Occasion-Worthy Rice
What do you eat when you’re celebrating? Soup dumplings? Prime rib? A tower of cream puffs festooned with spun sugar? In Uzbekistan, the answer is rice pilaf, no question.
Known as plov (or osh), Uzbekistan’s fragrant combination of savory spiced rice, tender meat, and velvety carrots studded with tangy, garnet-colored dried barberries is piled high on a platter and garnished with a head of spreadably soft garlic. The ultimate expression of generosity, community, and national identity, plov is prepared at every feast by a master of the art, known as an oshpaz, who cooks in a huge wok-shaped cauldron called a kazan and may serve hundreds of guests from a single batch.
Uzbekistani home cooks make plov, too, but on a smaller scale. The process starts with sautéing loads of onions and carrots in a large pot. Then some spices (cumin, coriander, and black pepper), salt, and barberries are tossed in. Chunks of beef or lamb are added and cooked for a bit before water is added to almost cover the meat. A head of garlic
