Adilkhan Seilkhanov: Plov

I’m from Kazakhstan and our traditional cuisine consists mainly of meat dishes. Our cuisine is also very similar to the cuisines of Central Asian countries, except for individual ingredients or particularities in the preparation of some dishes. 

Ingredients:  

2 cups basmati rice 
8 quail eggs (alternatively 4 eggs) 
28oz lamb or beef (shoulder or leg) 
14oz onions 
water 
1 tin of chickpeas (14oz) 
14oz carrots 
3 garlic bulbs 
3 tbsp sultanas 
coriander 
oil 
barberries 
2 tsp spice mix (made with cumin, pepper, Ceylon cinnamon, szechuan pepper, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, star anise, cloves) 

Soak the rice in water and hard-boil the eggs for 4 minutes. 

Dice the meat, season with salt, and sear in plenty of oil in a wok or casserole. Then add the chopped onions and brown. Season with the spice mix and let it simmer covered with 1,25 cups hot water for approx. 40 minutes (until cooked). 

The chickpeas and finely sliced carrots are then added on top. Also, all 3 garlic bulbs are added to the pan and braised for a further 10 minutes without stirring.  

After that, place the drained basmati rice on top of the carrots, sprinkle with salt, sultanas and barberries and carefully pour hot water over it until the rice is just covered. It should still not be stirred. 

Cook with the lid closed over a medium heat, adding more liquid if necessary. When the rice is cooked, all the liquid should have been absorbed. 

Remove the garlic bulbs, stir the plov well and serve with garlic, quail eggs and chopped coriander leaves. The garlic becomes mild and creamy due to the long braising time and is easy to squeeze out of the cloves.