🇰🇬 Kyrgyz Cuisine

Plov

Kyrgyz Rice Pilaf

Prep Time 80 min

Servings 6

Difficulty Medium

Calories 558 kcal

Fragrant rice pilaf layered with tender lamb, sweet carrots, and aromatic spices cooked together in a heavy cauldron. The Kyrgyz version features generous cumin and garlic.

Ingredients

500g lamb, bone-in pieces
500g long-grain rice, soaked
4 large carrots, julienned
2 onions, sliced
1 head garlic, whole
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
200ml vegetable oil
Salt to taste
1 liter water

Instructions

1 Heat oil in kazan until smoking, brown lamb pieces on all sides.
2 Add onions and cook until golden.
3 Add carrots and cook 5 minutes.
4 Add cumin, salt, and water; simmer 30 minutes.
5 Drain rice and spread evenly over meat mixture.
6 Add water to cover rice by 1 cm, nestle garlic head in center.
7 Cook uncovered until water is absorbed, then cover tightly.
8 Steam on lowest heat for 20 minutes, then serve on platter.

Did You Know?

In Kyrgyz tradition, the quality of a cook is judged by their plov. A perfect plov has rice grains that are separate and glistening, never sticky, which requires precise water ratios passed down through generations.