Wedding plov
Long-grain cauldron plov with yellow carrots, chickpeas and a whole head of garlic.
This is the plov of our Uzbek neighbours and of every teahouse in the Fergana valley, and at an Iradi wedding it is the only kind you will see. Traditionally the men cook it, usually a hired ashpoz with a cauldron the size of a bathtub, while the women run everything else. In Talas a plate costs 25 or 30 som. For sixteen years in Chicago I had to make it myself in my biggest pot. Now that I’m home I could buy it on any corner, and I still make it myself, and so can you.
The rule is the opposite of Iradi plov: once the rice goes in, you do not stir it. I know it’s hard. Put the spoon down and go have a cup of tea.
What you'll need
Wedding plov
Long-grain cauldron plov with yellow carrots, chickpeas and a whole head of garlic.
Ingredients
servingsInstructions
Method
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot or kazan until it just smokes. Fry the lamb, bones first, until deeply browned, 10–12 minutes.
- Add the onions and fry until dark golden. Add the carrots in a layer and leave 2–3 minutes, then stir and cook 10 minutes until soft.
- Add the drained chickpeas, cumin, coriander, barberries and salt. Pour in boiling water to cover by 2 cm. Push in the garlic head and chillies. Simmer 40 minutes. This is the zirvak.
- Taste the liquid: it should be a little too salty. Scatter the raisins, then the drained rice in an even layer. Do not stir.
- Pour boiling water gently over a slotted spoon so it covers the rice by 1.5 cm. Cook on high until the water disappears below the surface.
- Pile the rice into a dome, poke 5–6 holes to the bottom with a chopstick, cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 25 minutes.
- Lift out the garlic and meat. Turn the rice and carrots onto a platter, lay the meat and garlic on top, and serve with tomato and onion salad.
With love from my kitchen in Talas,Jibek