Osh (Uzbek Palov) is a traditional Uzbek recipe for a classic one-pot pilau style dish of lamb, rice, onions and carrots with a whole head of garlic. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Uzbek version of: Uzbek Palov (Osh).
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'Palov', also known as 'Osh' is a classical main dish of Central Asian countries. It is rich, filling and very tasty if prepared right. Nowadays there are many ingredients like chickpeas, barberries, eggs, quince and pomegranate incorporated to this dish. But the main ingredients like onions, rice, oil and meat remain unchanged.
Traditionally this is made with Uzbek rice, but as I've also found when making jollof rice, a good substitute is generally 'parboiled rice'. This is rice that's been parboiled and then dried again. Its nutritional value is slightly lower as a result and it's also harder and will take an extra 15 minutes to cook, but that makes it better for stewing. This means that the end result is firmer and less sticky.
Ingredients:
1kg fresh lamb (meat on the bone is best)
2 medium onions, peeled halved lengthways and cut into 5mm thick half moons
5 medium carrots, cleaned, washed and cut into julienne strips
700g of rice
1 bulb of garlic washed (if the skin is to thick/dry remove the outer, papery, layer only)
250ml of oil
3 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tsp of ground cumin (or 1 tsp of ground cumin & 1/2 tsp of whole cumin)
generous pinch of freshly-ground black pepper
1.5l of previously-boiled water
Method:
Place a medium-sized cast iron casserole (Dutch oven) or heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add the oil, increase the heat to high and heat the oil until you see a slight smoke (do not wait too long).
Using a spider or slotted spoon carefully and slowly lower the meat in to the oil. You should immediately see oil bubbling around the meat. Flash fry the meat on each side for 30 seconds, then continue frying until the meat has reached the desired colour. Once the meat has developed a nice brown crust sprinkle the onions on top.
Add pinch of the cumin, half of the salt and the black pepper. Mix everything well and keep stirring to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
The colour of the onions is the essential element to look out for here, as the colour of the onions determines the final colour of the Osh/Palov. If you are aiming for a lighter coloured Palov, you will not need to caramelize the onions so heavily. If you like a darker version, caramelize the onions nicely to a rich dark brown (but don't let them burn or the palov will be bitter).
Once the onions reach your desired colour, add the carrots to the pan along with the remaining salt and cumin. Stir everything well and fry until the carrots are relatively soft (about 8–10 minutes). Keep stirring every 30 seconds to prevent the carrots sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the carrots are ready reduce the heat down to medium and pour the previously prepared 1.5l of boiled water into the pan.
The water will immediately start simmering but not boiling. Add the whole garlic bulb, pushing it deeper in to the stock and let everything simmer over medium heat for 1 hour. Meanwhile, depending on the type of the rice you are using, wash it thoroughly. Sometimes it takes multiple washes to get the starch out of the rice (you want the washing water to run clear).
When the cooking time is up, remove the garlic bulb and evenly distribute the rice with a skimmer. If the water level is too low, add some more water. If using Basmati rice, keep the water level 3cm above the rice, for any other time keep it 12mm above the rice level. From this point, until the Palov is fully ready, you do NOT want to mix the ingredients together. You need to keep everything layered and undisturbed.
Drop the garlic bulb back in the pan. Keep cooking over medium heat, staying attentive in case the water evaporate faster than you expect.
Once the rice starts absorbing the water, take out the garlic bulb. Using the skimmer, flip the top layer of the rice to keep it evenly moist (this is the original way of letting the rice absorb the water. If you want to speed up this process cover the pot with a lid for about 8 minutes and cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until the rice absorbs the water. Check every 2 minutes, because you do not want the bottom of the Palov to burn).
Check the sides of the pan to make sure there is no water remaining. Reduce the heat to medium-low and quickly make a dome from the rice. Put the garlic bulb on top of the rice and push it in.
Cover the rice with a plate suitable for high temperatures. Put the lid on the pan and reduce the heat to its lowest setting. In electric stoves it is 1. In Gas stoves it is barely visible flame. Let the Palov rest for 20 minutes (30 minutes if using basmati rice).
If you are using the faster method I suggested above, 10 minutes is sufficient for the rice to be fully cooked.
Once the time is up, remove the lid and the plate. Remove the garlic bulb, extract the meat and mix the rest of the ingredients using the skimmer.
Cut the meat into a small cubes and serve it on top of the Palov.
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