Tiny hand-pinched lamb dumplings floated in a clear garlicky broth, finished with vinegar and mint.

Where does Dushbara come from?

Dushbara is a Azerbaijani dish from Baku, Azerbaijan.

Can Dushbara be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Dushbara recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Dushbara take to make?

About 80 minutes total (60 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Dushbara — a Baku, Azerbaijan recipe

Name: Dushbara
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Azerbaijani
Ingredients: 2.5 cups flour; 1 egg (for the dough); 8 oz ground lamb; 1 small onion, minced; 6 cups clear broth; 3 cloves garlic; 2 tbsp vinegar; 1 tsp dried mint

Asia → 🇦🇿 Azerbaijan → Baku

Dushbara

Azerbaijani · advanced · serves 4

prep 60 min · cook 20 min

~474 cal · 24g protein · 65g carbs · 12g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Tiny dumplings floating in clear broth with mint and vinegar

🇦🇿 Baku

Dushbara is a labor of love in Azerbaijan, where cooks pinch dumplings so small that dozens fit on a spoon — a test of patience and a gift to guests. Simmered in a light broth and sharpened with garlic vinegar and dried mint, they are Baku comfort food for cold Caspian evenings.

Sign in to save recipes to your book and leave reviews.

Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

•

2.5 cups flour

•

1 egg (for the dough)

•

8 oz ground lamb

•

1 small onion, minced

•

6 cups clear broth

•

3 cloves garlic

•

2 tbsp vinegar

•

1 tsp dried mint

Instructions

1

Knead the flour, egg (or water), and a little water into a firm dough and rest 30 minutes.

2

Mix the lamb (or mushrooms) with the grated onion, salt, and pepper.

3

Roll the dough paper-thin, cut into small squares, add a pinch of filling to each, and pinch into tiny dumplings.

4

Simmer the dumplings in the broth 6–8 minutes until they float and the dough is tender.

5

Ladle into bowls and serve with garlic vinegar and a scatter of dried mint.

Baku tradition.

Ratings & reviews

Sign in to rate this recipe once you’ve cooked it.

No reviews yet — be the first to cook it.

🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Baku. Caspian capital of saffron rice and thumbnail dumplings.

🗺️

Azerbaijan. A Caspian land of saffron rice and tiny dumplings.

🌍

Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →