture. Stir quickly to keep it from lumping. Return to heat and cook for 10 minutes more very slowly. Pour into 6 individual glasses and serve with sauce.

Sauce:
½ cup sugar
1 egg white
1 tbsp. butter
1 cup crushed strawberries

Beat one half of the sugar with butter, and one half with the egg white. When egg is stiff, beat in butter mixture and fold in the crushed strawberries. Keep in the refrigerator.

When serving pudding, put a dab of the sauce on top of each glass. and sprinkle the top with the remaining chopped nuts.

Serves 6


Nut filled cookie (LADY FINGERS)
-Sandough Sirabian

1 cup milk, lukewarm
2 eggs
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup butter, melted (salt removed) or sweet butter
1 tsp. B.P.
¼ tsp. salt
6 cups sifted flour
1 egg (for brushing tops)

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Knead well. Shape dough into 30 balls about the size of a small egg. With rolling pin, roll dough into oval shapes about 5" long.

Filling:
1 lb. walnuts, finely chopped
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. sugar

Mix together and spread 1 teaspoon of filling lengthwise on each dough. Fold sides lengthwise and pinch together to form finger-shape. Turn dough over so seam side is faced down. Take scissors and make short cuts down the length and sides of each finger. Be sure not to cut through the finger.

Place on greased cookie sheet seam down. Brush with egg. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 15 minutes or until brown.

When cookies are partially cooled, dip into a simple syrup.

Syrup:
1½ cups sugar
1 cup water

Boil together with a few drops of lemon juice for 5 minutes.

Makes 30


Armenian Coffee Cake 1 (KATAH)
1/2 cup shortening (Butter and Crisco mixed)
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups lukewarm water
2 eggs
1 yeast cake
1 heaping teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon sugar
5 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. Melt shortening, and combine two mixtures. Add all other ingredients. Knead well. Grease hands with olive oil to facilitate kneading. Let dough rise 2-3 hours. Divide dough into 6 balls and let stand for 15 minutes, covered. Roll each ball out to about 36" in diameter. Brush rolled sheets with 3 large spoonfuls of butter, melted.

Then fold each dough sheet until you have a 6 inch square. Press it out with fingers until it forms a 10" square. Put on baking sheets, and let stand for 1 hour to rise. Brush with egg and bake in 4000 oven for 20 minutes. Put on table individually to cool.

Cut into smaller pieces to serve. Keep in tightly covered enamel pan to store away.

Note: -Katah is served as dinner roll or with cheese for a snack.

Armenian Coffee Cake 2 (KATAH)
2 cups milk
3 eggs
1 lb. shortening (1/2 butter, 1/2 Spry)
1 yeast cake
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
8 to 9 cups flour

Heat milk, add 1/2 cup shortening, salt, sugar and beaten eggs. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and add to first mixture. Gradually add flour and knead. Cover and set in warm place to rise for about 2 hours. - Divide dough into 8 parts and shape into balls. Set on slightly floured board, covered until they rise double in bulk. Roll out each one, sprinkling flour as you roll to 12" diameter. Then take the dough over your hands and stretch until twice its size. Brush each one with remaining shortening. Roll like jelly roll and twist around each roll several times. Roll each twisted roll into a pinwheel. Flatten the pinwheels with rolling pin and let them rise double in bulk. Beat one egg and brush tops of each round with it. Sprinkle sesame seeds. Bake in 400 degree oven 1/2 hour or until browned.

Armenian Coffee Cake 3 (KATAH)
About 5 cups of sifted flour
1/2 cup canned milk
1/4 lb. melted butter
3 eggs beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1 yeast cake
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix the butter, milk, eggs, sugar together. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup of lukewarm water. Add to the first mixture. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt and add gradually to the first mixture, stirring with a spoon. Then knead with your hand to make a soft dough. Cover well and let stand for 2 hours until it rises double in size. Punch down and let rise again this time not quite double in size. Mold into any desired shape, place on baking sheet and let rise some more. Then brush with egg and bake about half hour in 300F oven.

Armenian Coffee Cake with Filling 1 (KATAH WITH KORITZ)
Dough:

4 cups flour
1 yeast cake
2 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup butter
Pinch of salt
Filling (Koritz):

1/2 cup butter*
1 cup flour
1/4 cup chopped nuts (if desired)
1/4 cup sugar (if desired)
Cinnamon to taste (if desired)
Soften yeast in one cup of milk, melt the sugar in the other cup of milk, then combine the two. Add melted butter, saving two tablespoons to use in brushing the dough. Gradually add the flour and salt to the liquid and when all of it is absorbed, knead well. It should be a soft dough. Cover and let it rise.

When dough has doubled in size, divide it into six portions. Take one portion at a time and roll out to thickness of 1/4" or less. Brush the entire open dough with melted butter. Then fold the dough to a square 5" x 5". Place some koritz in the center of this square and bring over opposite corners of the square to cover the koritz. Then roll out the dough to the size of a small pie. Brush with eggs, and design on top of dough with a fork or some other gadget. Let this rise again, then bake in a moderate oven (350 degrees) until browned.

Koritz: Melt your butter and blend in the cup of flour, on low flame, and keep stirring until the flour and butter are well blended and the color of the koritz is pink. Stir in other desired ingredients.




Armenian Coffee Cake with Filling 2 (KATAH WITH KORITZ)
Dough:

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1-1/2 cup shortening
1 yeast cake
Filling (Koritz) Cook until it looks like helva or paste:

2 cups flour
1/2 pound butter
Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Let rise for 3 hours. Shape Into little balls, punch a hole in each ball and put some koritz in it and close dough. Then flatten ball into a circle 1/4 inch thick. Brush egg on top, sprinkle sesame seeds and prick several places with fork. Bake in 400F oven until browned.


http://www.armeniape...rmenian_Cooking



ANUSH!