Plov

★★★★4.9· 765 ratings

·Serves 8

About this Dish

Central Asia's greatest dish — rice cooked with lamb, carrots, onions and cottonseed or sunflower oil in a massive kazan (cast iron cauldron) over a wood fire. Every Uzbek city has its own plov tradition — Tashkent plov uses yellow carrots; Samarkand plov has the rice steamed separately. Making plov for a wedding of 500 guests in a single kazan is an Uzbek art form. UNESCO has recognised Uzbek plov-making as Intangible Cultural Heritage.

IngredientsServes 8

🍚Long-grain rice (devzira or basmati), 500g, rinsed until water runs clear

🥩Bone-in lamb shoulder, 600g, cut into large chunks

🥕Yellow or orange carrots, 400g, cut into thick matchsticks

🧅White onions, 2 large, halved and thinly sliced

🫙Sunflower or cottonseed oil, 150ml

🧄Whole garlic heads, 2, outer papery skin removed but left whole

🌶️Dried whole red chilli, 1

🫙Cumin seeds (zira), 1.5 tsp

🫙Barberries (zereshk) or raisins, 2 tbsp (optional but traditional)

💧Hot water or lamb stock, approx 700ml

Method

Heat the oil in your heaviest pot or Dutch oven over high heat until it shimmers and just begins to smoke. Add the lamb pieces and sear without stirring for 4–5 minutes until deeply browned on all sides, then remove and set aside.

Add the sliced onions to the same hot oil and fry, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until golden brown — this colour is key to a rich, dark plov.

Return the lamb to the pot, then layer the carrot matchsticks on top without stirring. After 2 minutes, gently stir everything together and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the cumin seeds, crumble in the dried chilli, and pour in enough hot water to just cover everything — this is your zirvak (base). Simmer uncovered on medium heat for 25–30 minutes until the broth is fragrant and slightly reduced.

Taste the zirvak and season generously with salt — it should taste slightly saltier than you'd like, as the rice will absorb it. Drain the rinsed rice and spread it evenly over the zirvak in a flat layer; do not stir. Press the whole garlic heads and barberries gently into the rice.

Pour hot water carefully over the back of a spoon onto the rice until the water sits about 1.5cm above the rice surface. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook uncovered until the water has been absorbed down to the level of the rice, about 10–12 minutes.

Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke 5–6 holes through the rice down to the bottom of the pot to let steam escape. Cover tightly with a lid, reduce heat to the lowest possible setting, and cook for 20–25 minutes — the rice will steam to fluffy perfection.

Remove the lid, gently turn the plov from the bottom up onto a large serving plate (platter-side down, rice on top, meat and carrots revealed underneath). Serve the whole garlic heads alongside for guests to squeeze over their portion.

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