Plov

Even when winter is over (Hoorah!) a good bowl of hot Russian soup is still a perfect treat forThe history of Plov goes back centuries. The main and the most important ingredient is rice; the rest of the ingredients can differ from country to country. Sometimes it is cooked with meat or fish; other times with vegetables and fruits or even milk. For us, Russians, the most traditional Plov (sometimes also referred to as Pilav, Palov or Osh) is cooked with meat. But there are hundreds of variations to choose from. Except for the basic ingredients, Plov can be altered to suit your taste.

In reality Plov is not truly a Russian dish. It came to Russia from its Eastern neighbours: Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, etc. The Merchant’s Yard suggests you to try Kazakh Plov with dried apricots, which gives it a very tasty twist.

You will need:

• 800-900g of fresh Lamb meat, preferably already but in 4 x 4 cubes • 2 medium onions • 5 medium size carrots • garlic bulb • 200ml of sunflower oil • 300g of dried apricots • 3.5 cups of rice • 1 tsp of ground cumin • Plov spices • 1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper • 3 tsp of salt

Rice
Living abroad creates its own difficulties in finding right essential ingredients. We do not suggest using long rice as it makes Plov very dry. Instead buy “Pearl of the East” at The Merchant’s Yard. In order to make the rice more tasty it should be prepared as follows
• Wash rice until the water is clear, usually 2-3 times
• Soak it in the cold water; add some salt and Plov spices and leave for 30 minutes or more. The longer you leave it, more flavour the rice absorbs.

Meat
• Cut the meat in 4 x 4cm cubes if not already cut and slice the onions in half circles
• Once the meat and onions are ready to cook, heat oil in a saucepan (the thicker the saucepan walls, the better)
• Add salt, Plov spices, ground cumin and black pepper
• Fry the meat until it is brown on all sides
• Add onions and fry until it becomes translucent
• Add 2 cups of boiling water, mix it and close the lid.

Cook these ingredients for 20-30 min

• Meanwhile, clean, and wash Julienne carrots
• Once the time is up, add the carrots to the saucepan and cook for another 15 minutes. Do NOT stir!

The rest:
Garlic: You will need a whole garlic bulb. Don’t break it; wash it well, peel off some dry outer layers and cut out any imperfections. Place it on top of the carrots in the middle of your saucepan.

Dried apricots: Wash them and place evenly on top of the carrots

Rice: Drain the water and place rice evenly over the apricots

You did NOT stir it, did you?

• Add some boiling water to cover the rice 3-4cm above
• Close the lid and leave it on medium heat until all water is absorbed (10-15min)
• Pierce rice with the knife, check if there is any water left inside; there should be. You can flip the top of the rice to keep it evenly moist.
• Once the water is absorbed, make a dome of rice and sprinkle whole cumin on top.
• Lower the heat and leave for another 10 min. Check it from time to time, as you don’t want the bottom of the Plov burnt
• In 10 min remove lid and try the rice. If it feels undercooked sprinkle some more water and leave for another 5 minutes. If it is well cooked take out the garlic (it is very delicious!) and now you can MIX the ingredients, put Plov on large plate, shape it as a dome and put garlic on top.

Serve with fresh or pickled vegetables.

Enjoy!