Achichuk, Shakarob and Other Salads Served with Plov
The light side dishes that always come with plov and shashlik in Uzbekistan: what they are made of, why they are so simple and how to make them at home in ten minutes.
In Uzbekistan plov almost never arrives at the table alone. Next to the platter there is always a bowl of thinly sliced tomatoes and onion called achichuk, and in summer cold shakarob or radish salad too. These salads seem too simple to write about, but their simplicity is the point: they refresh the palate, help you cope with rich plov and shashlik and make a meal feel lighter.
Why plov needs a salad
Plov is a heavy dish: rice, meat, carrots and plenty of oil. Sour, fresh vegetables balance it. Tomato gives acidity, onion gives bite and herbs give freshness. Folk wisdom says such a salad helps digestion, and in the heat plov feels too heavy without it. That is why even the simplest oshkhona canteen offers achichuk with plov by default.
Achichuk: the national salad
The name roughly means hot and sweet. It is a salad of ripe tomatoes and onion, sometimes with hot pepper and herbs.
How it is made:
- The onion is cut into the thinnest half-rings and often squeezed by hand or sprinkled with salt to take away the harshness.
- The tomatoes are sliced into very thin, almost translucent half-moons.
- Salt is added, sometimes ground black or red pepper.
- Coriander, rayhon basil or dill are optional.
Classic achichuk has no oil or vinegar: the dressing is the tomato juice itself. The secret lies in the slicing and in ripe summer tomatoes, so the best achichuk is made from July to September.
Shakarob: the Tashkent take
Shakarob is very similar to achichuk, and the names are often mixed up. Usually shakarob means the same tomato and onion salad, sometimes with cucumber and hot pepper, cut a little thicker and juicier. Some families make it with katyk (sour milk). The difference is regional rather than fundamental, and you will get slightly different answers in different cities.
Other salads and sides for plov
| Side dish | What it is |
|---|---|
| Radish salad | grated or sliced green radish, sometimes with carrot and katyk |
| Katyk and suzma | sour dairy products eaten by the spoonful with plov |
| Fresh herbs | bunches of coriander, dill, basil and spring onion |
| Pickles | pickled cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers, especially in winter |
| Fresh cucumbers and tomatoes | whole or roughly cut, in summer |
| Pomegranate seeds | in autumn sometimes scattered over achichuk or plov |
Restaurants often serve shashlik with marinated onion: onion rings with vinegar and herbs. In the cold season achichuk gives way to pickles and radish salad, because winter tomatoes are not as good.
How it is eaten
The salad is not mixed into the plov; you take a little at a time with a fork or spoon between mouthfuls of rice. Families serve achichuk in one shared bowl, while at an oshkhona you can order your own portion. Green tea always comes with plov too, completing the team of light companions to a heavy dish.
How to make it at home
If you have brought cumin and barberries home and are cooking plov, make achichuk as well; without it the experience is incomplete.
- Use the ripest, fleshiest tomatoes you can find.
- Choose a sweet salad onion.
- A sharp knife is the key tool: the thinner the slices, the better the salad.
- Salt the onion separately, squeeze it with your hands and rinse it if it is too sharp.
- Combine with the tomatoes just before serving so the salad does not turn watery too early.
Where to taste the best salads
The true taste of achichuk depends on the tomatoes, and the best tomatoes are found at bazaars in season. The southern and central regions with hot summers, including the Syrdarya area, are especially known for their vegetables. On the road south-west from Tashkent, vegetables and melons are sold straight from cars and roadside stalls.
Gulistan, the centre of the Syrdarya region, is about 110 to 120 km from Tashkent, roughly an hour and a half to two hours away. Its bazaar is a good place to buy summer tomatoes, melons and watermelons and to have plov with achichuk at an ordinary canteen.
You can get there by shared ride on Tashkent to Gulistan with Yo'ldosh: choose a convenient time, book a seat in the app and travel with a verified driver, usually for less than a taxi. Other directions are listed under all routes.
The short version
Achichuk, shakarob, radish, katyk and herbs are not a garnish but part of plov itself. They are simple because their job is not to impress but to set off the main dish. Try plov first with them and then without, and you will immediately understand why no one in Uzbekistan serves plov without a salad.
Cover photo: Jamshid Nurkulov, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.
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