Authentic Plov (Uzbek Pilaf) recipe with lamb and dried fruit, shared by our Uzbek friend.

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Plov is the national dish of Uzbekistan, which succeeded in getting it on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2016, but many neighboring countries like Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan also count Plov as one of their main dishes. When the steaming mound of rice arrives at your table, with aromas of cumin and garlic wafting up from the plate, it’s hard not to salivate.

Ingredients:

● 1.5-2 pounds lamb
● 4 cups rice
● 3 large onions, sliced 1cm + 1-2 for marinating
● 5 carrots, finely chopped
● 3 whole garlic heads + 3-4 cloves, finely chopped
● 7 ounces dried apricots + 7 ounces raisins, soaked
● 1 tsp Garam Masala
● 1 tsp Cumin
● 1 tsp Cloves
● 1 tsp Turmeric
● Salt (4 teaspoons, or to your taste)
● 5 cups water
Use ghee, oil, or duck fat for frying.

Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear, then soak it in water for 2-6 hours before draining.
Quarter the dry apricots and soak them with raisins in a cup of water.
Finely chop the garlic and three large onions.
Slice two onions into thin circles, and soak in white vinegar, adding 1/3 teaspoon of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix and cover, placing in the refrigerator to marinate.
Cut five carrots into 1/8-inch strips.
Cut the lamb into 5-6 pieces. Trim the roots and stems of the heads of garlic. Heat ghee, oil, or duck fat in a thick-bottomed pan. Brown the lamb pieces on high heat, sprinkling salt and pepper, for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Turn the heat down to medium add onions, and saute until they begin to turn translucent. Add garlic, and carrots, and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add turmeric, garam masala, cumin, cloves, salt, and mix. Add the lamb, 1 cup of water used to soak the fruits, and heads of garlic. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the fruits and 4 cups of water or stock. We make rich stock out of lamb bones. Cover and cook for another 20 minutes over low heat.
Take out the garlic and lamb pieces. Quickly cool the lamb by dipping it in cold water. Add the rice, raise the heat to maximum, and stir. Set the heat to low when it begins to simmer. Cover and cook for 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the lamb into bite-sized pieces.
Serve plov on plates with pieces of meat, marinated onions, and heads of garlic on top.

0:00 Introduction to Gastronauts
0:27 Soaking dry fruits
1:24 Finely chopping garlic
1:47 Marinating sliced onions in vinegar
3:20 Finely chopping onions
4:24 Cutting carrots
6:00 Cutting the lamb
6:24 Trimming the roots and stems of garlic
7:01 Browning lamb
8:02 Sauteing onions
8:41 Adding garlic, carrots, and spices
10:25 Adding lamb, water, and garlic
11:25 Continuing to cook with soaked fruits and stock
12:06 Removing garlic and lamb pieces
12:56 Adding rice
13:56 Cutting cooked lamb into bite-sized pieces
14:24 Serving the Plov



Music by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay/ everythingx27s-gonna-be-alright-124710