Funchoza is simply delightful. This Central Asian salad is a surprising combination of meat, rice noodles, and... fresh veggies. Yes, fresh! Tomatoes, carrots, bell pepper, and cucumber play an equally important role in this dish as the ground beef or the noodles. It's incredibly mouthwatering, but to make it even juicier, be generous with the lemon juice and freshly chopped cilantro.
Thank you to my friend Raushan who introduced me to this wonderful dish! Raushan is from Kyrgyzstan, which is one of the countries where Funchoza is considered to be a traditional salad.
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground beef (85% lean)
1 bag (12 oz) of rice noodles
2 fresh tomatoes cut in small cubes
1 medium onion julienned
2 medium carrots
1 green bell pepper
1 cup cilantro finely chopped
2-4 medium cloves of garlic minced
4 tblsp soy sauce
2 tblsp lemon juice or lemon vinegar
Pinch of red chili pepper
1 small cucumber, julienned
1/2 cup of olive oil
Salt, pepper, cumin to taste
Directions:
1. Julien carrots and green bell pepper. Julienning is cutting into long thin strips.
2. In a small bowl, combine carrot, bell pepper, and garlic. Add soy sauce, lemon juice/vinegar, and a pinch of chili pepper. Mix well. Put a lid on the container and put it into the refrigerator.
3. In a wok, heat the oil, stir fry onions for a minute and add ground beef. Add salt, pepper and cumin according to your taste. On medium high heat, keep stir frying the meat for about 5-8 minutes, add half of the tomatoes and mix until tomatoes are very soft. Add half of the cilantro, mix it once or twice and turn off the heat. Drain the excess oil if necessary.
4. In the meantime, prepare rice noodles (see package directions). Boil water and sink the noodles for 10 minutes in very hot water. Repeat 1-2 times until the noodles are softened. Take out and rinse well in cold water. Cut the noodles to 6″ pieces.
5. In a large mixing bowl, mix it all. Add remaining tomatoes, julienned cucumber, and remaining cilantro. If needed, add more salt or lemon juice/vinegar.
Thank you to my friend Raushan who introduced me to this wonderful dish! Raushan is from Kyrgyzstan, which is one of the countries where Funchoza is considered to be a traditional salad.
Ingredients:
1 lb of ground beef (85% lean)
1 bag (12 oz) of rice noodles
2 fresh tomatoes cut in small cubes
1 medium onion julienned
2 medium carrots
1 green bell pepper
1 cup cilantro finely chopped
2-4 medium cloves of garlic minced
4 tblsp soy sauce
2 tblsp lemon juice or lemon vinegar
Pinch of red chili pepper
1 small cucumber, julienned
1/2 cup of olive oil
Salt, pepper, cumin to taste
Directions:
1. Julien carrots and green bell pepper. Julienning is cutting into long thin strips.
2. In a small bowl, combine carrot, bell pepper, and garlic. Add soy sauce, lemon juice/vinegar, and a pinch of chili pepper. Mix well. Put a lid on the container and put it into the refrigerator.
3. In a wok, heat the oil, stir fry onions for a minute and add ground beef. Add salt, pepper and cumin according to your taste. On medium high heat, keep stir frying the meat for about 5-8 minutes, add half of the tomatoes and mix until tomatoes are very soft. Add half of the cilantro, mix it once or twice and turn off the heat. Drain the excess oil if necessary.
4. In the meantime, prepare rice noodles (see package directions). Boil water and sink the noodles for 10 minutes in very hot water. Repeat 1-2 times until the noodles are softened. Take out and rinse well in cold water. Cut the noodles to 6″ pieces.
5. In a large mixing bowl, mix it all. Add remaining tomatoes, julienned cucumber, and remaining cilantro. If needed, add more salt or lemon juice/vinegar.
The beautiful and colorful Funchoza is ready to satisfy your appetite!
I just tried it/ with red peppers. Very good
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious Olga, even better than the first time!!! Can't wait to eat it again! :)
ReplyDelete