Fergana Plov (Uzbek Pilaf) in a Cauldron

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   Gather the ingredients. The meat, rice, onions, and carrots should be roughly equal by weight. Mine has a bone plus some fat that I use separately, so the total weight is higher. I forgot to include the oil in the photo — my apologies. I also couldn't find fresh hot chile peppers, which you do need. For spices I used a ready-made plov seasoning blend that includes cumin (zira); if you're buying them separately, add some barberries too.

2. Step 2:

   

   Right before you start cooking, prep the rice. Rinse it in about seven changes of water — cloudy at first, it will gradually run clear. Wash it until completely clear, then cover with warm water. It will soak like this the whole time you're cooking.

3. Step 3:

   

   Now prep the vegetables. Peel and cut the carrots. Cut them — no grating! First into lengthwise strips, then crosswise into batons.

4. Step 4:

   

   Peel the onions and cut them into rings, or half-rings if the onions are large.

5. Step 5:

   

   Cut the meat into cubes about 1 inch (3 cm). Separately, cut the fat — lamb tail fat, or in my case just a layer of trim fat.

6. Step 6:

   

   Get everything ready ahead of time so you're not stopping to chop mid-cook.

7. Step 7:

   

   Heat the oil in the cauldron until it's nearly smoking hot.

8. Step 8:

   

   Drop the fat into the cauldron and fry it.

9. Step 9:

   

   Once the pieces are well rendered and browned, lift them out with a slotted spoon.

10. Step 10:

    

    Next come the bones, if you have any. Drop them into the cauldron and fry on one side, then the other.

11. Step 11:

    

    Like so. Then take the bones out.

12. Step 12:

    

    Add the onions. They should practically boil in the oil, so keep the heat fairly high. Fry, stirring constantly with a slotted spoon, until lightly golden.

13. Step 13:

    

    Add the meat to the onions. Fry for a few minutes, until it changes color and turns grayish.

14. Step 14:

    

    Add the carrots. Fry for another five minutes. At the end, return the bones to the pot.

15. Step 15:

    

    Pour in enough water to cover the meat completely. Salt and season. Add the whole head of garlic — just peel off the thin outer papery skin. At this stage add the whole chile peppers too, carefully, without piercing them. Leave to simmer for about forty minutes; I cover it with a lid. This is the zirvak — the meat base of the plov.

16. Step 16:

    

    When the zirvak is ready, add the rice — drain off its soaking water first. Spread the rice very gently over the meat. Then, just as gently, pour water in over a slotted spoon. The water should sit a couple of centimeters above the rice. Salt and season again. Do not stir, under any circumstances! Leave over high heat until the water has fully cooked away.

17. Step 17:

    

    Here's what the plov looks like once the water has cooked off. Nudge the rice aside with a spoon and there should be no water at the bottom.

18. Step 18:

    

    Turn off the heat and cover the cauldron. Let the plov rest for 20–25 minutes. Only then stir it and mound it onto a platter. Set the garlic and chile peppers on top. Plov is eaten with spoons — or straight with your hands.