Delicious basturma Armenian

Basturma in Armenian cuisine called dried fillet of salted meat, having on the surface a layer of a spicy condiment called Chaman. Basturma is served as an appetizer, cut into thin slices. Thanks to a not too high content of fats, the calorie content of the pastrami is not very high.

Recipe Armenian basturma

Prepare the following ingredients: 1 kg of fresh beef (sirloin or any piece without streaks and fat), 100 g coarse rock salt, 100 g spices Chaman (fenugreek), 150 g of ground red hot pepper, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon allspice, half teaspoon cumin (cumin), 1-2 garlic cloves medium size Bay leaf.

Use to make Armenian basturma lean tender meat of young animals.

Take a wide pot or large bowl. Put the bottom layer of paper napkins, and whole Bay leaf. Sprinkle meat with salt, put it in a bowl and sprinkle on top of the remnants of salt. Put meat on paper towels on a plate of a suitable size and set pressure, for example a three-liter jar filled with water. Put the dishes with meat in the fridge for 5-7 days.

Once a day, check the meat and rotate it, if necessary, adding salt. If it had a lot of liquid, and wipes are very wet, replace them with new ones. After 5-7 days the meat has to be formed in the elastic flat pieces that need to dry out in the wind for hours. If it is not possible to do this, dry pressed extra virgin piece of pastrami with a fan.

Coating for pastrami

Prepare the plaster. Crush Chaman in fine powder, sift through a fine sieve into an enamel pan. Gradually add warm water, stirring constantly. The mixture should acquire the consistency of liquid sour cream. Leave it for half an hour at room temperature. Stir in the remaining ingredients and stir, if needed add more warm water. The resulting mass must not have lumps, you can squeeze it through cheesecloth, folded in two layers.

Wash cured meat with cold water using the brush to remove excess salt. Dry it with a towel or paper towel. Place the prepared spice blend in a bowl and put in it the jerky. Carefully brush all over blend the top and sides of the piece of meat with a spoon. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave for a day in the fridge. At the end of the day remove the meat, remove the excess coating and cover her open spots.

The thickness of the coating can be from 0.5 to 1 centimeter.

Again hang the meat for final drying. Basturma can dry up to seven days, depending on humidity. The pastrami on the finished coating is well kept and not much crumbling when cutting. Wrap the cooked meat in a linen towel and store in the refrigerator. Serve delicious Armenian basturma on the table, its cut into very thin slices.