Hanum, also spelt as khanum, khanym, or hanon, represents more than just a culinary name. In the Fergana Valley, it goes by the name urama, translating to “bundle” or “wrapped,” reminiscent of the cooking method of Uzbek hanum. Interestingly, the term hanum translates to Madam in English. While Uzbek hanum shares similarities with the familiar manti in terms of stuffing and cooking techniques, it stands as a distinct and original dish. Some may informally refer to it as “lazy manti,” yet the diligent preparation required for hanum debunks this notion.
Fillings For Hanum
The filling for Uzbek hanum varies, encompassing both vegetable and meat options. The fillings for Hanum typically include a potato and onion base which can vary to sometimes include carrots, sliced red pepper and minced or sliced red meat. Regional differences also manifest in the cutting of the filling; for instance, Tashkent-style Hanum also adds a vibrant touch by incorporating julienned carrots into the filling and favours small strips, while other regions opt for cubes and may only use potato and onion with no meat or carrots. This versatile Uzbek dish can even take the form of rose flowers, known as “gul-hanum” in Uzbek, translating to “flower hanum.”
How is Uzbek Hanum Made?
First, a dough is made using 400 grams of flour, 1 egg, salt, water and 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. For the filling, a blend of sliced onions, julienned potatoes and carrots, minced meat, salt, crushed cumin & coriander seed, and black pepper are mixed. A fragrant tomato sauce is then made by stir-frying onions, garlic, tomatoes and parsley, you may even like to add some dill. The tomato sauce is then seasoned with salt, black pepper, crushed coriander seed, cumin and a little sugar. This tasty sauce later creates a vibrant cover for the hanum.
The dough is rolled out very thin and spread all over with the meat and vegetable filling. It’s rolled up from one end to the other forming a long snake-shaped roulette. It is then transferred into the steaming tray to steam cook for about 45-60 minutes in a special manti steamer or a multi-tray steamer. When the roll is soft and cooked through it is cut into 5-6 cm portions and served hot, topped with the fragrant tomato sauce and accompanied with suzme, yoghurt or soured cream. Uzbeks traditionally enjoy eating hanum with their hands garnished with plenty of finely chopped greens.
Why not serve this tasty Uzbek Dough Roulette with Uzbek Aubergine Salad or this Uzbek Tomato and Pepper Salad?
Hanum Fun Fact
Legend has it, that this tasty dough roulette has a charming origin. The tale suggests it was born out of a clever adaptation by a woman who was eagerly awaiting her husband’s return from war. When she heard the news of his return, she wanted to meet him and surprise him with his favourite food, but she simply didn’t have the time to make it. So, she improvised with the same ingredients and thus, this culinary gem was conceived from the rolled-up dough and flavourful stuffing. Now it has since become a beloved Uzbek tradition.
Authentic Uzbek Hanum Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Steamer
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 Julien peeler or large grater
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 kg Plain flour
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 Egg
- 500 ml Warm water (1 pint)
For the Filling
- 400 g Minced lamb
- 2 Onions
- 2 Medium carrots
- 2 Medium potatoes
- 2-3 tsp Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 2 tsp Crushed cumin seed
- 2 tsp Crushed coriander seed
- 2 tbsp Oil (and a bit more for greasing)
Instructions
- Begin with sifting the flour into a mixing bowl. Whisk the egg and salt in a separate bowl, then make a small well in the middle of the flour and pour the mixture in.
- Mix in half of the warm water and start to mix the flour into the water with your hands until it starts forming a dough. Continue to mix in the water while scraping down any dough mixture from the edges of the bowl. The dough should form into a medium-firm consistency.
- Knead the dough for about 5 minutes and shape it into a smooth and soft ball. Cut the ball in half and continue to knead the 2 halves to form 2 balls. Place them both in a plastic bag to rest while you make the filling.
- For the filling, peel and wash the potatoes, carrots and onions. Slice the onions long and set aside. Remove the ends of the carrots and julienne or grate them and the potatoes.
- In a mixing bowl, break up the minced lamb, add the sliced onions, carrots and potatoes followed by the spices and oil. Thoroughly mix it all together.
- On a large, clean workspace, dust some flour and place one of the dough balls on top, dust a generous amount of flour over the ball while patting it down as much as you can to form a patty.
- Making sure there is a nice amount of flour on the dough, fold it in half and press down on it with your fist. As you beat down on it, a bigger circle should start to form. Unfold the dough, rotate the circle, re-flour the dough circle and repeat this process until you have a big enough circle to roll out.
- With a rolling pin, roll out the entire dough as much and as thin as possible
- Divide the filling into 2 equal portions and use one portion to spread over the rolled-out dough.
- Then starting from one end, begin to roll up the dough over the filling over to the other end, forming a thick log.
- If the dough log is too big for your steamer it may need to be cut in half to allow enough steam through the holes. If the dough covers the holes of the steamer it won't cook. (I learned that the hard way)
- Oil the bottom of your steamer and the Hamum log before placing it into the steamer in a swirl shape
- It should NOT cover the holes like this:
- Make sure you have enough water in your steamer before placing it to cook for 40 minutes or until soft and cooked throughout.
- Repeat the process with the other dough ball and filling.
- Serve hot with some homemade tomato sauce and soured cream or yoghurt. Don't forget the greens 😉 Yoqimli ishtaha!!!
