Traditional Uzbek Rice Pilaf Recipes

PLOV

Steps:

• Place the basmati rice in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside.
• Wash the garlic heads. Cut the top of the heads (¼ inch / 5 mm). Set aside.
• Toast cumin, coriander seeds and peppercorns in a pan for a few minutes.
• Grind in a mortar or spice grinder. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Add the lamb, turning occasionally until the lamb is evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the lamb pieces and set aside.
• Stir in onions and cook, until onion is soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in carrots and cook, until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add the lamb and mix.
• Sprinkle the mixture of cumin, coriander, peppercorns and add the barberries.
• Add the whole garlic heads, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Wash and drain the basmati rice in hot water. Pour the rice over the lamb mixture in an even layer.
• Slowly pour the boiling water (or vegetable broth). The rice should be covered with about ½ inch of water. Do not stir.
• Season with salt and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Mix the ingredients as you serve the dish on a platter. Garnish with the garlic heads.

UZBEK PLOV (LAMB AND RICE PILAF)

Steps:

• Place basmati rice in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Set aside. Wash heads of garlic. Set aside.
• Heat vegetable oil in a dutch oven or large skillet over high heat until smoking, then add lamb, turning occasionally until the lamb is evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the onions; cook and stir until the onion has softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots; cook and stir until the carrots have softened, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cumin, coriander, barberries, and peppercorns. Drop whole garlic heads into the mixture, stirring to evenly distribute ingredients. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Wash and drain basmati rice with hot water. Pour cleaned rice over the lamb mixture in an even layer. Slowly pour in the boiling water. The rice should be covered with about 3/4 inch of water. Do not stir. Season with salt, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir rice and lamb together, and serve with the garlic heads on top.

UZBEK PILAF WITH LAMB

Steps:

• 1. Separate the meat into two parts fat and lean.
• 2. Cut fat off the meat (or just take pieces with lard) and place it into a preheated large pot.
• 3. Wait until fat melts, take out the meat.
• 4. Cut onion into thin semi-circles put into the pot.
• 5. Let the onion fry until translucent and take it out.
• 6. Put the remaining meat into the pot let it fry until it changes colour.
• 7. Meanwhile peel and cut carrots into stripes, separate in two parts.
• 8. After the meat is browned add one part of the carrots, stir from time to time until soft.
• 9. Put the rest of the meat and the onions back in, pour a small amount of hot water.
• 10. Separate one of the garlic heads into cloves. Don't peel them, place directly into the pot.
• 11. Add barberry and spices, be generous with seasoning, the broth should be over-salted, the rice will absorb the excess salt.
• 12. Add the rest of the carrot.
• 13. Add more hot water (you might want to season as you go).
• 14. Add the whole head of garlic, just take the top skin off, no need to separate or peel.
• 15. Let the mixture boil for about 30 minutes.
• 16. Add the rice (remember to wash it first), it should be submerged into liquid completely (plus about 1 cm on the top).
• 17. Let the rice boil until there is no water on the surface.
• 18. Start gathering the surface rice into the small pile the middle of the pot for about 10 min.
• 19. Check if there is any liquid left on the bottom of the pot by pushing a spoon or spatula into the rice.
• 20. If there is little to none left, turn to very low heat and steam for about 30 minutes.
• 21. Serve on a large place decorated with pomegranate seeds.
• Check out the video process.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBtwvZtIdno.

UZBEK PLOV

Steps:

• Wash the rice under the tap until clear, cover with cold water and let it soaks for a while.
• Cut the meat with bones into match-box pieces.
• Cut the carrots into 0.5x0.5 cm thick sticks.
• Slice onions into thin rings or half-rings.
• Clean heads of garlic from the remains of roots and dirt.
• Heat oil in the cattle or dutch oven on a very high flame, deep-fry meat until golden-brown, in 3-4 batches. Fry the onions until golden, add meat to the cattle, stir well to prevent onion from burning. Add carrot, stir from time to time, until it starts to wilt and browns a little (15-20 min). Add 2/3 of the cumin - rub it in your palms a little to release flavor, stir gentliy to keep carrot from broking.
• Lower gas to moderate, pour hot water just to cover all the goods, add salt and let it simmer for 40 min to 1.5 hours until almost all water evaporate and meat became tender and juicy. Do not stir.
• Turn gas to max.
• Drain rice well, place it on top the meat and vegs in one layer, stick the garlic and whole chillies in it, and carefully pour boiling water over it (place a spoon or ladle on top of the rice to keep the rice layer from washaway). Cover the rice with about 2 cm of water, let it boil. Add salt to make the water a bit over-salted. When water will go down the rice, reduce the gas a bit, keeping it boils rapidly. Check when it will evaporate and absorb into rice completely - rice should remain rather al dente. Make a holes in the rice to the bottom of a vessel to check the water level.
• Reduce gas to absolute min, cover tightly with the lid and let it steam 20 minutes. Turn of the heat, remove the garlic and chillies on the separate plate. Carefully mix rice with meat and carrots, if the rice tastes a bit blind add some salt, mix and let it stand for 5 minutes. Pile the plov on a big warmed plate and serve with garlic, chilies and plain thinly sliced tomato-sweet onions-chili-salt salad.

BUKHARA PILAF FROM UZBEKISTAN

Steps:

• Cover rice in water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut meat into pieces, chop onion, sear in a little of the oil. Add carrots and fry until carrots are reddish brown. Add raisins.
• Place all this in a large pot and add water, salt, and spices and stew for half an hour or until water evaporates. Add rice and enough water so that the water level is 1 inch over the rice.
• Bring water to a boil. Lower heat, add remaining oil, cover and simmer about half an hour until water evaporates and rice is fluffy.