Uzbek Plov

This recipe was given to me when we visited Tashkent, Uzbekistan this year. It's delicious.

Ingredients
1kg fat lamb, shoulder or rib 
1kg medium grain rice (paella type)
200-250ml oil
1 kg carrot
2-3 medium size onions, thin sliced
1-1.5 Tbsp cumin
10g raisins
10-12 black peppercorns
2-3 whole heads garlic (the younger the better)
A few whole chillies
Salt to taste

To cook: 5 lt wise heavy-based pan or pot

Method
1. Wash the rice under running water until clear, cover with boiling water and let it soak for a while. Cut the meat with bones into match-box sized pieces. Cut the carrots into thick sticks (1/2 cm thick). Clean the heads of garlic from roots etc.
2. Heat oil in cooking pot on high heat, deep fry meat until golden brown in a few batches. Fry onions until golden, add meat back and mix well.  Add carrot, stir from time to time, until it starts to wilt and browns a little (15-20 mins).  Add the cumin – crush it just a little to release the flavor- and peppercorns and stir gently to keep carrot from breaking.
3. Lower heat to moderate, pour on hot water sufficient to cover, add salt and let it simmer for 40 mins until almost all water is evaporated and meat is tender. As with paella, resist the urge to stir!
4.  Turn heat to high. Drain rice and place of top of meat and vegs in one layer, stick the garlic and whole chilis in it and scatter raisins if using and carefully pour on boiling water over, being careful not to disturb the rice too much. Cover the rice with about 2 cm of water and let it boil. Add salt. As the water is absorbed reduce the heat but still keeping it gently boiling.  Check as the water is absorbed to ensure it is cooked but still al dente (make holes in the rice to the bottom of the pan to check water level).
5.  Reduce heat to minimum. Cover tightly with a lid and let it steam for 20 mins.  Turn off the heat, remove the garlic and chilies to a separate plate. Carefully mix rice with meat and carrots, adjust seasoning if needed.
Pile the plov onto a big warm plate and serve with garlic, chilies and thinly sliced tomato, sweet onions, chili and salt salad. Enjoy!



Chook’s note: Meat cuts in Uzbekistan are different to Australian but the trick is to incorporate bone and fat for a deep, rich flavour.

The salad is obviously a matter of choice. Serve with whatever takes your fancy. I squished the garlic back into the rice mixture - yum. 
Central Asians love fatty fried meat, but this dish would not suffer if you pulled back on the oil and used a leaner cut but remember fat means flavor! Its worth trying it with goat or beef.