Ingredients

The following ingredients have 6 Servings
  • 2 cups Basmati rice
  • 3 small heads garlic
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 pounds boneless lamb leg or shoulder, trimmed of fat, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and julienned
  • 2 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon hungarian hot paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (for color)
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • several grinds of fresh pepper
  • 1/2 cup fresh or dried barberries (middle eastern grocers)
  • 3 cups boiling water

Instruction

  • Rinse and drain the rice in several washes of warm water, set aside
  • Wash the whole garlic heads and slice off about 3/4 of an inch from the top of each head, exposing a cross section of the cloves. Set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a Dutch Oven or heavy casserole over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add lamb pieces (in batches, if necessary, to avoid over-crowding) and brown on all sides, about 7 minutes total (or per batch)
  • If you have cooked meat in batches, return all meat to the pot and add carrots and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the vegetables have softened.
  • Add the next 7 ingredients: cumin seeds, paprika, hot paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper, and barberries. Stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup water, cover pot and turn heat down to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes.
  • Uncover the pot and using the back of a wooden spoon, flatten the meat and vegetables into the bottom of the casserole. Add the rice, creating a flat even layer with the help of the wooden spoon.
  • Push the garlic bulbs, exposed side first, down through the rice till only their bottoms are exposed.
  • Pour the 3 cups of boiling water slowly over the wooden spoon, letting it fall gently into the pot so as not to disturb the rice layer on top. Poke a few holes in the rice layer with the handle of the spoon, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from heat. Pull out garlic bulbs and stir rice and meat together. Mound the Plov on a serving platter with the garlic heads on top.