The video has a transcript. This is one of the largest rice pilafs in the world. It is the national dish of Uzbekistan. It is enjoyed year-round as a weekday meal and is prepared on huge scales for weddings and holidays. It's popularity and ubiquity across the country cannot be overstated. It's so popular that almost 3000 people come to the center every day to eat it. Everyone eats Pilaf with pleasure. We went to Besh Qozon to see what it takes to make such large batches. The night before begins the making of plov. Workers peel and cut 100 kilograms of carrots and put them in large buckets. Master chef Mirkomil cuts 100 kilograms of meat in the morning. The work of a cook is similar to other professions. Since I like it, there are no problems for me.
The chunks of meat are tied together. Tying helps keep the meat tender during the cooking process. Three hours is how long it takes to prepare these ingredients. A large cast-iron cauldron called a qozon is filled with 40 liters of oil while the meat is being prepared. The best-tasting pilafs are said to be the oiliest. The chunks of meat are slid into the center of the qozon and cooked until golden brown. Chefs work together to dump 100 kilograms of carrots and onions into the center when the beef is done cooking. This blend of carrots and onions is known as Zirvak and is the base for all plov. In Italy and France, this base is similar to soffritto.
Most of the ingredients used in Plov recipes have been replaced. At Besh Qozon, there are a lot of things added. After about 30 minutes, 100 kilograms of local long-grain laser rice is added and covered with metal plates, which help steam the rice. The steamed rice in plov is airy and soft, unlike many Middle Eastern pilafs that fry the rice. It is difficult to achieve this texture and make sure the rice does not stick together.
Mirkomil thinks the most difficult thing is the correct amount of water and the correct amount of fire to keep the pilaf from burning.
When the rice is done, the steaming plates are removed and the rice is fluffed into the mix. The cooking process takes six hours and is a labor of love.
To cook a good pilaf and hear that you made it is the best thing that makes me happy.
Narrator:Generous portions of plov are loaded onto plates. There are over 120 recipes for plov that use meat, vegetables, salad, and raisins. There are plenty of other condiments that you can add to Plov in Uzbekistan, but it's usually served with a fresh tomato and onion salad.
Pilaf can be decorated with eggs, chicken or quail.
Everyone has their own part that they enjoy the most.
The best parts of pilaf are the bones with bone marrow.
When the carrots are cooked beautifully and the meat is tender, is the best time to cook pilaf. Our Uzbek pilaf is lovely, but any pilaf is good.
Each plate costs between $1 and $2. plov was not always cheap and ubiquitous in Uzbekistan. Plov was mostly eaten by wealthy families until the 1930s, when it was reserved for weddings for everyone else. Many Uzbeks eat plov three to four times a week and sometimes skip the meat altogether.
Mirkomil eats plov one to two times a week. I don't eat that often because I cook every day.
The first-known recipe of plov is believed to come from 13th-century Persia, where it was adapted from a barley. Alexander the Great is said to have been fed plov after he conquered Samarkand. He brought the recipe back to Macedonia because he loved it so much. By the 15th century, several styles of pilaf had established themselves in Central Asia, India, Turkey, and the Caribbean, where they remain a staple. Plov is still the preferred dish for weddings in Uzbekistan. Guests help prepare the meal for everyone on a scale similar to Besh Qozon during weddings. Turkish nomads first introduced the small scales qazons to central Asia and they are now just as common as a frying pan in the West. While household qozons aren't as large, they can typically feed 12 to 15 people, and many families have at least one larger qozon to feed large groups of guests. The Besh Qozon Pilaf Center in Tashkent has a faithful crowd.
Customer says they come often. We eat Besh Qozon's pilaf when we come to Tashkent. We have been to this place many times since it opened.
The core ingredients of this time-honored dish are rice. The one served at Besh Qozon is the epitome of good life.
Keep reading.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
