Plov

Soak the rinsed rice in warm salted water for at least thirty minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients. This ensures the grains cook evenly and stay separate in the final dish rather than clumping together.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large kazan or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the lamb cubes in a single layer and sear on all sides for five to seven minutes until deeply golden brown.

Add the sliced onions to the pot and cook with the lamb for about five minutes, stirring frequently, until they turn a rich golden colour. The caramelised onions form the flavour base known as the zirvak in traditional plov.

Spread the julienned carrots in an even layer over the onions and lamb without stirring. Allow them to soften for eight to ten minutes, letting the steam from below gently cook the carrots while they retain their shape.

Sprinkle the cumin seeds, coriander, and turmeric over the carrots. Add the soaked chickpeas, whole garlic head, dried chilli, and enough boiling water to cover everything by about two centimetres. Simmer uncovered for thirty minutes.

Drain the soaked rice thoroughly and spread it gently and evenly over the surface of the zirvak without stirring. Pour in enough boiling water to cover the rice by exactly one centimetre above the surface.

Bring to a vigorous boil on high heat. Once the water level drops to the rice surface, reduce heat to the lowest possible setting. Use a chopstick to poke several steam holes through the rice down to the bottom of the pot.

Cover the pot tightly with a lid and cook undisturbed on the lowest heat for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Turn off the heat completely and allow the plov to rest covered for another fifteen to twenty minutes without opening.

Remove the lid and carefully extract the whole garlic head. Gently fold the rice from bottom to top, mixing the layers together. Mound onto a large serving platter with the meat and carrots arranged on top of the rice.