Traditional Azerbaijani Flavored Butter, Fire-Grilled Village Steaks

This recipe celebrates the rustic heritage of the Caucasus, featuring hand-churned butter infused with mountain flavors paired with golden milk bread and succulent fire-seared beef.

Servings 6 persons Difficulty Medium beef bread butter dairy steaks 120 minutes

Products used in this recipe

Important Disclaimer: The original video shows large-scale traditional cooking without precise measurements. The quantities below are estimations adapted for a smaller, home-friendly batch and might need adjustment. They are inspired by the video but are not exact conversions. Feel free to adjust ingredients like sugar or ghee to your personal preference.

Ingredients

📌 Ingredients for Traditional Nehre Butter and Infusions You Can Make Yourself:

🥛 For the base butter: 2 liters heavy cream (at least 35% fat) or high-fat village yogurt
💧 For washing: 500 ml ice-cold water
🧂 Herbal infusion: 30 g fresh dill (finely chopped), 5 g sea salt
🧂 Spicy infusion: 15 g red pepper flakes, 5 g paprika, 5 g salt
🌰 Walnut infusion: 50 g walnut halves (toasted and crushed)

Instructions

👩🏻‍🍳 Preparation Steps for Traditional Nehre Butter and Infusions:

1. Churning: Pour the heavy cream or high-fat yogurt into a churner (or a large glass jar if making a small batch). Shake or churn steadily for 20–30 minutes until the butter solids separate completely from the liquid buttermilk.
2. Straining: Drain the buttermilk into a separate container (save this for drinking or baking).
3. Washing: Pour ice-cold water over the butter solids and "knead" it with a wooden spoon. Drain the water and repeat until the water remains clear; this prevents the butter from going rancid.
4. Dividing: Split the clean butter into three equal portions.
5. Flavoring: In the first bowl, fold in the chopped dill and salt. In the second bowl, fold in the red pepper flakes, paprika, and salt. In the third bowl, fold in the crushed toasted walnuts.
6. Shaping: Pack each mixture into wooden molds or roll them into logs using parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set.

Ingredients 2

📌 Ingredients for Azerbaijani Village Milk Buns You Can Make Yourself:

🥛 Dough: 1 kg all-purpose wheat flour, 500 ml warm milk, 100 ml sunflower oil, 1 large egg, 10 g dry yeast, 15 g sugar, 10 g salt
🥛 Topping: 1 egg yolk, 10 ml milk, 15 g sesame seeds

Instructions 2

👩🏻‍🍳 Preparation Steps for Azerbaijani Village Milk Buns:

1. Activate Yeast: Mix the warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Let it sit for 10 minutes until frothy.
2. Kneading: In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Create a well and add the yeast mixture, egg, and sunflower oil. Knead for 10–12 minutes until smooth and elastic.
3. First Rise: Cover the dough with a damp cloth and leave in a warm place for 1.5 hours or until doubled in size.
4. Shaping: Punch down the dough and divide it into 4–6 equal portions. Roll each portion into a long, thick cylindrical loaf.
5. Second Rise: Place the loaves on a lined baking tray. Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.
6. Glazing: Whisk the egg yolk with a splash of milk. Gently brush the tops of the loaves and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds.
7. Baking: Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 25–30 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the buns sound hollow when tapped.

Ingredients 3

📌 Ingredients for Fire-Seared Steaks with Compound Butter You Can Make Yourself:

🍖 Meat: 3 thick-cut beef ribeye or Tomahawk steaks (approx. 600 g each)
🧂 Seasoning: 30 g coarse sea salt, 10 g black pepper
🌻 Cooking: 50 ml sunflower oil

Instructions 3

👩🏻‍🍳 Preparation Steps for Fire-Seared Steaks with Compound Butter:

1. Temper the Meat: Bring the steaks to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Pat them completely dry with paper towels.
2. Seasoning: Generously coat all sides of the steaks with coarse salt and black pepper, pressing the seasoning into the fibers.
3. Searing: Heat a heavy cast-iron pan or griddle over an open fire or high stovetop heat. Add sunflower oil.
4. Cooking: Place the steaks in the pan. Sear for 4–5 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until your desired doneness is reached.
5. Finishing: Just before removing from the heat, place a thick slice of the herbal or spicy compound butter on top of each steak.
6. Resting: Transfer the steaks to a wooden board. Let them rest for 10 minutes, allowing the flavored butter to melt into the meat juices. Slice and serve alongside the fresh village milk buns.

Watch the recipe video