Mastoba

Mastoba is a traditional Tajik soup consisting of meat, rice, and vegetables. It is typically prepared with seasoned chunks of meat, usually beef or mutton that are browned alongside tomatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, sweet peppers, potatoes, spices, and rice, and then simmered with water until meat, rice, and vegetables are tender.

Thick and satisfying, the soup is traditionally served hot in an oval-shaped bowl known as kasa, tavak, or pialah in Tajik. It is usually laced with a drizzle of katyk, a type of Tajik sour milk, and eaten with sprinklings of freshly chopped coriander and ground pepper on top.