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.
Uzbek plov is one of the most important rice dishes in the world and the national dish of Uzbekistan — it is considered so significant that UNESCO inscribed it on their Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016. Every Uzbek city has its own style: Samarkand plov layers the meat and rice separately; Fergana plov uses more fat and dark zirvak (broth); Tashkent plov adds quince, chickpeas and dried barberries. The common thread is the kazan (a large spherical cast-iron cauldron) and the zirvak — the deep, caramelised onion and carrot base in rendered lamb fat that is the flavour foundation of every plov. Cooking plov for a wedding of 1,000 guests is a social art form in Uzbekistan — special plov masters (oshpaz) command enormous respect.
Serves 6
Heat oil in a large wok or heavy-bottomed pot over the highest possible heat until smoking. The oil must be very hot — almost at smoke point.
Add lamb in a single layer. Do not stir for 3 min — let it sear completely. Brown all sides, 8 min total. Remove and set aside.
Add sliced onions to the hot fat. Cook over high heat without stirring for 5 min, then stir and cook 10 more min until dark golden-brown — almost charred at the edges.
Dark caramelisation of the onion is what gives Uzbek plov its characteristic deep colour and flavour — pale onions produce a pale, flat-tasting plov.
Add carrot matchsticks. Cook stirring 8 min until softened. Add cumin, coriander, pepper, turmeric and salt. Return lamb. Add hot water — the zirvak should cover the meat. Simmer 35 min.
Bury the whole garlic head in the zirvak. Drain soaked rice and spread evenly over the entire surface — do not stir. Pour remaining hot water over the rice — it should just barely cover. Scatter barberries if using.
Bring to a boil. When rice has absorbed most of the water, reduce to the lowest heat. Poke holes through the rice to the bottom with a wooden spoon. Cover tightly with a tea towel then the lid. Steam 25 min.
Remove lid. The rice should be perfectly separated and golden at the bottom. Invert onto a large serving platter or serve from the pot. Place the garlic head in the centre. Serve with a simple tomato and onion salad (achichuk).
Very high heat throughout the first stages is essential — the caramelisation cannot be achieved at medium heat.
Devzira rice (a Uzbek red-husked variety) is the traditional choice — it absorbs more liquid and flavour than basmati and stays firm. Available in Central Asian grocery stores.
Chickpea plov: add 100g soaked chickpeas with the carrots
Quince plov: add 1 quince cut into wedges alongside the garlic
Vegetarian plov: omit lamb, use extra oil and vegetable stock — serve with dried apricots
Plov improves slightly over the first day. Keeps 3 days refrigerated. Reheat in a wide pan with a splash of water, covered.
Plov (pilaf) is one of the world's oldest rice preparations, documented in Central Asian sources from the 10th century. The legendary physician Avicenna (Ibn Sina, 980–1037) mentioned plov in his medical writings as a restorative food. Uzbek plov reached its current form during the Timurid Empire (14th–16th centuries) when Samarkand was the centre of the Islamic world's greatest civilisation. Today cooking plov is considered a sacred art form in Uzbekistan.
Stirring the rice into the meat and vegetable base would break the grains and produce a mushy, starchy mass. The layered approach — rice resting on top of the zirvak, absorbing the flavours through steam and evaporation from below — keeps each grain separate and allows it to absorb the meat juices from the bottom while steaming from above. This is the plov technique's greatest achievement.
Per serving · 6 servings total
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