Aside from osh and non (and sugared peanuts and that flaky pastry from the underground shop across the street), this was my favorite Uzbek food when I lived in Samarqand. It’s so delicious (!!) and you don’t mix it until you’re at the table and ready to pass the dish, so it’s fresh and super crunchy.

I took a few shortcuts because I didn’t have time to julienne all those veggies; I made notes though so you can also shortcut if you’d like. 😉

• 1/4 lb beef, thinly sliced
• 1 1/4 cup carrots, julienned (I bought a bag of shredded carrots instead)
• 1 1/4 cup cucumbers, julienned
• 1 1/4 cup cabbage, finely sliced (also a bag of shredded cabbage)
• 1 1/4 cup potato sticks, thinly julienned and fried in oil until golden (No way; I hate frying things, the oil splatters on me and burns my arms. I bought Pik-Nik Shoestring Potatoes instead.)
• 1 1/4 cup red beets, julienned and cooked (I bought a can of julienned beets instead of cutting and cooking them myself.)
• 1/4- 1/3 c. mayonnaise

Saute the beef in a bit of oil until done. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let cool. On a large dinner plate, arrange five equally sized mounds of the carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, potatoes, and beets in a circular arrangement around the outer edge. In the center of the circle, make a mound of beef. Over the beef, dollop the mayonnaise. Place the plate, unmixed, on the table. When the meal is served, use two forks to thoroughly mix the salad. (don’t mix ahead). Salt to taste. Serves 6.

Note: because this needs to be served fresh, I made individual sized portions for myself. So I just took a handful of each ingredient, added some mayo, and tossed and ate. It doesn’t refrigerate well mixed so keep the ingredients separate for the fridge if you won’t eat them all in one meal.