Uzbek Plov

Here in Turkey we call this Özbek Pilavı, but funnily enough it is not a dish that has ever become widely eaten. We know of its existence, and you can get it in some special, rather fancy, restaurants, but it is not common fare at all. My guess is that it is probably a bit too rich for our idea of a meat and rice dish - although we do have some complex rice dishes for vegetables.

I have however eaten Özbek Pilavı several times, once even cooked by an Uzbek who knew his way around a kitchen and who was one of my neighbors at Bilkent University, where he was empoyed as a violin instructor at the Conservatory there. And based upon my recollections of the dish I have added something that the good people at whats4eats seem to have left out, and that is a good handful of black currants. I am completey certain that there were plenty of them whenever I ate it. Hell - I can even see some in the top photo that I have on this post. And, although I am not as certain about those, I think there were raisins as well. Those I am erring on the side of caution and leaving out, but you shoud definitely include the currants. And then of course the carrots. They are what makes the dish, which is very tasty indeed. I think they also make this with lamb, but I have always had it with beef - which was a very good thing since lamb meat, together with Okra, is one of the 2 things in this world that I do not enjoy eating at all.

One final thing about this dish that I remember, and that I really liked, was the whole garlic on top which is cooked whole with the rice and then gets divided among the guests and sucked out. So, don't forget to do that!


INGREDIENTS
  • 3 tablespoons Cooking Oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds stewing beef, cubed
  • 2 Onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 Carrots, cut into rounds or thick sticks
  • 1/2 cup currants
  • 1 tablespoon Paprika
  • 2 teaspoons Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Turmeric
  • 6 cups Water or stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 cups Basmati rice
  • 1 Whole head of garlic

INSTRUCTIONS
  • Heat the oil or fat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high flame. Add the beef and brown on all sides. Remove to a plate or bowl and set aside.
  • Add the onions and carrots to the pot and saute until the onions are wilted and lightly browned, around 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Stir in the paprika, cumin and turmeric and cook for 1 or 2 minutes more.
  • Return the browned meat to the pot and add 2 cups of the water or stock, along with salt and pepper to season.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the meat is tender to the bite.
  • While the meat is simmering, place the rice in a large bowl and rinse in several changes of water until the water runs clear. You do this to to wash extra starch of the surface of the rice to keep the grains from sticking together. Drain well.
  • When the meat is sufficiently tender, take it off the heat and remove the cover. Carefully add the rice to the pot, smoothing it out to cover the meat evenly. Do not stir the rice into the meat!
  • Sprinkle the remaining spices over the rice and season with salt and pepper.
  • Carefully pour in the remaining stock or water without disturbing the rice. Liquid should just cover the rice by about a half inch, and the surface of the rice should be smooth. Smooth it out with a spoon if necessary.
  • Return the pot to a medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
  • Wash the garlic, and slice off the top of the head to expose the tops of the cloves. Push the garlic cut-side down into the middle of the rice. Cover the pot tightly and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Remove the pot from heat and let rest for another 10 minutes.
  • Take off the lid, remove the head of garlic and set it aside. Use a fork to fluff the plov and mix the ingredients together. Then mound the plov onto a serving platter.
  • Serve immediately with a side salad of thinly sliced tomatoes and sweet onions tossed with a little paprika, oil and salt. Squeeze the simmered garlic cloves onto slices of bread.


Shamelessly filched from: 
Thank you whats4eats! :-)

Images: Unsplash, Pexels and Freepik.


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