Dish of Uzbek Lamb Plov
(click to enlarge)

Lamb Plov Uzbek


Central Asia - Uzbekistan   -   Kovurma Palov
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 5 main
***
8-3/4 hrs
Yes		 This is the most famous dish of Central Asia, especially in Uzbekistan. The traditional one pan method is prone to failure until you have years of experience. This recipe offers near traditional results without so much risk. See Authenticity




1-1/2
1-1/2
10
1
2
ar
1/2
1/16
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2
1/2
1
2
1/2
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3
2/3
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ar
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#
#
oz
med
c

t
t
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t
t
t
t
t
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T
c
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Lamb Meat (1)  
Onions
Carrots
Garlic Head
Rice (2)
Lamb Broth (2)  
Salt
Saffron (3)
-- Spicing
Cumin Seeds
Chili flake (4)
Paprika
Salt
Pepper, black
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Lamb Fat (5)
Water
-- Garnish
Red Onion
-- Options (7)
Do Ahead   -   (7 hrs - 25 min work)
  1. Bone your LAMB. Remove membranes and nearly all fat, retaining all. Refrigerate meat until needed.
  2. Put Bones, membranes and fat into a pot. Add water to cover well. Bring to a boil and skim froth as it starts to boil. Cover and let simmer slowly for 6 hours or more.
  3. Strain, retaining all liquids and discarding solids.
  4. Using your gravy separator, separate Broth from Fat, retaining both. I then run the Broth through a very fine strainer to remove debris. Refrigerate Broth and Fat until needed.
Prep   -   (45 min)
  1. Cut Lamb into about 1 inch chunks.
  2. Quarter ONIONS lengthwise and slice crosswise about 1/8 inch thick
  3. Peel CARROTS and cut into sticks about 1/4 inch on a side and 1-1/2 inches long.
  4. Peel outer skins off whole head of GARLIC, leaving the cloves unpeeled and the head intact. Cut off the stem end deep enough to expose Garlic flesh at the ends of the cloves.
  5. IF Using:   Crush SAFRON threads and soak in 2 T hot water.
  6. Crush CUMIN SEEDS fairly small, but not to powder. Mix all Spicing items.
  7. Slice RED ONION as thin as you can, for Garnish.
Run   -   (1 hr)
  1. Wash Rice well so it won't be sticky. Best is to shake it vigorously in a fine mesh strainer under hot running water. Drain thoroughly. Set it up for cooking, in a pan or rice cooker. Add the proper amount of Lamb Broth to cook the rice properly (see Note-2). IF using Saffron, it and its soaking water are part of this measure, otherwise just 1/4 t Turmeric. Add the 1/2 t Salt. Do not start cooking it yet. Any left over Broth should be used instead of Water for cooking the meat.
  2. In a spacious sauté pan (3-1/2 quart) or similar coverable vessel, heat Lamb Fat. Fry the Lamb, tumbling often until lightly browned.
  3. Stir in Onions and Carrots. Fry stirring until Onions are light golden. If the fond is getting too dark, go to the next step right away.
  4. Start your Rice cooking at this time. It should have 10 minutes standing time after cooking.
  5. Stir in Spices mix, then 2/3 cup Water (or Broth if you have it). Embed the Garlic Head, cut side down. Bring to a boil, cover tightly and simmer until Lamb is tender. Be careful it doesn't get dry and burn. This will take 30 to 40 minutes.
  6. When Lamb is tender: adjust the sauce as desired. I like a fair amount of sauce for the rice.
  7. Spread Rice on a platter (or individual plates) and spoon the Lamb and Sauce over the center of the rice. For a platter, the head of Garlic is usually placed on top, or individual cloves can be distributed Garnish as desired and serve hot. For buffet, instead of a platter I use an electric skillet set to "warm".
NOTES:

  1. Lamb:

      The lamb you buy should include bones and a reasonable amount of fat, but yield 1-1/2 pounds of trimmed meat. The bones and fat will also be used. For details see our Lamb / Mutton Cuts page.

