By Avraham Fuzaylov
There’s a certain kind of dish that doesn’t just feed—it remembers.
Zharkovi Goshtiy is one of them.
Born from zharkoye, the Russian word for something braised, something cooked hot, something that took time—but not too much, because people were busy surviving. The original was straightforward: meat, onions, potatoes, maybe a carrot if you were lucky.
But then it moved.
The dish traveled south and east, across borders and into hands that didn’t just replicate it—they reimagined it.
Bukharian Jews. Uzbeks. Tajiks.
Every house it entered, it absorbed something new. Not just flavor, but fingerprints. Identity.
By the time it hit the kitchens of Samarkand, Tashkent, Bukhara, and Dushanbe, it was no longer just Russian.
It was Central Asian.
It was ours.
The Bukharian Spin
In Bukharian homes, Zharkoye became Zharkovi Goshtiy.
“Zharkov”—the heat.
“Goshti”—meat.
Simple words. Heavy meaning.
But what made it Bukharian wasn’t just the name. It was the spice.
Cumin, crushed between the palms—not measured, but felt.
Coriander, paprika, turmeric—added like memory. Not everything was written down. Some things weren’t meant to be.
And yet, even with all that… I never really paid attention to what we called it.
Not until recently, when I was talking to my sister about filming the recipe. She casually goes, “You know grandma and mom always called it Sauce, right?”
I laughed. Thought it was just some inside joke between them.
One of those weird little nicknames families create that never make sense to anyone else.
Then I posted a reel on @BukharianBites.
A follower messaged me and said, “We used to call it Sauce.”
That’s when it landed.
This wasn’t a coincidence. It was a quiet inheritance.
Because when a dish lives in your life long enough, you stop asking what it’s called.
You just eat. You just feel. You just remember.
Recipe: Zharkovi Goshtiy or “Sauce”
Serves: 4
Ingredients
• 1.5 lb beef, cut into chunks
• 4 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp whole cumin, rubbed between palms
• 2 tsp whole coriander
• 3 cups water
• Optional: fresh dill for garnish
Instructions
• In a large pot, heat oil and sauté the chopped onions until soft and golden.
• Add beef and brown on all sides.
• Add salt, pepper, turmeric, paprika, cumin, and coriander. Stir to combine.
• Mix in tomato paste and sliced red bell pepper.
• Pour in water and bring to a simmer. Cook covered for 20 minutes.
• Add potatoes and continue simmering for another 30 minutes, or until meat is tender and potatoes are cooked through.
• Garnish with fresh dill if desired. Serve hot.
Zharkovi Goshtiy isn’t a showstopper. It’s a soul-warmer. A dish that keeps showing up, even when no one calls it by name.
And maybe that’s the point.
Bukharian Bites celebrates the rich culinary heritage of the Bukharian community, aiming to connect people through food. Founder Abe Fuzaylov shares recipes in each English issue of Bukharian Times, starting with issue 1176.