Description
Deliciously spiced lamb and rice pilaf. A hearty one pot dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups Basmati rice
- 3 small heads garlic
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds boneless lamb leg or shoulder, trimmed of fat, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and julienned
- 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon hungarian hot paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (for color)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- several grinds of fresh pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh or dried barberries (middle eastern grocers)
- 3 cups boiling water
Instructions
- Rinse and drain the rice in several washes of warm water, set aside
- Wash the whole garlic heads and slice off about 3/4 of an inch from the top of each head, exposing a cross section of the cloves. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a Dutch Oven or heavy casserole over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add lamb pieces (in batches, if necessary, to avoid over-crowding) and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total (or per batch)
- If you have cooked meat in batches, return all meat to the pot and add carrots and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the next 7 ingredients: cumin seeds, paprika, hot paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper, and barberries. Stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup water, cover pot and turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
- Uncover the pot and using the back of a wooden spoon, flatten the meat and vegetables into the bottom of the casserole. Add the rice, creating a flat even layer with the help of the wooden spoon.
- Push the garlic bulbs, exposed side first, down through the rice till only their bottoms are exposed.
- Pour the 3 cups of boiling water slowly over the wooden spoon, letting it fall gently into the pot so as not to disturb the rice layer on top. Poke a few holes in the rice layer with the handle of the spoon, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Pull out garlic bulbs and stir rice and meat together. Mound the Plov on a serving platter with the garlic heads on top.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 mins
- Category: Festive Main Course
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Uzbekistani