PilafUzbekMedium

Uzbek Lamb Plov (Osh)

Name: Uzbek Lamb Plov (Osh)
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 1 h 49 min
Total time: 2 h 24 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Uzbek
Ingredients: 2 lb (900 g) boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess hard fat, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) cubes, patted very dry; ½ cup (120 ml) neutral vegetable oil; 2 large (about 1 lb) (450 g) large yellow onions, halved and sliced into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons; 1½ lb (700 g) carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) matchsticks about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long; 2 tbsp (12 g) whole cumin seeds, divided: 1½ tbsp (9 g) for the carrots, ½ tbsp (3 g) for the rice, lightly crushed; 4 tsp (12 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided: 2 tsp for the meat base, 2 tsp for the rice water; 1 tsp (2 g) black pepper, freshly ground; 1 whole (3 g) whole dried red chile, left whole (optional); 1 cup (240 ml) hot water, just boiled; 1 large head (60 g) whole head of garlic, outer papery skins peeled off, root end left intact, top ¼ inch (6 mm) sliced off to expose the cloves; 2½ cups (500 g) long-grain parboiled rice or Uzbek devzira-style rice, rinsed in several changes of cold water until the water runs nearly clear; 4 cups (950 ml) warm water for soaking, warm tap water, about 110°F (43°C); 1 tbsp (9 g) kosher salt for the soak, dissolved in the soaking water (most is drained away); ¼ cup (30 g) dried barberries or raisins, rinsed and drained (optional); 3 cups (700 ml) boiling water, just boiled; add as needed to reach 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the rice

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A one-pot Uzbek classic: lamb browned with deeply golden onions and sweet carrots, simmered into a rich base (zirvak), then topped with rice and steamed over a whole head of garlic until every grain is fluffy and separate.

Prep: 35 min
Cook: 1 hr 49 min
Wait: 10 min
Total: 2 hr 34 min
Makes: 6 generous servings (about 8 cups / 1.9 L plov)

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Ingredients

6 servings

For the zirvak (meat base)
2 lb (900 g) boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess hard fat, cut into 2-inch (5 cm) cubes, patted very dry
½ cup (120 ml) neutral vegetable oil
2 large (about 1 lb) (450 g) large yellow onions, halved and sliced into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons
1½ lb (700 g) carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) matchsticks about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long
2 tbsp (12 g) whole cumin seeds, divided: 1½ tbsp (9 g) for the carrots, ½ tbsp (3 g) for the rice, lightly crushed
4 tsp (12 g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided: 2 tsp for the meat base, 2 tsp for the rice water
1 tsp (2 g) black pepper, freshly ground
1 whole (3 g) whole dried red chile, left whole (optional)
1 cup (240 ml) hot water, just boiled
For the plov
1 large head (60 g) whole head of garlic, outer papery skins peeled off, root end left intact, top ¼ inch (6 mm) sliced off to expose the cloves
2½ cups (500 g) long-grain parboiled rice or Uzbek devzira-style rice, rinsed in several changes of cold water until the water runs nearly clear
4 cups (950 ml) warm water for soaking, warm tap water, about 110°F (43°C)
1 tbsp (9 g) kosher salt for the soak, dissolved in the soaking water (most is drained away)
¼ cup (30 g) dried barberries or raisins, rinsed and drained (optional)
3 cups (700 ml) boiling water, just boiled; add as needed to reach 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the rice

Equipment (8)

6-quart (5.5 L) heavy Dutch oven or kazan with tight-fitting lid
Sharp chef's knife and cutting board
Large bowl (for soaking rice)
Fine-mesh strainer
Slotted spoon
Wooden spoon or spatula
Instant-read thermometer
Kitchen towel (optional, to wrap the lid)

Steps

Before you start

Use a wide, heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid (a 6-quart / 5.5 L Dutch oven works well). Thin pots scorch the rice.
Cut the carrots into matchsticks no thicker than ¼ inch (6 mm) so they soften without turning to mush.
Boil a kettle of water before you begin. The water added to the meat and to the rice must be hot, not cold.
Total time is about 2½ hours, but the 40-minute meat simmer is hands-off. Rinse and soak the rice during that window.
Do not stir the rice once it is layered on top. Layering and steaming is what keeps the grains separate.

