Плов

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Plov served with fruits and a full head of roasted garlic. Photo from FromUZ.com, a forum for emmigrants from Uzbekistan.

Плов (Plov) is a hearty dish made from deep fried meat and vegetables, over which rice is cooked.

Плов is considered a national dish in many countries of Central Asia and the Near and Middle East - inook a bit like cast-ircluding Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. It is generally popular over most of the area that the Soviet Union once covered and more.

Почему так называется?

The name плов is related to "pilaf," a name which English speakers are generally familiar. However, while "pilaf" usually refers to a light, mostly-vegetable dish, плов is much more hearty.

Alexander the Great (356 – 323 BC) is often credited with being the “inventor” of плов. The legendary military commander didn’t want his troops to have to stop in the field for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so he ordered his Asian cook to prepare something чтоб человек покушал один раз – и был сыт весь день (so that a man could eat once and be full a whole day). The result was плов.

Alexander the Great referred to the dish as “poluv,” which means “diverse mixture” in ancient Greek. However, the Tajiks consider Ibn Sina (Avicenna), a 10th-century Persian scholar, to be the father "современного плова" (of modern plov). His name for it was “palov osh,” an acronym compiled from the basic list of ingredients (onions, carrots, meat, oil or fat, salt, water, and rice) as written in Uzbek.

A kazan (above) is traditionally used to cook plov. Photo from RusKazan.ru – for all your kazan needs.

Another oft-told tale in Russia – and one that is likely more joke than history – is that плов got its name because it was originally eaten after riding horses all day. When one спрыгивает с лошади после долгой езды (hops off a horse after a long period of riding), it is said, one naturally makes a sound very similar to "плов!"

Плов is traditionally cooked in a large metal pot similar to a wok, only heavier. The pot is called a "казан" (qozon in Uzbek). The name of the Russian city Kазань (Kazan) is most likely derived from this pot – the city sits in казан-shaped lowland and in ancient times sat mostly on a hill that resembles an overturned казан. If you don't have a казан, don't worry, любой большой котел подойдет (any large cast iron pot will do).

Как правильно есть плов?

Плов считается очень «демократичным» блюдом (Plov is considered a very "democratic" food; meaning that most people can afford and enjoy it). This can be perhaps best summed in the famous Uzbek saying (presented here in Russian) that: "Если ты бедный — ты кушаешь плов. А если ты богатый — ты кушаешь только плов!" (If you are poor, you eat plov. And if you are rich, you eat nothing but plov.)

Плов is often made for special occasions such as weddings or the arrival of an honored guest. However, плов is also a staple dish, frequently made and eaten and can be easily bought as уличная еда (street food) in many Central Asian countries.

In much of Central Asia, like many Asian rice dishes, плов принято есть руками и часто есть из общей тарелки или чашки (plov is traditionally eaten with the handузбекский сорт риса “девзирs and often eaten from a communal bowl or plate). Russians, being much more European, tend to use separate plates and forks, however.

Being a substantial dish, плов часто едят как отдельное блюдо (plov is often eaten as a meal in itself). However, it also often is served with fresh herbs or vegetables, side salads of fresh tomato, cucumber, and/or onion, and sometimes onion slices soaked in small amount of diluted vinegar.

The traditional Uzbek drink is кумыс (kumis; a fermented milk drink, usually from cow or horse milk), but kefir makes a good substitute.

Plov prepared and served on the streets of Uzbekistan!

Как правильно готовить плов?

Плов is often made на улице (outdoors), with казан, расположенный над костром (the kazan set over a open fire). It is also usually made by men.

Плов recipes differ from region to region – some cultures add more or less spices, leave out the carrots, or add raisons or other fruits and vegetables. However, most of the former Soviet Union is most familiar with a type of basic плов associated with Uzbekistan.

To make this dish, the meat used should never be too lean – большие прослойки жира в мясе (a good marbling of fat within the meat) is important to the dish. Most traditionally, lamb is used, although beef is also common and even плов из курицы (chicken plov) can be encountered. Pork is much rarer, perhaps because the dish is native to countries in which Muslims are dominant.

The meat is often cooked in large chunks to ensure that мясо не теряет свою природную сочность (the meat doesn't lose its natural juices). The meat is then cut in smaller pieces before serving.

Tradition states вода для плова должна отстояться не менее часа перед использованием (the water for plov should "stand" for at least an hour before use). Most importantly, the water should be room temperature so that it does not slow the cooking process when added – or boil off too quickly. Some chefs use this tradition to flavor the water, adding лук, чеснок, или травы, чтобы придать блюду лучший аромат (onion, garlic, or herbs to infuse the dish with more flavor). To gain full flavor, the water should sit with these ingredients for 3-4 hours.

