Barak is the small stuffed pasta of the Tajik Pamir mountains — triangle dumplings of thin dough filled with minced lamb, onion, and herbs, boiled and served in broth or with yogurt. Eaten by the Pamiri people of Gorno-Badakhshan, it is distinct from lowland Tajik mantu or tushbera in shape and filling, and tied to Ismaili Pamiri culinary tradition.
Barak (or borek in Pamiri Tajik) is the small triangular stuffed pasta of the Pamiri people of Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (the eastern, mountainous half of Tajikistan). The Pamiris are an Iranian people, Ismaili Muslims (not Sunni like most Tajiks), with a distinct language (Pamiri) and cuisine. Barak is their festive dumpling — distinct from the lowland Tajik tushbera (which is smaller, rounder) and the Uzbek mantu (which is larger, steamed). The triangular shape and the lamb-and-herb filling reflect the Pamiri highland larder. It is eaten at weddings, funerals, and the Navruz spring festival.
A bowl of small triangular dumplings, the thin dough translucent at the edges, revealing the lamb-and-herb filling. Each dumpling is two bites — the wrapper tender, the filling savory and aromatic with dill and cilantro. Eaten in broth or with a dollop of tangy yogurt, they are the comfort food of the high Pamirs.
The dough must be rolled very thin (the Pamiri technique emphasizes the wrapper's delicacy) and cut into small squares, which are folded around the filling into triangles. The filling is raw when folded (cooks during boiling), so the meat must be very finely minced. The dumplings are boiled in salted water or, more traditionally, in lamb broth — which then becomes the soup they are served in. The herbs (dill and cilantro) are essential — they are not garnish but part of the filling.
Variations
Some fill with pumpkin; some with potato; the broth herbs vary; some serve with butter, not yogurt.
On the Palate
Where Barak sits in the Tajik flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
8 steps · 1 hour 30 min active + 30 min waiting
- 132 min
Make dough: 300 g flour, 1 egg, 120 ml water, 1 tsp salt; knead 8 minutes; rest 30 minutes.
- 28 min
Make filling: mix 300 g finely minced lamb, 1 finely diced onion, 1 tsp coriander, salt, pepper, and a handful each of chopped dill and cilantro.
- 38 min
Roll the dough paper-thin; cut into 5-cm squares.
Watch outRoll the dough paper-thin, almost see-through — a thick wrapper cooks up gummy and doughy and the delicate skin is the whole point here.
- 410 min
Place 1 tsp filling on each square; fold into a triangle; pinch the edges tight.
Watch outPinch the triangle edges dead tight — the raw filling swells as it cooks, and any loose seam bursts open in the pot.
- 55 min
Bring a large pot of salted water (or lamb broth) to a boil.
- 68 min
Drop the barak in batches; cook 6-8 minutes until they float and the dough is tender.
Watch outThey're done the moment they float and the dough turns tender and translucent — boil them past that and the thin skins go slack and split.
- 71 min
Ladle into bowls with some broth.
- 81 min
Top with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
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