1
Prep the ingredients
- Cut the lamb into 2-inch (5 cm) cubes and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels.
- Slice the onions into ¼-inch (6 mm) half-moons.
- Peel the carrots and cut into ¼-inch (6 mm) matchsticks.
- Peel the loose papery skins off the garlic head, leaving the head intact, and slice off the top ¼ inch (6 mm) so the cloves are exposed.
- Put the kettle on to boil.
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Ready when: Everything is cut, the lamb surface looks dry, and the kettle is hot.
Tip: Dry lamb browns instead of steaming, so don't skip the paper towels.
2
Brown the lamb
- Heat the oil in the pot over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes until it shimmers and a piece of onion sizzles at once.
- Add half the lamb in a single layer and cook without moving it for 3 minutes, then turn and brown the other sides for 3 more minutes.
- Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining lamb, leaving the oil in the pot.
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Ready when: Lamb is deeply browned on most sides, and a dark brown fond coats the bottom of the pot (not black).
Tip: Crowding the pot drops the temperature and the lamb turns grey. Brown in two batches.
3
Caramelize the onions
- Add the sliced onions to the hot oil and stir to scrape up the browned bits.
- Cook over medium-high heat, stirring every minute or so, for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium if they darken too fast.
- Return the lamb and its juices to the pot.
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Ready when: Onions are a deep golden-brown with some darker edges and have shrunk to about one third of their volume.
Tip: The onion color becomes the color of the finished rice, so be patient here. Pale onions mean pale plov.
4
Add carrots and spices
- Add the carrot matchsticks, 1½ tbsp (9 g) of the cumin seeds (lightly crushed between your fingers), 2 tsp of the salt, the black pepper, and the dried chile if using.
- Stir and cook over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, stirring often.
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Ready when: Carrots have softened and bent without breaking, turned glossy orange, and smell strongly of toasted cumin.
Tip: Keep the heat high enough that the carrots fry in the oil rather than steam.
5
Simmer the zirvak
- Pour 1 cup (240 ml) just-boiled water around the edges of the pot and bring to a gentle bubble.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway.
- Check that the liquid is barely bubbling; add a splash of hot water if the pot looks dry.
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Ready when: A lamb cube is tender enough to cut with the side of a spoon (internal temperature about 195°F / 90°C), and the vegetables are in a thick, glossy, oily sauce.
Tip: Do this step while soaking the rice (next step). Cold water would toughen the meat, so use hot.
6
Rinse and soak the rice
- While the lamb simmers, rinse the rice in a bowl under cold running water, swishing with your hand and draining, 5 to 7 times until the water runs almost clear.
- Cover with the 4 cups (950 ml) warm water and the 1 tbsp (9 g) salt.
- Soak for the remainder of the zirvak simmer (at least 30 minutes), then drain well in the strainer.
- Rinse the barberries, if using.
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Ready when: Rice grains look opaque white and are slightly swollen; the rinse water is nearly clear.
Tip: Rinsing removes surface starch, which is what makes plov clump. Don't skip it.
7
Layer the rice
- Raise the heat to high and bring the zirvak to a steady simmer.
- Make sure the carrots and lamb sit in an even layer and the liquid is about ½ inch (1 cm) deep (add a splash of boiling water if needed).
- Scatter the barberries on top, then pour in the drained rice in an even layer without stirring.
- Sprinkle the remaining 2 tsp salt and ½ tbsp (3 g) crushed cumin over the rice.
- Gently pour boiling water down the side of the pot, or over the back of a spoon, until it is 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the rice (about 3 cups / 700 ml).
- Boil uncovered over high heat for 10 minutes, without stirring.
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Ready when: The water has been absorbed to the level of the rice, the surface has steam holes, and a grain bitten from the top is still firm in the center.
Tip: Taste the water before it evaporates. It should taste properly salted, like good soup, as the rice will absorb it.
8
Steam the plov
- Use the handle of a wooden spoon to poke 8 to 10 holes through the rice to the bottom of the pot.
- Press the garlic head, cut side up, into the center.
- Mound the rice gently toward the middle.
- Wrap the lid in a kitchen towel (tucking the ends up away from the flame) and cover tightly.
- Cook over the lowest heat for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
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Ready when: Rice is tender with no chalky center, grains are separate, and the rice smells nutty and sweet with no scorched smell.
Tip: A tight lid is essential. Lifting it lets steam escape and leaves undercooked rice.
9
Rest off the heat
- Turn off the heat and let the covered pot stand for 10 minutes so the steam settles and the grains firm up.
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Ready when: Rice looks dry on top and pulls slightly from the sides of the pot.
10
Mix and serve
- Remove the garlic head and lift the lamb out onto a platter.
- Gently fold the rice and carrots together from the bottom up, with a fork or wide spoon, to blend the colors without breaking the grains.
- Mound the rice on a large platter, top with the lamb, and set the garlic head in the center.
- Serve hot; squeeze the soft garlic cloves over each portion.
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Ready when: Rice is evenly golden-orange from the carrots and onion, glossy but not greasy.
Tip: Serve with a simple tomato-onion salad to cut the richness.

Good to know

Tips

Use a heavy, wide pot: the large surface area helps the rice cook evenly and the heavy base prevents scorching.
The oil amount looks generous, but it coats each grain and keeps the rice separate. Skim some from the surface at serving time if you prefer a lighter plov.
Don't stir after adding rice. Layering lets the rice steam above the meat instead of sitting in the sauce.
If the rice is still hard after resting, add ¼ cup (60 ml) boiling water, re-cover and steam on low for 5 to 10 more minutes.

Make ahead

"The zirvak (steps 1–5) can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated in the pot. Reheat to a simmer, then continue from the rice-soaking step. Soaked rice can be left in its soaking water up to 1 hour."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Refrigerator: airtight container up to 4 days. Freezer: up to 3 months in portions. Reheat by sprinkling each portion with 1 tbsp water, covering, and microwaving 2–3 minutes (or steaming in a covered pan over low heat) until steaming hot (165°F / 74°C)."

Substitutions

boneless lamb shoulder → bone-in lamb shanks or beef chuck. Bone-in lamb adds more flavor but needs about 15 minutes longer simmering; beef chuck needs 60 to 75 minutes total to become tender.
long-grain parboiled rice or Uzbek devzira-style rice → basmati or long-grain white rice. Reduce the soak to 20 minutes and the top-up water slightly (about 2½ cups / 600 ml), since these grains cook faster than parboiled rice.
dried barberries or raisins → raisins or dried cranberries. Sweeter and less tart; use the same amount, or leave out.
neutral vegetable oil → rendered lamb fat or a mix of oil and lamb tail fat. Gives a more traditional flavor; replace up to half of the oil.