Name: Plov (Pilaf)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Uzbek
Ingredients: 3 cups Rice; 700 g Lamb; 500 g Carrots; 2 Onions; 0.5 cup Cooking oil; 4 cups Water; 1 tbsp Cumin seeds (zira); 1 tsp Coriander seeds; 3 tbsp Barberries or raisins; 1 tbsp Salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper; 2 heads Garlic; 0.5 cup Chickpeas; 3 Hard-boiled eggs

Ingredients

6servings

Rice · long-grain works best3 cups
Lamb · or beef, in large chunks700 g
Carrots · cut into thick matchsticks500 g
Onions · thinly sliced2
Cooking oil · cottonseed oil is traditional0.5 cup
Water · boiling4 cups
Spices
Cumin seeds (zira) · whole, crushed between your palms1 tbsp
Coriander seeds · optional1 tsp
Barberries or raisins · optional3 tbsp
Salt · this dish is seasoned boldly1 tbsp
Black pepper0.5 tsp
To finish
Garlic · whole, only the loose skin removed2 heads
Chickpeas · soaked overnight, optional0.5 cup
Hard-boiled eggs · optional3

Steps

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then soak it in warm water for 30 minutes. Cut the carrots into thick matchsticks — never grate them; the texture is the whole point of plov.
⏲ 30 min
Heat the oil in a heavy pot or wok (traditionally a kazan) until it shimmers and just starts to smoke.
⏲ 5 min
Add the meat and sear it undisturbed until deeply browned on all sides. That browning is where the color and flavor of the broth come from.
⏲ 8 min
Add the onions and cook until golden, then layer the carrots on top. Leave them alone for 3 minutes to steam before folding them in gently.
⏲ 10 min
Crush the cumin between your palms and add it with the coriander, salt, pepper and chickpeas. Pour in the boiling water, cover, and simmer over medium-low until the meat is tender. This broth is the zirvak.
⏲ 40 min
Taste the broth and salt it generously. It should taste slightly too salty now — the rice will absorb most of it.
Drain the rice and spread it evenly over the zirvak. Do not stir. Carefully pour in boiling water until the rice is submerged by about 2 cm, and bury the whole garlic heads in the rice.
Boil uncovered over high heat until the water has cooked down to the surface of the rice.
⏲ 15 min
Mound the rice toward the center and poke a few holes to the bottom with a chopstick. Cover tightly and steam on low for 20 minutes, then rest off the heat for 10 more.
⏲ 30 min
Spread the rice on a large platter, cut the meat into big pieces and pile it on top. Serve with the garlic heads and eggs — everyone mixes their own on the plate.
⏲ 2 min

Tips & Variations

Variations

Samarkand style: Served in layers — rice, carrots, meat — without mixing. The method above follows this one.
Fergana style: Everything folded together at the end so the oil coats every grain. Darker in color.
Zigir plov: Made with linseed oil instead of cottonseed for a distinctive nutty aroma.
Beef or chicken plov: Use beef shank or chicken thighs if lamb is too rich; halve the simmering time for chicken.
Vegetarian plov: Skip the meat and increase the chickpeas, dried apricots and raisins for sweetness.

Tips

Never grate the carrots. Thick matchsticks that hold their shape while releasing sweetness are the defining texture; grated carrot turns to mush.
Do not stir once the rice goes in. The two-layer structure — bottom braising in broth, top cooking in steam — is what separates plov from fried rice.
Salt hard at the zirvak stage. Three cups of rice will absorb almost all of it.
Always add boiling water. Cold water drops the temperature and the rice blows out on the surface while staying raw inside.
The chopstick holes aren't decorative — they're steam channels. Without them the bottom scorches while the top is undercooked.
Bury the garlic with its skin on so only the sweetness comes through. Squeeze it over the rice once cooked.
Leftovers are better the next day. Reheat in a dry pan.

The basics behind this dish

Cooking basics →

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Main course →