Plov served with a feast of flatbread, okroshka (a cold soup) and side salad made of tomatoes and onions. Picture from e-samarkand, a site dedicated to the culture and food of Uzbekistan.

Необходимо использовать длиннозернистый рис с низким содержанием крахмала (Long-grain, low-starch rice should be used). Make sure to rinse the rice in cold water several times – this will remove extra starch from the kernels, helping make sure они не слипнутся в кашу даже после того, как впитают в себя воду и жир (they remain individual and intact even as they absorb the water and oil). If you can possibly find it, узбекский сорт риса “девзира”, который оптимально подходит для плова (devzira is an Uzbek rice and optimal for the dish).

Uzbek cuisine makes fine differentКаждый раз, когда вы готовите плов, онiation between types of oil and fat and even types of oil mixtures to gain just the right consistency. Drippings (usually from lamb), or vegetable oil such as хлопковое, оливковое, подсолнечное, кукурузное, кунжутное, конопляное (cottonseed, olive, sunflower, sesame, and hempseed) are used.

The плов should never be heavy or oily. Too much oil will prevent the rice from sticking together at all and the dish will become "soupy." Oil is added proportionally to the rice, where 0.3 kg of oil is added per 1 kg of rice.

Всегда предварительно разогревайте масло перед добавлением ингридиентов (always make sure that the oil is preheated before adding ingredients). This will also help make sure that the oil does not hurt the consistency of the food. It should be very hot, but not boiling. To achieve the right temperature, add a small onion to the oil as it begins to heat – когда лук приобретет темно-коричневый цвет, уберите лук, масло готово (when the onion has turned a deep brown, remove it and the oil is ready). This has the additional benefits of flavoring and purifying the oil as well as adding more color to the плов.

In Russia, смесь приправ для плова продается во многих магазинах (packets of pre-mixed plov spices are sold in most stores). The most common ingredients in these mixes are black pepper, red pepper, salt, saffron, barberry, garlic, thyme, coriander, dill, and cilantro. Добавьте другие имеющиеся у вас приправы по вкусу (Try adding what you have available to taste).

In traditional style, whole cloves or even entire heads of garlic are added with the spices. The end result is не острый чеснок, слегка со привкусом карамели (a very mild, slightly caramelized garlic) – quite unlike anything you've probably tried before.

Every time you make plov it turns out a little bit different, even if you use the exact same ingredients every time.

Давай Приготовим!

Узбекский плов Ингредиенты: - 500 г мяса (лучше всего баранина) - 2-3 стакана риса - 4 стакана воды - 5 средних морковок - 4-5 луковиц - 200 г жира или растительного масла Порежьте мясо на большие куски и пожарьте на жире или растительном масле до тех пор, пока оно не приобретет ровный коричневый оттенок. Добавьте морковь и лук и пожарьте их несколько минут вместе с мясом. Вы получите густую массу, которая называется «зирвак». Добавьте в воду соль и перец по вкусу. Также добавьте любые другие приправы по желанию (включая целые дольки или головки чеснока). Доведите воду до кипения. Теперь добавьте рис. Плотно закройте кастрюлю крышкой, если крышка не закрывается плотно, положите поверх ее кухонное полотенце. Кипятите смесь до выпаривания (определить границу можно по звуку: бульканье меняется на шкворчание, важно не передержать блюдо). Перемешивайте смесь ложкой с дырочками, чтобы весь рис готовился равномерно. Перед подачей на стол дорезать мясо (если жарилось крупными кусками) и перемешайте с рисом или положите мясо поверх риса. Сверху поместите полукольца лука или кусочки зеленого лука.

Uzbek Plov Ingredients: - 1 pound meat (preferably lamb) - 3 cups of long rice (rinsed) - 4 cups of water - 5 medium-sized carrots (coarsely sliced) - 4-5 medium onions (coarsely sliced) - 1 cup drippings or vegetable oil Cut the meat into chunks and fry in the drippings or oil until browned evenly. Add the carrots and onions to cook for a few minutes with the meat. At this point you will have a very thick, rich stew which is refered to as "зирвак" (zirvak). Add the water with salt and pepper to taste. Add any other spices you may desire (including whole garlic cloves or heads). Bring the water to a boil. Now add the rice. Cover the pot tightly with a lid; if it doesn’t close tightly, put a dishtowel over the top of the pot and leave on low heat for 15-30 minutes. Simmer the mixture until the water boils away (you can tell when the bubbling sound turns into a hissing sound; be careful not to overcook it). Stir the mixture well with a slotted spoon, making sure that all the rice gets cooked evenly. Before serving, cut the meat into smaller pieces (if it was cooked in large chunks), and mix well with the rice or lay the meat on top of the rice. Sprinkle with fresh onion slices or chopped spring onion befhttp://www.sras.org/plov_pilaf_for_menore serving.