Uzbek Plov (Osh)

About This Recipe

Plov, known locally as osh, is the heart of Uzbek hospitality. A great plov is built in a single heavy kazan (cast-iron wok-pot) in deliberate layers: first lamb is browned hard in cottonseed or beef-tail oil, then onions sweeten, then matchstick carrots — both yellow and orange — caramelise to a deep amber. Long-grain devzira rice is rinsed obsessively then steamed on top, never stirred, so each grain absorbs the meat-fat-laden zirvak below without breaking. Whole heads of garlic and dried chickpeas hide inside. The result is rice that is separate, glossy, and deeply savoury — Uzbeks judge a host's standing by it. Served from a communal platter (lyagan) with a sharp tomato-onion salad called achichuk, plov is the food of weddings, funerals, and Thursday lunch alike.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 800 glamb shoulder, cut in 4 cm chunks (bone-in is ideal)
• 150 mlcottonseed or sunflower oil
• 100 glamb tail fat, diced (optional but traditional)
• 3 largeyellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 kgcarrots (mix orange and yellow), in long matchsticks
• 700 gdevzira or short-grain plov rice, rinsed 5 times
• 2 whole headsgarlic, papery skins on, root trimmed
• 100 gdried chickpeas, soaked overnight
• 2 tbspcumin seeds, lightly crushed
• 1 tbspground coriander
• 1 tspdried barberries or raisins
• 2small dried red chilies
• 1.4 Lboiling water
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat the kazan

   Heat oil in a heavy cast-iron pot over high heat until shimmering — a piece of onion should sizzle vigorously. Add the diced tail fat first and render until the cracklings are golden; remove and reserve to serve as a snack.

2. 2

   Sear the lamb

   Drop lamb into the hot fat and sear hard, undisturbed, for 4 minutes per side until deeply browned. This crust gives plov its colour.

3. 3

   Build the zirvak

   Add onions and cook 8 minutes until dark golden. Add carrots, do not stir for 3 minutes, then fold gently. Cook 10 minutes more until carrots soften but still hold shape.

4. 4

   Spice and simmer

   Sprinkle in cumin, coriander, barberries, chilies, drained chickpeas, and salt. Bury garlic heads in the centre. Pour over boiling water to just cover. Simmer uncovered 35 minutes — the zirvak should taste a touch oversalted; the rice will pull it back.

5. 5

   Layer the rice

   Spread the rinsed rice evenly across the top in a flat layer. Do not mix. Add more boiling water if needed so liquid sits 1.5 cm above the rice.

6. 6

   Open boil

   Raise heat and boil hard, uncovered, until almost all water disappears from the surface — about 12 minutes. Poke holes with a chopstick to help steam escape.

7. 7

   Mound and steam

   Mound rice into a dome with the back of a spoon. Cover tightly with a lid wrapped in a clean towel. Reduce heat to absolute lowest and steam 25 minutes.

8. 8

   Rest, then plate

   Turn off heat and rest, covered, 10 more minutes. Lift garlic heads aside, fluff the rice from the bottom up so the carrots and lamb rise to the surface, and mound onto a wide platter. Crown with garlic heads, slivers of lamb, and the reserved cracklings.

Variations

• •

  Samarkand plov: layers are kept fully separate on the plate (rice, then carrots, then meat).

• •

  Bukharan Jewish plov adds quince and dried apricots.

• •

  Toy plov (wedding): doubles the carrots and includes whole quail eggs.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered in a 160°C oven with a splash of water — never microwave plov; the rice goes pasty.

Frequently Asked Questions