Traditional Uzbekistan-Style Lamb Plov (Pilaf)
A traditional Uzbek plov recipe is the ultimate lamb pilaf.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 409kcal
Cost: 10
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven
Ingredients
Meat
- 1.5 lbs Lamb shoulder or stew meat or substitute goat
Pilaf
- 1.5 cups Basmati rice Do not use long grain rice or it may not cook properly
- 1 tablespoons salt
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1/3 cup dried barberries plus more to taste (optional) chopped, dried cranberries or pomegranites can be substituted)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seed
- 1.5 tablespoon cumin seed
- 10 oz 1 large yellow onion cut into medium dice
- 15 oz 4-6 medium sized carrots peeled and cut into 2 inch batons to yield 12 oz
- ½ cup lamb fat
- 3 cups lamb stock or 3 cups of water
- Fresh cilantro to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Rub the garlic bulb with your hands to remove as much of the outer paper as possible. Toast the peppercorns, coriander, and cumin lightly, then grind and reserve.
- Cut the meat into bite sized pieces and season with 1 tablespoon of the salt.
- Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, heat the lamb fat or oil until lightly smoking. It will seem like a lot of fat.
- Brown the lamb in the fat, remove and reserve, then add the onion to the lamb fat, stir for a few minutes, and cook until translucent.
- Add the stock, garlic bulb, barberries and spices, along with the lamb back to the pan, cover and cook at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, rinse the rice in water until it runs clear.
- Sweat the carrots on medium-high heat in a separate pan for 5 minutes, then add them to the pot at the 30 minute mark. Simmer gently for another 30 minutes, covered.
- Next, push the lamb and carrots under the liquid to give the rice somewhere to go.
- Drain the rice well, then spread on top of the lamb in the lamb-carrot mixture being careful not to stir.
- Press down on the rice a bit, to make sure it's just barely covered with liquid. If for some reason your liquid cooked down too far, add just enough water so that the rice is barely covered.
- Cover the pot and cook for another 20 minutes at a very gentle simmer.
- Remove the lid, and, using a spoon, mound the rice carefully into a dome shape so the rice isn’t touching the walls of the pot (see picture)
- Using a chopstick or the handle of a thin wooden spoon, make a few holes going down to the bottom of the pot to create a channel for the steam to release through, to help ensure a fluffy pilaf and allow the rice to finish cooking by steaming.
- Remove pot to a trivet, wrap tightly in a thick towel, and allow the plov rest and steam for the final 20 minutes before serving.
- To serve the plov, remove the lids and towel, remove the rice first using a spoon, then mound the meat on top, garnish with cilantro and the garlic bulb and serve immediately.
Notes
- This is more complex and touchy than your average pilaf. Read the recipe and look and the pictures carefully before proceeding.
- Whole bone-in or boneless lamb or goat legs can be used instead of pre-cut stew meat, and are more economical.
- Some recipes call for jasmine rice, but I prefer basmati.
- Leftover plov is delicious although the rice may start to break apart.
Nutrition
Serving: 6oz | Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 1056mg | Potassium: 327mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 20IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 3mg