Plov - Плов

Plov is a rice pilaf with meat, carrots, onions and spices, tender chunks of meat and fluffy rice with lots of aromatic flavors. 

Plov is traditionally made with lamb and is cooked in a huge cooking vessel over an open fire. It is a skill that is passed down through generations and is perfect for holidays and gatherings with lots of people.

Of course, Plov is also prepared on a humble and ordinary stovetop too. It is a beloved dinner and is a reliable staple menu option. It is delicious served immediately, but also reheats very well too, so I tend to make a big batch so I can have a day off from cooking the next day.

Anyway, Plov is a rice pilaf with meat, carrots, onions and spices. It's absolutely delicious - tender chunks of meat, fluffy rice with lots of aromatic flavors given by onions, carrots and garlic. It also has several great spices to kick it up a notch. 
Ingredients:

1 ½ - 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into ½ inch pieces

¼-1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

3-4 carrots, peeled and julienned into matchsticks, or shredded

1 ½-1 ¾ cups water, for braising

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2-4 dry bay leaves

1-2 teaspoons cumin

1-2 teaspoons paprika

3 cups long grain rice

1 garlic head

4 cups water, hot, when cooking the rice

Instructions:

Cut the beef, about 1 ½ lbs, into ¾-1/2 inch chunks. It really depends on how big you like your meat. I like it medium sized, so that's the size I use.

Traditionally, lamb is used in Plov. I prefer the taste of beef. You can also use chicken, but if you do, use dark meat, not chicken breast.

Blot the meat dry using a paper towel.

Why? Because the meat needs to sear (get really nicely brown). If you put it in wet, first of all it will splatter in the hot oil and second of all, it will start to steam instead of sear. The golden brown meat will give an awesome flavor to the whole dish. 

Using a dutch oven or a large pot, heat about ¼-1/3 cup of oil over high heat until it's smoking hot.

You should have enough oil to generously cover the bottom of the dutch oven.

Add the meat to the oil, and cook for 7-10 minutes, until the meat has a deep golden brown color.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the two chopped onions to the dutch oven. Cook for 5-7 minutes more, until the onions are tender and slightly golden.
Add the shredded or julienned carrots, stir to combine and season with salt, pepper, dry bay leaf, paprika and cumin.

Instead of shredding the carrots, you can julienne the carrots or cut them into strips. It's really up to you.

The cumin and paprika will add a lovely golden color to the Plov. They are both very aromatic and punch some real flavor into the finished dish.

Cover the beef, onions and carrots with about 1 ½ -1 ¾ cups of water, enough to barely cover them. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 45 minutes - 1 hour, until the beef is tender.

Don't skip this step, since the meat will be rubbery and chewy if you don't give it enough time to cook into tender and moist chunks.

Meanwhile, if you want an extra precaution, rinse the rice in water, until the water runs clear. I place the rice in a fine mesh sieve and place it over a bowl, fill it with water, rinse, pour out and repeat about 5 times.

The point is to get rid of an extra starch that is on the rice. Starch will make the rice sticky, and for this dish we are trying to achieve fluffy rice, where each granule is separate.

When I use basmati rice, it cooks a little bit quicker than regular long grain white rice. If you use the plain long grain rice, cover it with boiling water and let it stand it in while the beef, onions and carrots are simmering.

This will help to ensure that the rice cooks all the way through. Basmati doesn't need the extra soaking in hot water, otherwise it will overcook and turn into mush. I don't even rinse basmati rice or steep it in hot water either. When the beef is tender, drain the water from the rice (if you're soaking it) and place the rice on top of the the beef, onions and carrots. DON'T mix them together. Spread the rice out evenly, and pour in about 4 cups of hot, or boiling water. Season with salt.

Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high heat and keep cooking it, uncovered, until most of the water is absorbed. Insert a whole garlic head into the rice, make a few holes in the rice, to help the water cook out faster, (I use the handle of a long wooden spoon to create the holes, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and cook for another 10-15 minutes, just until the rice is cooked through.

At this point, take out the roasted garlic and mix the whole dish, to incorporate the beef, onion, and carrots with the rice.

You can press some of the roasted garlic through a garlic press and add it to the rice, or used the roasted garlic in flavored butters, Garlic Bread, etc.
Plov freezes very well too, so you can make a large batch and freeze the extra portions.

To reheat, thaw the Plov, and heat it up, either in the microwave or in a skillet. I like adding a little bit of grated cheese to leftover Plov when I'm reheating it in a skillet. The cheese melts, and becomes a little crisp in some places and adds creaminess and crispness to the dish.

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