Uzbek Freeze-Dried Corn Plov

Trying your hand at Uzbek cuisine? It’s an adventure. Check this out: a freeze-dried corn plov. Plov (plov pelmeni pictured below), is an Uzbek pilaf, a cooked dish made from rice, meat, vegetables and more, usually cooked in a single pot. And then they added the freeze-dried corn. What a brilliant idea. Freeze-dried and sweet, it’s a perfect complement to spicy meat and seasoning.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice

1 cup freeze-dried corn

500g lamb or beef, cut into chunks

2 large carrots, julienned

2 onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, whole

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Salt to taste

4 cups water or broth

Fresh herbs (parsley or cilantro) for garnish

Preparation:

Step 1: Rehydrate the Corn

Meanwhile, soak the freeze-dried corn in warm water and let it soak for about 5 minutes or until it’s plump. Put the corn in a colander and drain well.

Step 2: Prepare the Rice

Place the rice in a colander and rinse it under cold water. Keep rinsing until the water runs clear – you don’t want little particles of rice flour in your finished dish. This rinse removes some starch from the grains so that they won’t clump when you cook them. With thanks to Kalyn Brooke, author of Kalyn’s Kitchen.

Step 3: Brown the Meat

In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil over a medium flame, add the lamb or beef pieces and brown on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot and place it aside.

Step 4: Sauté the Vegetables

Put the onions and carrots in the same pot and cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots begin to soften. Add the cumin and the coriander seeds, cooking until fragrant Before draining the chickpeas, add a cup of liquid from the can to the pot. Stir everything. In a separate bowl, combine the spice and squash mixture with the chickpeas.

Step 5: Combine Ingredients

Put the meat back in the pot. Stir in the re-hydrated freeze-dried corn, whole garlic cloves and the black pepper, combining all the components.

Step 6: Cook the Plov

Rinse the rice and spread it over the meat with the vegetables. Pour the water or stock over the layer of rice, taking care not to stir it. Add salt.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Step 7: Serve

Fluff everything up with a fork to mix the plov and combine all the elements gently. Garnish with freshly chopped herbs.

Serve hot and let the rich flavours of meat, vegetables and sweet corn meld in this hearty, wholesome dish.

This Uzbek freeze-dried corn plov takes a classic plov flavour palette and gives it a modern ingredients makeover into a fantastic meal that’s perfect for a family gathering or special meal.