Plov is a meaty rice dish that is considered the national dish of Uzbekistan. It is typically made with rice, onions, garlic, carrots, and either lamb or beef.
As is the tradition, this pilaf dish is made in layers, beginning with the meat, the onions, the carrots, and finally the rice. I made this Uzbek rice with beef, but lamb would be delicious too. It's sometimes made in large quantities for gatherings. If you are curious, there is a photo on Wikipedia of a huge vat of Plov being prepared.
This is super hearty and makes enough for eight generous servings. If you have leftovers, you can reheat individual servings in bowls in the microwave. Just add a couple of tablespoons of water or broth, loosely cover the bowl with wax paper, and cook for about a minute.
Ingredients to Make This Plov:
Beef - I used bone-in short ribs. You can also use boneless shortribs to save time, or even basic stew meat. I love the rich flavor of beef short ribs.
Basmati Rice - Soak the rice in water while you are cooking the meat and the vegetables and rinse it just before adding it to the cooking pot. This removes excess starch and prevents the rice from becoming too sticky.
Onions - I used sweet yellow onions. Slice them into 1/2 inch slices. They will pretty much disappear once the dish is fully cooked.
Carrots - Peel them and slice them into half coins.
Garlic - You can use a whole head of garlic, which you cook intact with the beef and then later squeezing out the soft garlic into the rice. I had some elephant garlic from Melissa's Produce, which I used.
Parsley - Add a large handful of chopped parsley at the end of the cooking time.
Golden Raisins - They added wonderful bursts of sweet flavor.
Pomegranate Arils - Optional. Serve them on the side to top each serving. To save time and your clothes, you can use arils that have already been removed from the pomegranate.
Spices - Salt, pepper, bay leaves, ground cumin, ground cayenne, and ground coriander.
Neutral Oil - For the pan.
To Make This Uzbek Plov:
First, prep all of the meat and the vegetables as much as you can to make it easier when it's time to add them. Also, measure the rice and place it in a bowl and cover it with salted water. This give the rice plenty of time for soaking.
Next, heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and cook the beef for about seven to ten minutes, stirring it occasionally. Then, add the onions, bay leaves, and some of the cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook everything for about five minutes. Add water and the garlic head and then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
At this point, if you used bone-in short ribs, remove them from the pot, remove the bones, and cut the meat into 1 inch cubes. Return them to the pot. Then, stir in the carrots and simmer the pot, covered, for about 15 minutes. Gently remove the garlic head from the pot and turn off the heat. Add the raisins.
Next, drain the rice and rinse it with cold water a couple of times. Sprinkle the rice over the meat mixture and squeeze the garlic over the rice. Add more cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper, and three cups of water. Bring everything to a boil, cover, and simmer on low, covered, for 30 minutes.
Finally, let the pot sit off heat for ten minutes, and then fluff the rice and stir in the parsley.
Serve with the pomegranate arils if you like.
Make Ahead/Storing:
This dish is best right after cooking. It's like a celebration dish that you can carry to the table either in the cooking pot or after transferring to a serving dish. It's a great dish for a holiday dinner.
If you have leftovers, cover the dish and place it in the refrigerator. Add a little water or broth and reheat it either in the microwave (individual bowls), or in a sauce pan for several servings. I use water with a sprinkle of some powdered chicken bouillon for brightening up the flavor.
While this Plov takes a some time to cook, most of the time is inactive on the cook's part. The results are worth it.
I've even read that there are are actual events, similar to our chili cookoffs, where everyone's versions of this dish are served to very large crowds.
"U" is for Uzbek, Ugali, Unicorn, Urchin, Ural, and More!
As part of the 2026 Alphabet Challenge, we are sharing recipes that begin with "U" or include ingredients or methods that that begin with "U”:
- Fall Pear Ugly Duckling Cake (Cake Mix Recipe) from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Miso Roasted Sweet Potatoes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Sourdough Discard Walnut Ginger Cookies from A Messy Kitchen
- Ugali - Savory Maize Meal Porridge from Food Lust People Love
- Unicorn Popcorn from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Unicorn Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies from Blogghetti
- Upvasacha Cake from Sneha’s Recipe
- Urchin Butter from Culinary Cam
- Uzbek Rice with Beef and Carrots (Plov) from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- White Urad Dal from Mayuri’s Jikoni
Last year (2025) for the letter "U," I made Ube Pandesal. It's a wonderful bread made with purple yams! For 2024 I made Stir Fried Udon Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables. It's so fresh and loaded with veggies!
Uzbek Rice with Beef and Carrots (Plov)
Plov is a meaty rice dish that is considered the national dish of Uzbekistan.
Ingredients
- 2 cups basmati rice
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 1/2 pounds of boneless short ribs cut into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes, or 4 pounds of bone-in beef short ribs (you will cut the bone-in meat later)
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled, halved, and cut into 1/2 inch slices
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, divided
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander, divided
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 cups water, divided
- 3 medium to large carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly sliced on an angle into half coins
- 1 head garlic, papery skin removed and 1/2 inch of the stem side sliced off.
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- generous 1/2 cup of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- Pomegranate seeds for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place the rice in a large bowl, add a tablespoon of salt and cover it with water about one inch higher that the level of the rice. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven and cook the beef for about seven to ten minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to brown it on all sides. Add the onions, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of the the cumin, 2 teaspoons of the coriander, the cayenne, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add one cup of water and bring the pot to a simmer. Add the garlic head, cut side down. Cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- At this point, if you used bone-in short ribs, remove the pot from the heat. Remove the ribs from the pot, remove the bones, and cut the meat into 3/4 to 1 inch cubes. Return them to the pot. If you used boneless shortribs, you can skip this step.
- Stir in the carrots and simmer the pot on low heat, covered, for about 15 minutes. Gently remove the garlic head from the pot with tongs or a slotted spoon and turn off the heat. Stir in the raisins.
- Next, drain the rice through a mesh strainer and rinse with cold water a couple of times. Sprinkle the rice evenly over the meat mixture and squeeze the garlic over the rice. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of coriander, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/3 teaspoon of black pepper. Gently add three cups of water. Leave the rice on top and bring everything to a boil, cover, and simmer on low, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes. Do not remove the lid for this final simmer.
- Finally, let the pot sit off heat for ten minutes, covered. Remove the lid and fluff the rice and stir in the parsley.
- Serve with the pomegranate arils if you like.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
392Fat (grams)
13 gSat. Fat (grams)
3 gCarbs (grams)
53 gFiber (grams)
3 gNet carbs
50 gSugar (grams)
9 gProtein (grams)
17 gCholesterol (grams)
37 mgNote: The reason for leaving the bones in the bone-in beef shortribs at first is that bones are much easier to remove after cooking without sacrificing some of the meat. In additiion, the bones do bring flavor.
Adapted from Milk Street Magazine, March/April, 2022.
