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Samarkand pilaw (plov)
In terms in cookery Uzbekistan can be divided into different culinary regions. Ancient Khorezm, magnificent Tashkent, abundant Ferghana, excellent Bukhara, exotic Surkhandarya, sweet Samarkand and others.
In Samarkand everything is particular: air, water, people, history. How can it be that there were no unique culinary in Samarkand? Could it be that the ancient crossroad of trade roads, the place where several civilizations met were not sheltered by the most talented cooks? Could it happen that Samarkand had not produced something unique in cookery. It could not be: it is clear! And the main culinary property of Samarkand is its national pilaw (palov).
 Generally speaking there are three varieties of pilaw in Samarkand. But here we will tell about only one of them, because this sort of pilaw is simple enough in preparation but very effective. The people who are not unsophisticated in culinary may say: "What about it? Pilaw is pilaw! Meat, onion, carrot and rice; what else can be invented? Nothing to reduce and to add, no matter how you cook the same thing will be received!" Can you guess how wrong these people with their such a simplified approach? Comparing the ingredients of the dish with the notes could you imagine how many melodies can be formed from these notes? And surely, anyone who is a familiar with culinary a little can be clear that from the same provisions completely differently dishes can be cooked.
Lets first determine what we need to prepare this pilaw.
It is not obligatory to have a dev-zira rice for the Samarkand pilaw. It is better to take Khorezmian amyloid and sweeter sorts. From these sorts avangarde and lazer sorts are highly recommended as a festive choice. They soak in less water and fat as compared to dev-zira. Therefore instead of a kilogram of rice as usual lets take 1 kilogram and 200 grams of rice.
But the oil can be taken less in comparison with Ferghana pilaw: about 200 ml. of vegetable oil or 200 ml. of fat-tail is quite enough.
 Three-four onions, a kilogram of carrot, four cloves of garlic, three-four capsicum and a glass of wetted chick-pea these are all we need except one and a half kilogram of meat with some pieces of stone. By the way there is no difference from which part of the carcass meat is taken.
So for the beginning we cut carrot into stick form and onions in a round form. Then we clean the upper peel of garlic and melt fat-tail or fire the oil as needed. Meat is cut into several large pieces of 400-500 grams.
First we put meat into a well warmed-up oil and let it redden and be covered by equal crispy crust. During this time meat is salted and peppered. You have to use approximately one third of the whole amount of salt laid in advance for this meal. Usually for the mentioned amount of foodstuffs it takes salt of about two table-spoons with little top.
To a fairly fried meat all onion and part of carrot are added. After we continue to fry slightly reducing the fire under the cauldron. Frying is continued till the onion gets reddish and starts melting. At the same time carrot should be fried well and become soft as well as smell.
 It is natural to ask the difference of frying the meat in big or small pieces. At small cutting except the fact that meat is fried faster total square of contact between meat and oil is increased. Meat gives much more of its taste to the oil, which subsequently passes it over to rice. In case of large cutting meat is kept more juicy, but the flavor of the meat remains inside itself leaving the rice with its own one.
At this moment we should have at hand boiled water. Because it is the moment when the rest of the carrot is laid down above the stuff and leveled (but not shuffled). Also chick-pea is spilled over, garlic is added amidst carrot, pepper, and immediately water is pored down. That is you should not wait for this part fried over, but to pour water right away. Pay attention that not spill it but pour water under the carrot so that the bigger part of carrot as well as chick-peas remains on top of water.
Then we reduce the fire to the level less than middle and tightly cover cauldron and leave it for about thirty-forty minutes. During this time meat at the bottom is braised while carrot at the top gets steamed and ready.
While it is being prepared we wash the rice. If the rice is hard it is good to soak it. If it is a soft sort we just wash it out in a flowing water till absolutely clean water comes out. Besides we should prepare approximately 1.5 liters of boiled water, which is salted by the rest of salt.
 Open the cauldron, once again level on its surface all the products not mixing anything and put a rice above all. Arrange equally rice on the surface b pour that salty boiled water which is prepared in advance. Pay attention that meat has been salted already, now we salt rice, while carrot is almost ready without any salt! Then pour salted water over rice and increase the fire to boil the water till the upper surface of the cauldron. When the water starts leaving the surface of rice shovel the rice once: carefully lifting the upper layer of it (trying not to touch the layer of carrot and peas), turn it over, putting the upper level down, where there is still water and oil. Having made sure that all water evaporated, assemble rice as a hill and carefully make holes in the layer of rice. Wait till the water is boiled away and decreasing the fire till the minimum close the rice with a bowl. By the way it is better to cook less the soft sorts of rice leaving them half ready at this stage.
Why do we pour salted water over rice? In this plov rice is put on zirvak (fried mixture) which is already dry (meat, steamed carrot and onion) and where there is little salted bouillon left. The idea of this dish is not to mix products to keep their original tastes. Therefore rice should be salted separately. Trying to salt rice dry can lead to that rice will be salty in some places or vise versa. Salting with boiled water is the best solution or this situation! Besides this method enables to salt rice while keeping the initial sweetish taste of carrot.
 Having waited necessary thirty-forty minutes, open the plov and not mix it in any circumstances! First serve all rice on dishes. After that put carrot and peas accurately over rice, adorn with garlic and pepper, and put the meat on one side of the dish. Table board and knife to cut the meat is served to the table with every dish.
Meat is juicy enough and soft inside, at the same time keeping its beautiful red color. Carrot is a little bit sweeter than that of Fergana plov, because it is not salted at all. Rice is drier, but its fattiness can be regulated by adding pieces of carrot or meat according to your wish. In general this plov is more dietetic and easy to digest. But anyway people prefer to eat this plov till midday or at least for a lunch, not later.
It is more strange that after such plov you can even drink a cold water and moreover Samarkand elderly do it. But lets not forget the water of Samarkand is special, while the air is...
See also: Uzbek bread (obi-non, lepyochka)
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