I've been asked to share my plov recipe for a long time, and I'm excited to finally share this incredibly delicious, fluffy plov with you! Let me walk you through the key secrets to a great plov. The meat absolutely must be flavorful and fairly fatty — lamb is the ideal choice, but since it's nearly impossible to find where I live, I used pork. Fatty cuts of duck or chicken leg quarters and thighs also work well (the 1 kg listed in the recipe is the net weight, boneless). For the rice, I used basmati; devzira is another great option, but whatever you choose, it must be long-grain rice. I recommend using a generous amount of carrots — they turn out wonderfully delicious in plov, as does the garlic, which is cooked in a special way: whole. Traditionally, dried barberries and cumin are added to plov; turmeric isn't always included, but I prefer it because it gives the dish a lovely golden color. This recipe makes quite a large batch, so if you're not feeding a crowd, feel free to cut everything in half.
Ingredients:
- 1000 g meat (see note below)
- 700 g rice (long-grain)
- 600 g carrots
- 400 g onion
- 200 ml vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp barberries
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp turmeric (level)
- 1–3 heads of garlic
- salt
- pepper
How to cook plov
Rinse the rice several times in cold water until the water runs clear, washing out all the starch. Cover with cold water and let it soak while you prepare everything else.
In a large heavy-bottomed pot (or a kazan), heat about half of the vegetable oil over high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent and lightly golden.
Add the barberries and cumin (I rub it between my fingers to release the aroma). Also add the turmeric, and season generously with salt and pepper.
Stir everything together, then pour in about one cup of boiling water — just enough so the meat is not quite fully submerged. Nestle in the heads of garlic with the outer papery skin removed. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30–50 minutes, or until the meat is completely tender (be sure to check).
Spread the rice (drained of its soaking water) evenly over the meat. Smooth it out gently — do not stir.
Very carefully, so as not to disturb the rice layer, pour boiling water from a kettle over the rice until it is covered by about 2 cm (do not stir). Add a bit more salt. Cook on low heat for about 10–15 minutes, until most of the water has been absorbed by the rice.
Using the handle of a spoon, make several holes through the rice layer to let steam escape, then cover with a lid and cook for another 15–20 minutes until done. Important: do not stir the plov at any point during cooking — that's the key to getting fluffy, separate grains instead of a mushy rice porridge with meat.
Once the plov is ready, gently fold it from the bottom up with just two or three strokes — just enough to barely mix the rice and meat together. Alternatively, if you're serving a large group right away, place a large deep platter over the pot and flip the plov onto it in one swift motion, so the meat ends up on top.
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