Plov
Uzbekistan's national pilaf from a heavy kazan: lamb, sweet carrots and cumin-scented rice steamed in layers, served heaped on the biggest platter you own.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Plov, in 5 ideas
- Plov is built in layers that never get stirred. Meat and carrots form the zirvak, rice steams above it, and mixing happens only at the table.
- The carrots are half the dish by volume. Cut in thick batons so they turn silky and sweet instead of dissolving.
- A whole head of garlic steams in. The center of the rice and comes out soft enough to spread like butter.
- The rice rests under a towel after cooking. That final steam is what makes the grains separate and glossy.
- Cumin and a dried chile or two are the classic perfume. Regional versions add barberries, chickpeas or quince, all welcome.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 lb lamb shoulder, cut in chunks
- 2/3 cup oil or lamb tail fat
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 2 lb carrots, cut in thick batons
- 3 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and soaked
- 2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 whole head garlic, unpeeled
- 2 dried chiles (optional)
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt
- Boiling water, as needed
How to make it
Method
Heat the oil in a kazan or heavy Dutch oven until it shimmers. Brown the lamb well on all sides and lift out.
Fry the onions in the same fat until golden. Return the lamb, add the carrots in an even layer, and cook 10 minutes without stirring much, until the carrots soften and sweeten.
Pour in boiling water to just cover, add half the cumin and the salt, and simmer 20 minutes. This rich base is the zirvak.
Drain the rice and spread it evenly over the zirvak. Pour in boiling water to come 1/2 inch above the rice. Boil hard until the water drops below the surface and small craters form.
Bury the garlic head and chiles in the center, sprinkle the rest of the cumin, and mound the rice into a dome. Cover with a towel and lid and steam on the lowest heat for 25 minutes.
Rest 10 minutes off the heat. Lift out the garlic, then fold the rice up from the bottom so meat and carrots marble through it. Serve heaped on a platter, garlic on top.
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear and soak it warm: plov rice should be distinct and shining, never porridgey.