Plov: the Recipe
Okay, I am going to do the impossible and one-finger type this on my phone. Not only for your benefit but for mine as well. The recipe is going to be fairly wordy, as this is still a work in progress. It's a result of quick Internet research and a bit of personal experience.
First off, plov is based on four ingredients: rice, lamb, onion, and carrot. If you think lamb is too gamey, substitute beef. If you are a vegetarian.... Well, I am torn about whether veg plov will work, because you need something proteiny with a fairly strong umami flavor. Possibly some pungent mushrooms. Anyway, I used two cuts of lamb, shoulder chops and butterflied boneless leg. Whole Foods lamb is less greasy/gamey.
The rice you use should be long grained, not sticky. I cheated by cooking the rice in a rice cooker. The authentic recipes insist on using a kazan (which I imagine is similar to a paella dish, but I don't know) to cook the rice in the broth made of the other three ingredients. Incidentally, I have never made an authentic risotto either. Too much hassle.
Anyway, there is more, but I better get to the recipe.
Oil for frying
3 onions, cut into half-rings
3-4 pounds of lamb, cut into pieces
Spices of your choice
1 package (about 10) carrots, peeled and shredded
3-4 cups of rice, cooked
2 heads of garlic
1-2 cups raisins
Some finely chopped parsley
I made a huge batch, so to save time and not crowd the pan, I used two. In first, I started frying the onions in plenty of oil. In the second, I was browning the lamb.
When onions were done (it's up to you as to what you consider done--I like mine pretty fried; others prefer just translucent), I threw in the carrots and added some liquid.
When lamb was well browned, I threw in my spices to coat the meat. I used what I had on hand: cumin, Korean hot red pepper, black pepper, and salt. I completely forgot to use saffron. It is also possible to buy a plov spice mix at Russian grocery stores.
Then, once spices coated the meat nicely, I threw the meat into onion and carrots.
At this point, you stew the mixture for a while. At least 45 min. If your rice is precooked, you boil out pretty much all the liquid. Almost at the end, you take heads of garlic and remove some outer layers, while keeping them intact, and you stick them right into the cooking mixture. Even later, you throw in the raisins (you don't want them to get too mushy) and mix in the rice.
At this point, cook the plov through so it is not wet, then let it rest. Then, remove the garlic, which should be soft inside. Discard the peels and mash the garlic into the plov.
Serve in a great big platter, sprinkle with parsley.
Traditionally people eat it with their hands, but you don't have to. Beware this dish is fairly heavy. Don't serve with other heavy foods. Provide strong green tea for after the meal, it's said it cuts through the fat in your belly.
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