When I was growing up, there was one winter dish my grandmother made only on rare occasions. Not because it wasn’t delicious — but because it was a whole operation. And the star of this long-cooked, cozy dish? Cucumbers. Yes… stuffed cucumbers slowly simmered overnight until they turn smoky, tender, and full of the most comforting flavors. In our Bukharian kitchen this dish was called Osh-Bodring, which literally means “cucumber dish.” 

In Uzbekistan we also added alcha, a sour cherry that gave the whole pot a gentle tang. It’s hard to find everywhere, so lemon juice does the trick — close enough to bring back the memory. 

She would hollow out each cucumber, mix the filling by hand, add a touch of sourness from the alcha in the sauce, bring the pot to a boil, and then place it on her warming plate, where it would sit gently cooking until the next day. By lunchtime, the scent filled every corner of the house. 

In my modern kitchen today, I let my Ninja Foodi do what the warming plate once did — but the flavor still tastes like her traditional kitchen. 

Here’s the full recipe: 

Ingredients: 

• 2 kg medium cucumbers 
• 2 chopped white onions 
• Several crushed garlic cloves 
• ½ cup rice, soaked for 30 minutes 
• 500 g ground beef 
• A bunch of herbs (dill, parsley, or cilantro) 
• 50–100 g raisins 
• 2–3 tbsp raspberry vinegar 
• Spices: turmeric, paprika, thyme, cumin, coriander seeds, dill seeds, salt & pepper • 50–80 g alcha (or lemon juice) 
• Olive oil 

Preparation: 

1. Wash the cucumbers well and hollow them with a coring tool. 
2. Make the filling: In a large bowl mix the drained rice, ground beef, half the herbs, half the spices, raisins, onions, garlic, olive oil, and raspberry vinegar. Mix well and set aside. 
3. Fill the cucumbers tightly and arrange them snugly in a pot (I use the Ninja Foodi). 
4. Prepare the sauce: Mix the remaining spices, one chopped onion, the remaining garlic, alcha or lemon juice, salt, pepper, and about 1 liter of water — enough to cover the cucumbers.
5. Pour the sauce over the cucumbers and bring to a boil. 
6. Turn off the heat and switch the Ninja to slow-cook for 15 hours (overnight). – Traditionally, my grandmother cooked it in a regular pot and left it on a warming plate until the next day. 
7. Serve warm and enjoy the deep, gently tangy, wintery flavor.