Tatar-style beef stew with pickles

Peel the potatoes and cut into cubes, approximately 1 x 4 cm in size. Pat dry with a paper towel. Fry in plenty of vegetable oil until half cooked.

Place the prepared potatoes in a sieve or colander to drain excess oil. Potatoes should not be salted, otherwise they will become very soft, and pre-frying is done only so that the final result does not turn into a stew.

Cut the beef across the grain into slices 1 cm thick. And then into the same cubes as the potatoes. Cut the onion into not too thin feathers. Cut the cucumbers into thin slices or medium cubes.

Heat a thick-bottomed frying pan (ideally cast iron) over high heat as much as possible, pour in 2-3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, heat well and add beef. Do not stir the meat until a golden brown crust forms on one side. Then stir and wait until the beef is browned on the other side.

Pour 200 ml of boiling water into the meat, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the moisture evaporates. Add a little more vegetable oil, and after a minute add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-7 minutes. Until the onion turns golden. Stir occasionally.

Add tomato paste to the pan, mix it with all the ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. You may need to add a little more water (literally a couple of tablespoons).

Chop the garlic with a knife or pass it through a press. Add pickles, garlic, pepper to the pan and mix everything. Pour in 150-200 ml of boiling water and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low (not at the lowest setting), add sugar, and if necessary, salt to taste. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finely chop the parsley leaves.

Add potatoes to the pan and stir gently. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Place the prepared azu on plates, sprinkle with parsley and serve.