Plov – Uzbek lamb pilau
This Uzbek iteration of the more well-known pilau is rich, aromatic and simple to cook. Carrots, onions and lamb shoulder are layered with spices and plenty of rice to create a wonderful warming dish that's perfect for feeding a crowd.
This recipe is taken from Salt and Time by Alissa Timoshkina (Mitchell Beazley, £25). Photography by Lizzie Mayson.
Plov (or pilau) needs no introduction. Originating in India and Persia, this fragrant meat and rice dish became widespread in Central Asia and the Caucasus and has myriad variations. The type of plov popular in Russia is of the Kazakh and Uzbek varieties. Coming from a city that is only a five-hour drive away from Kazakhstan (a distance that by Russian standards means ‘just around the corner’), I’ve been lucky to try some of the most wonderful plovs made with authentic fragrant Asian spices.
The preparation of plov is a sacred ceremony, albeit a sexist one, as traditionally only men are allowed to make it. However, the plov I remember the most was made by my aunt, in a giant cast-iron kazan (the traditional cookware for this dish) on an open fire. The best part of the dish for me is the indescribably rich and sweet garlic that is cooked whole in the very middle of the kazan. If you can make plov on an open fire, please do, but the recipe below works just fine for an indoor kitchen using a cast-iron casserole dish.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 500g of rice, traditionally devzira, but arborio or basmati can be used instead
- 100ml of vegetable oil, mild
- 800g of lamb shoulder, boneless and diced
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced into half moons
- 3 carrots, or 4 if they're small, peeled and cut into large batons
- 1 garlic bulb
- 2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, roughly crushed
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp of dried barberries
- 1 pinch of saffron
- 1 tbsp of salt, or more to taste
Method
Get in touch
Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.
You may also like
SITES
