Cooking At Home: Plov

Hello everybody. Plov or pilav is a rice-based meal with meat. It is the national meal in my home country Uzbekistan, other Central Asian countries and also popular in Turkey and the Balkans. The main difference between plov and other dishes with meat and rice is the method of preparation. Meat is placed at the bottom of the pot and covered with rice without stirring. The idea is to allow the rice to be soaked in meat's natural juices which get released during the cooking process.

Here is how you can prepare tasty plov at home:

750g beef steak, cut into pieces

500g of rice

5 carrots, grated to thick long pieces

2 onions, cut into small pieces

1 clove of garlic

80g of canola oil

1.5l of water

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of coriander

Salt

Pepper

Use a cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. Pre-heat the pot to very hot and add oil. Brown the meat quickly at high heat. Reduce the heat and add onion, carrots, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper. Keep at low heat until the vegetables soften. Add 0.5l of water and simmer over medium heat for 45 minutes. Add rice and the remaining water without stirring. Cook uncovered until the rice absorbs the water. Instead of stirring, use a wooden stick to create about ten holes in the rice mass to expose the meat and vegetables from the bottom of the pot just a little so the excess steam can escape. Remember, we want the rice to absorb most of the juices, these holes are created just so the flavours can spread through the rice evenly. Add garlic, salt, and pepper. Now cover and cook for another twenty minutes at low heat. Plov is now ready to serve. Bon Appetit!

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