Plov – Uzbek Rice Pilaf

Plov is a flavorful and satisfying dish that combines tender meat pieces with aromatic rice and a variety of herbs and spices with the most common recipe coming out of Uzbekistan. It is very popular in Eastern Europe and throughout the world. Plov is a versatile dish that can stand alone as a complete meal or be served alongside a variety of vegetables and salads. The recipe that I am sharing is lighter than the common version as I swapped the traditional lamb for chicken. The more traditional ingredients can be found at the bottom of this post.

Prep time: About 20 minutes 

Cook time:  About 25 minutes 

Number of Servings: About 8 – 10

This meal is gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free.

Ingredients

• 2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped or diced
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon of turmeric
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, & garlic mix
• 1 whole head of garlic, peeled
• 3 shakes of coriander

• 2 shakes of curry
• 3 cups of water
• 2 cups of long-grain rice (basmati preferred)
• 2 lbs. chicken, cubed (either boneless, skinless breasts or thighs)
• 1 – 2 tablespoons of parsley, chopped
• 1 – 2 tablespoons of cilantro

 

Kitchen Utensils You Will Need

How to Make It

Start by preparing the vegetables.

Start by chopping the three medium carrots and medium onion into small pieces. Separate the head of garlic into individual whole cloves. Peel all the garlic cloves.

Heat 2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the chopped onions and garlic, sautéing until they become translucent and fragrant.

Next add the chopped carrots and sauté with the onions, garlic, and olive oil until they are soft.

Next, prepare the meat.

Cube 2 pounds of chicken into approximately 1/2-inch pieces. Add the chicken pieces to the skillet with the vegetables and cook the chicken until the pieces are browned on all sides. This ensures that the chicken retains its moisture and adds flavor to the entire dish.

While the chicken is cooking, add a 1/2 tablespoon of turmeric, 1 bay leaf, and 1 tablespoon of salt. Mix and stir. Then add 3 good shakes of coriander and 2 good shakes of curry. Mix and stir.

Get the rice ready.

As the meat is cooking, rinse the rice in cold water to remove the excess starch and any remaining dirt. Continue rinsing until the water is clear. Add the rice to the skillet on top of the meat and vegetables.

After the rice, add 3 cups of water and then let simmer on medium-low heat for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Once the rice is cooked and all the liquid is absorbed, mix the rice with the chicken, vegetables, and spices. Remove the skillet from the heat.

Finishing touches.

After mixing all the ingredients, sprinkle some chopped parsley and cilantro on top of the Plov.

Finally, serve on a plate or in a bowl and enjoy!

Other Versions of Plov

Traditional Plov

For a more traditional version, you can follow the steps above but use lamb instead of chicken. I recommend a bone-in leg of lamb as you will need 1 ~ 1.5 pounds. Cube and brown the lamb meat as I described in the recipe above.

In addition to the lamb, it is traditional to use a whole head of garlic instead of the garlic cloves that I use. For the whole head of garlic, remove all the thin, paper-like skin. At this point, you can either cut off the top 1/4 ~ 1/3 of the head or leave it whole. Place the garlic head in the center of the skillet when the meat is cooking. The garlic head should remain in the skillet while the Plov continues to cook.

Beef Plov

Beef is a great alternative because it is a bit easier to find than lamb and provides a more hearty meal compared to chicken. If I am in a hurry, I like to use stew beef as it is cubed. You will need 1 ~ 1.5 pounds for the recipe. Brown the beef as I described in the recipe above.

A Savory Addition

To add rich flavor to the rice, use 3 cups of stock or broth instead of water when cooking the rice. Use chicken stock/broth if you are using chicken in your Plov. For beef or lamb, I would use the beef stock/broth in the Plov.

An Extra Kick!

As you are browning your choice of meat, add a few shakes of cayenne pepper or hot paprika. Another option would be to add some chopped Hungarian/banana pepper with the carrots.

If You Enjoyed This Recipe…

Additional recipes are being added to my blog every couple of weeks. You can find them here: Recipes