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Shurpa: The Uzbek Soup Cooked Two Ways

Under one name, Uzbekistan hides two different soups: one is simply boiled, and the broth comes out clear and light; the other is fried in a cauldron and turns thick and heavy. To order "shurpa" is to choose how filling your lunch will be.

A Kvazar guide · Updated 2026 · ~7 min read

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If plov is Uzbekistan's ceremonial dish, shurpa is its homely, everyday warmth. It's a thick, rich lamb soup cooked year-round, and it's the one most often served when people want to feed you "properly." But behind the simple name hides a fork in the road: shurpa is made in two fundamentally different ways, and the choice decides whether you get a light clear broth or a dense, fatty soup. Let's sort it out.

In short: shurpa is a thick Uzbek soup of lamb (less often beef) with coarsely cut vegetables: potato, carrot, onion, tomatoes, bell pepper. It comes in two kinds. Kaynatma shurpa — the meat and vegetables are simply boiled without frying, and the broth comes out clear and light. Kovurma shurpa (from "kovurmoq" — to fry) — the meat and vegetables are first fried in a cauldron, and the soup turns thicker and richer. The essence of shurpa is the broth and the coarse cut.
In this guide What shurpa is Kaynatma and kovurma: two ways Why the vegetables are cut large How shurpa is made FAQ

What is Uzbek shurpa?

Shurpa is one of the main Uzbek soups — hearty and thick, made mostly from lamb with a lot of vegetables. Unlike European soups, shurpa isn't "lightened": it has plenty of meat, fat and vegetables, and a portion comes out dense and warming. It's an everyday, all-season dish, often ordered at the chaikhana before plov or instead of it.

Historically shurpa is made from lamb, though beef is often used today — for example, in tourist spots. There are many variations: with chickpeas (nohat shurpa), with rice, with different sets of vegetables; the count of Uzbek first-course recipes runs into the dozens. But "classic" shurpa is precisely lamb, a clear or rich broth, and large pieces of vegetable.

Shurpa doesn't pretend to be light. It's a soup after which you can skip the rest of lunch — it is lunch.

How does kaynatma shurpa differ from kovurma shurpa?

By the cooking method. Kaynatma shurpa (from "kaynatmoq" — to boil) is made without frying: the meat is covered with cold water, brought to a boil, the foam is skimmed off, and it's simmered with coarsely cut vegetables. The broth comes out clear and lighter — it's even considered "diet." Kovurma shurpa (from "kovurmoq" — to fry) requires a cauldron: the meat, ribs, onion and carrot are first fried, and only then covered with water and boiled. The soup comes out thicker, fattier and richer.

It's the same logic as the two schools of plov: to fry or not to fry. Kaynatma can be cooked even in an ordinary pot — it's forgiving and simpler; kovurma is made only in a cauldron, for that fried aroma and density. If you want to try the "light" version, ask for kaynatma; if the rich and filling one, kovurma.

Kaynatma — boiled (from "kaynatmoq," to boil): a clear, light broth. Kovurma — with frying (from "kovurmoq," to fry): a thick, rich soup from the cauldron. One name, two different soups.

Why is everything in shurpa cut so large?

This is shurpa's signature trait: the meat and vegetables go in as large pieces, sometimes whole. The potato is often boiled whole, the onion in large half-rings, the carrot in thick rounds. The coarse cut keeps the vegetables from boiling down to mush, preserves the clarity of the broth, and lets you taste each ingredient separately. It's a principle, not carelessness.

Hence the presentation: in your bowl you get full pieces of meat and vegetables, eaten almost like a main course, plus an aromatic broth. In proper shurpa the broth should be clear (especially in kaynatma), so cooks carefully skim the foam at the start of cooking. In some recipes the potato is boiled separately and added to the finished broth so as not to cloud it.

How is shurpa made?

We don't give weights — they depend on the kind of shurpa and the set of vegetables. Here's the logic of both methods in one extractable scheme.

Basic logic · kaynatma and kovurma

Shurpa: the order of steps

Kaynatma (no frying):

  1. Cover large pieces of lamb with cold water, bring to a boil, carefully skim the foam.
  2. Add coarsely cut onion and carrot, later potato, tomatoes and pepper.
  3. Add cumin, coriander, garlic, salt and hot pepper; simmer until the meat and vegetables are done.
  4. Serve with plenty of fresh herbs.

Kovurma (with frying):

  1. In a cauldron, fry tail fat and pieces of lamb (with ribs) until golden.
  2. Add onion, carrot, tomatoes — fry.
  3. Pour in hot water, add potato and spices, simmer until done.
  4. Serve thick, with herbs; the broth will be richer than kaynatma's.

Frequently asked questions about shurpa

How does kaynatma shurpa differ from kovurma shurpa?

Kaynatma is simply boiled without frying — the broth comes out clear and light. Kovurma is cooked in a cauldron with the meat and vegetables fried first — the soup comes out thicker and richer. These are two different methods under the one name "shurpa."

What meat is shurpa made from?

Traditionally lamb — it gives the characteristic flavor and richness. Beef is also used today, especially in tourist spots. The essence of shurpa is good meat and an aromatic broth.

Why are the vegetables in shurpa cut so large?

So they don't boil down to mush, the broth stays clear, and the flavor of each vegetable reads separately. The potato is often boiled whole. The coarse cut is shurpa's signature trait, not carelessness.

Which shurpa is lighter — kaynatma or kovurma?

Kaynatma: it's cooked without frying, the broth is clearer and less fatty, so it's considered more "diet." Kovurma, fried in a cauldron, is noticeably more filling and heavy.

How is shurpa different from lagman?

Shurpa is a soup of meat and coarsely cut vegetables, without noodles. In lagman the key is the long noodles with the vaja sauce, and it can be either a soup or a main. They're two different dishes.

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