Plov Rice
Plov rice is a Persian rice dish, which has spread in popularity through Soviet-influenced regions, including to Uzbekistan (where it or a similar dish is called ‘osh’) It is made from rice, onions, carrots, lamb and beef, something round (dried fruit, chickpeas, or peas - what a strange collection!), spices (including cumin, salt, pepper, paprika, and, traditionally, Barbaris - also known as bayberry or the Persian spice zereshk - which is hard to find in the USA, so I’ve saved the trouble), and oil (often cottenseed, apparently).
Here is one of an unlimited variety of recipes:
Plov Rice
- 2 lbs boneless shoulder or leg of lamb with fat (substitute half or all with beef if desired)
- 1 to 2 lbs onion, julienned (more onion is traditional)
- 3 to 5 large carrots, julienned (the thinner the strips, the better)
- 2 1/2 cups medium-grain rice, picked and rinsed
- 4 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1/8 tsp. saffron, steeped in 2 tbsp boiling water
- Salt, black pepper, crushed long pepper, paprika, red pepper, and cumin to taste
- More raw onion, sliced extremely thinly, for garnish
Cut the meat into bite-sized chunks and lightly salt. Cover the bottom of a large Dutch oven in oil and heat until a small piece of onion browns quickly. Stir in the meat and brown on all sides, then plate, sprinkle with cumin, and keep warm.
Reduce heat to medium and add the onions and carrots. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until tender. Return the meat to the Dutch oven, and add the rice. Cook, stirring, until the rice begins to turn golden brown. Pour in the boiling water to deglaze and stir. Add the remaining spices and saffron tea. Cover securely and cook covered over low heat for 20 minutes or until rice is done.
Serve libarlly garnished with paper-thin slices of raw onion, and with a salad made from very thinly sliced onions and tomatoes with lots of black pepper and vinegar on the side.
Serves 6 to 8.
(Here’s a Persian cookbook