Uzbek Plov
Dive into a hearty dish that's beloved across Asia in various forms.
- prepare
- cook
- Difficult
Known variously as pilaf, pilav or pilau across Central and South Asia, plov is Uzbekistan's version of the beloved rice-and-meat dish.
For Wellington-based Nilufar Allayarova, preparing plov back home for guests demanded time, patience and care. This is not a forget-it-until-timer-is-up kind of dish. Nilufar’s husband, who often takes charge of the pot and has cooked it for their local mosque community, sees it as a kind of art.
While traditionally made with tender cuts of beef or lamb (always fresh, never frozen), plov can easily be adapted for vegetarians by omitting the meat.
Serve it alongside a lightly seasoned tomato and cucumber salad to balance the richness and aid digestion.
Ingredients
- 1kg meat (lamb or beef)
- 1kg medium grain rice/sela basmati rice (basmati needs to be soaked for 2 hours prior)
- 1kg carrots, juilienned
- 200g vegetable oil
- 2 onions, sliced
- 400g dried chickpeas, covered with water and soaked overnight
- 2 Tbsp whole cumin
- 1 Tbsp ground coriander
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sultanas (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the meat into big chunks (should be around the size of your palm).
- Heat a big pot on high heat. Add the oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the meat to the oil and sear on all sides, making sure the meat is fully brown.
- Add the onions and fry until the onions are golden.
- Add half of the carrots into the pot and fry it with the onions and meat.
- Spread the rest of the carrots on top, making a layer over the other carrot, onion and meat.
- Sprinkle all the chickpeas, spices and sultanas on top.
- Fill the pot with water until it is just covering the mixture.
- Cover the lid, reduce to low heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the chickpeas are soft.
- Wash the rice and add it to the pot.
- Fill the pot with boiling water so that it is approx. 1cm above the meat and vegetables.
- Increase to high heat until the rice has absorbed the water.
- Gently gather the rice into a nice mound in the pot.
- Make 5-6 holes in the mound. This helps the plov to steam nicely.
- Cover the lid, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes or until your rice has fully cooked.
- To serve: Put a layer of rice onto the plate, add the vegetables, cut your meat and add it on top.
