I received this Uzbek Plov (beef and rice pilaf) recipe from Lital D. She is originally from Bukhara, Uzbekistan (an ancient city in the central Asian country of Uzbekistan)¹. She was also the winner of my recent Thanksgiving Recipe Xchange. Congratulations Lital!
Uzbek Plov is the signature dish of Uzbekistan. Plov is a main course. Uzbeks make it with with rice, pieces of meat (usually lamb), carrots and onions. Plov is cooked over an open fire in a kazan (or deghi).
Chickpeas, raisins, barberries, or fruit may be added for variation. Many recipes use a variation of spices ranging from turmeric to coriander, sumac and cumin. They’re all wonderful and healthy spices.
Plov is also commonly made for special occasions by the oshpaz, or the osh master chef. Holidays and weddings are a popular time, where up to 1000 people, may be served from a single cauldron.
A World Record
The Guinness Book of World Records recorded the largest serving of plov. It weighed 7,360 kg (16,226 lbs) created by Milliy TV (Uzbekistan) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on 8 September 2017. There were 50 chefs preparing the dish and movie star Steven Segall made an appearance at the event.
Making Your Own Uzbek Plov
In my research, I realized each plov recipe differs slightly. Some families grate their carrots, while others julienne them. Some use barberries to add some tartness to the dish. Other who don’t have access to it, substitute with sumac spice which adds tartness and a lemony touch. There’s no right or wrong.
Uzbek Plov should be shared with people, lots of people. Though preparation time takes only 25 minutes, it takes another 2 hours of simmering to reach perfection. The meat is so tender and rich. The rice is light, fluffy and flavorful. The onions, garlic and spice blends brings it all together.
Give it a try and you can thank me later. I love experiencing news foods from new lands and this national dish from Uzbekistan is a winner!
Uzbek Plov (beef and rice pilaf)
Uzbek Plov is the signature dish of Uzbekistan. Plov is a main course. Uzbeks make it with with rice, pieces of meat (usually lamb), carrots and onions. Plov is cooked over an open fire in a kazan (or deghi).
- 1 1/2 lbs lamb shoulder or beef chuck or chicken (brown meat)
- 1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 medium onions (finely chopped)
- 3 medium carrots (grated or julienned)
- 1 tsp salt for the meat and veggies + 1 1/2 tsp salt for the rice
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1 3/4 cups hot water for braising meat
- 3 cups long grain rice (Basmati or Jasmin rice work great!)
- 4 cups hot water when cooking rice
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp turmeric (optional)
- 1/2 tsp sumac or 1/2 cup barberries (cranberries or any tart berry/fruit, optional)
- Trim beef of excess fat and sinews (aka the chewy stuff), pat the meat dry with a paper towel and chop into 1/2″ to 3/4″ pieces.
- Preheat your Dutch oven (or your large soup pot with a heavy bottom), to high heat. Once it’s hot, stir in your 1/3 cup canola oil. Once oil is hot, add chopped meat and sauté uncovered 7 min over high heat until meat is browned, stirring every minute or so so it doesn’t scorch to the bottom of the pan. Note: it’s important to preheat the Dutch oven first for the meat to sear over very high heat, otherwise it will juice out and become dry.
Reduce heat to medium and add chopped onion, stirring often until onion is softened (5 minutes). Stir in julienned carrots, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 3-4 bay leaves and continue to cook over medium heat 5 minutes until carrots are softened.
- Add 1 3/4 cups hot water, cover and simmer over medium/low heat 45 min or until meat is tender.
- Meanwhile, rinse rice until water runs clear, then drain and set aside (this gets rid of the starch so you won’t end up with a sticky rice).
Spread rice over the meat and add 4 cups hot water. Sprinkle the rice with 1 1/2 tsp salt (DO NOT STIR), bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered until most of the water is absorbed (10 min).
- Cut off the base of your whole garlic head to expose the cloves. Put your head of garlic, cut side down into the center of the rice and sprinkle the top of the rice with 1 tsp ground coriander.
- Poke 7-10 holes through the rice to allow steam to escape to the surface, reduce the heat to low then cover and cook an additional 15 minutes or until rice is cooked through. Remove the garlic head and bay leaves and stir everything gently to combine and you’re done.
Recipe adapted from olgasflavorfactory.com
Check out my other lamb recipes here.