  2. Rice:

      The proper rice is medium grain (in Central Asia it usually comes from Russia). East Asian rice is the right shape, but considered too sticky. Paella Rice is considered ideal and Italian Risotto Rice is considered good. The rice should finish with the grains very separate, but just a touch chewy. The amount of Lamb Broth should be measured to achieve this result (usually about 3-1/2 cups for 2 cups of Rice). The rice I use is "Egypt's Best", which works very well. Some recipes allow Basmati rice, but it has a rather dry mouth feel, not ideal for this dish. I strongly recommend using a rice cooker, as it frees the stove and makes timing less critical, as it flips to "keep warm" when the rice is done.

  3. Saffron:

      This is expensive and may not be on hand, so 1/4 t Turmeric is often used instead. The flavor is quite different, but acceptable. In the photo example the amount of Saffron was nearly 1/8 t, a little more than I'd likely use again as I'd like the rice a little less blazingly yellow.

  4. Chili Flake:

      I use Indian Khandela or Reshampatti, which are fairly hot, and 1/2 t does add significant sharpness to this recipe. Use your own best judgement here. I have one recipe that suggests 1 t Ajika instead, which will add more flavor. Ajika is Caucasian, not Central Asia, but they probably know about it there. Ajika sold around here seldom has much heat, so I'd use some Chili Flake too.

  5. Lamb Fat:

      In Central Asia, guests would be insulted if this dish wasn't dripping with Sheep Tail Fat. They would expect an oil slick still on the plate after the Plov is eaten. A little less is allowed in the more sophisticated cuisine of Samarkand. Here in North America our guests would be very distressed if the dish had that much fat, and we don't have Fat Tailed Sheep here anyway. Don't be afraid to use a reasonable amount of fat as the Low Fat Diet has been completely discredited. The amount give here is the minimum, and you can add more if you want. For details see our Lamb / Mutton Cuts page.

  6. Making Ahead:

      The Zirvak (stew) will reheat fine - make it ahead, making sure it isn't overcooked, and refrigerate. As time to serve approaches, start cooking the rice (it needs about 30 minutes including rest time). I strongly recommend a rice cooker which will cook the rice without attention, frees up the stove, and clicks to "keep warm" when done, making timing much less critical.

  7. Options:

      Some recipes call for Coriander Seed as well as Cumin Seed. A very common option would be about 2 T dried Barberries to add a tart note. They're stirred in with the Water. While fairly common here in the Western Capital of Armenia, Barberries may be difficult to find elsewhere. Another common option is up to 3 heads of garlic instead of just one.

  8. Authenticity:

      The traditional way to make this dish is in layers, all in one pot. In the final stages, raw rice is carefully spread over the Zirvak (stew), water added and boiled off uncovered. Then holes are punched to the bottom, and the dish is finished tightly covered. To serve, the rice layer is scooped cleanly off the Zirvak and arranged on a platter, then the Zirvak is arranged over the center of the rice. Sometimes the carrots are a separate layer under the rice and will be a seperate layer under the Zirvak on the platter.

    Problems:   This is a one-shot make and serve. Also, success takes a lot of practice to get it right, and if the rice isn't perfect, it's a fail. If it's burned at the bottom, it's a fail. The cooking equipment, heat control, and amount of water or broth applied must be controlled with precision, and timing is critical. Until recently, only men were allowed to make plov, and they were well trained by their fathers on the same equipment they would eventually use. Today, many recipes just stir raw rice into the Zervak to make the cooking less critical, but that isn't authentic.

    As mentioned above, authenticity requires it to be practically swimming in Sheep Tail Fat, not the way we want it in North America. The proper cooking appliance is a Kazan, a large wok-like pan with a very tight fitting lid. Traditionally it is of cast iron, but most today are cast aluminum. In Uzbekistan, mostly yellow carrots are used, but those are hard to find in North America where orange ones dominate, but those work fine.

  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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