✨ NewDinner
Plov
Uzbekistan's legendary rice pilaf — lamb, carrots, onions and spiced broth cooked together in a kazan to create Central Asia's most beloved dish.
⏱ 115 min🔥 680 kcalMedium
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Uzbek Rice Recipes
15 recipes using rice — Plov, samsa, lagman — hearty Silk Road cooking from the heart of Central Asia.
These 15 uzbek rice recipes are ready in about 82 minutes on average, with 320–780 kcal per serving, and 27% are rated easy enough for a weeknight. Every recipe includes exact ingredient quantities, step-by-step instructions and full nutrition per serving.
15
recipes
82 min
average time
510 kcal
avg per serving
27%
easy recipes
How Uzbek cuisine cooks with rice
Uzbek cuisine — Plov, samsa, lagman — hearty Silk Road cooking from the heart of Central Asia — brings its own distinctive techniques and seasonings to every ingredient it touches. When Uzbek cooks work with rice, they reach for its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends, and the techniques that come up most across these recipes are simmering, boiling, steaming and caramelising.
The everyday grain for half the planet — a neutral base that soaks up the flavours around it, from pilafs to fried rice. In this collection it's most often cooked with fine sea salt, cumin seeds, garlic, carrots, onions and ground cumin. The dishes here span uzbek classics ready in as little as 40 minutes to slower, more involved cooking that rewards a relaxed afternoon.
15 Uzbek Rice Recipes
Dinner
Samarkand Plov
The ancient rice dish from Samarkand — lamb and rice cooked in a kazan with the characteristic dry, separate grains of Uzbek plov, fragrant with cumin and topped with whole garlic and quince.
⏱ 120 min🔥 680 kcalHard
Soup
Uzbek Mastava (Rice and Lamb Soup)
Uzbek rice soup with tender lamb, tomatoes, and chickpeas — a lighter, brothier cousin of plov.
⏱ 80 min🔥 340 kcalEasy
Dinner
Uzbek Plov (Lamb and Rice Pilaf)
Central Asia's greatest rice dish — lamb, carrot and onion cooked together in a large cast-iron kazan, then topped with rice and steamed in the meat juices. The national dish of Uzbekistan, eaten for every celebration.
⏱ 130 min🔥 650 kcalHard
✨ NewDinner
Uzbek Plov (Osh) — Lamb and Carrot Pilaf
Uzbekistan's national dish — lamb, carrots, cumin and rice cooked in a single deep cauldron until every grain glistens with spiced fat and the meat falls apart.
⏱ 120 min🔥 780 kcalMedium
✨ NewDinner
Uzbek Bakhsh (Green Rice Pilaf with Liver and Herbs)
Rice cooked with finely chopped liver and a generous amount of fresh herbs, turning the dish a distinctive deep green, a Bukharan Jewish-Uzbek specialty.
⏱ 55 min🔥 320 kcalMedium
✨ NewDinner
Uzbek Plov with Carrots and Raisins
Rice slow-cooked in a heavy kazan pot with lamb, browned onion, mountains of carrot and raisins, Uzbekistan's iconic national dish, plov.
⏱ 105 min🔥 640 kcalMedium
✨ NewDinner
Uzbek Tukhum Dumba Meatballs in Tomato Broth
Hand-formed lamb meatballs simmered in a tangy tomato broth, a home-style Uzbek dish that echoes the flavors of the country's beloved dimlama stew.
⏱ 60 min🔥 380 kcalMedium
✨ NewSoup
Uzbek Mash Kichiri (Mung Bean and Rice Porridge)
Mung beans and rice simmered together into a soft, savory porridge with fried onion and cumin, a comforting Uzbek dish traditionally eaten during illness or fasting.
⏱ 50 min🔥 340 kcalEasy
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✨ NewLunch
Uzbek Rice and Carrot Bowl (Osh-Inspired)
A fragrant Uzbek-style rice bowl with sweet paprika, caramelized carrots and cumin, echoing the flavors of classic plov.
⏱ 55 min🔥 420 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner
Uzbek Herbed Yogurt Rice with Shrimp
A fragrant Uzbek-inspired rice dish with shrimp, finished with a cooling herbed yogurt sauce (katyk-style) on the side.
⏱ 40 min🔥 420 kcalMedium
✨ NewLunch
Uzbek Mung Bean and Rice Bowl (Mosh Kichiri-Style)
A comforting Uzbek mung bean and rice porridge-style bowl seasoned with cumin, black pepper and caramelized onion.
⏱ 55 min🔥 400 kcalEasy
✨ NewDinner
Uzbek Stuffed Peppers with Rice and Lamb
Uzbek-style bell peppers stuffed with spiced rice and lamb, simmered in a lightly sweet paprika tomato broth.
⏱ 70 min🔥 460 kcalMedium
✨ NewDinner
Uzbek Baked Rice and Meat Casserole (Norin-Inspired Bake)
A layered Uzbek-inspired baked casserole of rice, seasoned beef and a garlicky herbed yogurt sauce, baked until bubbling.
⏱ 65 min🔥 460 kcalMedium
✨ NewDinner
Uzbek Plov Holiday Plate with Lamb and Saffron
A festive Uzbek plov holiday plate with tender lamb, caramelized onions, saffron-tinted rice and dried fruit.
⏱ 105 min🔥 680 kcalHard
Choosing & preparing rice
How to choose
Choose by use: long-grain (basmati, jasmine) for fluffy, separate grains; short-grain for risotto and sushi where stickiness is wanted. Aged basmati cooks longer and fluffier.
Prep & storage
Rinse until the water runs clear to wash off surface starch and prevent clumping. The absorption method — a fixed water ratio, lid on, then a 10-minute steam off the heat — gives reliable results.
Nutrition
A gluten-free carbohydrate staple; brown and wild varieties keep the bran for extra fibre, B vitamins and minerals.
Classic flavour partners: onion, garlic, saffron, peas, soy sauce, cumin
Uzbek Rice Recipes — FAQ
How long do Uzbek rice recipes take to make?
Most of these 15 Uzbek rice recipes are ready in around 82 minutes from start to finish. The quickest, Uzbek Herbed Yogurt Rice with Shrimp, takes about 40 minutes, while the slower-cooked dishes run up to 130 minutes.
How many calories are in Uzbek rice dishes?
Across this collection they range from about 320 to 780 kcal per serving, averaging 510 kcal — Uzbek Bakhsh (Green Rice Pilaf with Liver and Herbs) is the lightest option at 320 kcal.
What is the easiest Uzbek rice recipe for beginners?
Uzbek Mastava (Rice and Lamb Soup) is a great place to start — it's rated easy and comes together in about 80 minutes. 27% of the recipes here are beginner-friendly.
What goes well with rice in Uzbek cooking?
In these recipes, rice is most often paired with fine sea salt, cumin seeds, garlic, carrots, onions and ground cumin. Uzbek kitchens also lean on its own regional aromatics, fats and signature spice blends.
More Uzbek Recipes by Ingredient
Rice Recipes from Other Cuisines
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