Plov
2 pounds lamb with some fat (lamb shanks or neck bones cut into slices, veal or beef cubes, chicken quarters separated into thighs and drumsticks can be substituted or used in addition to the classical leg of lamb)
3 medium onions, thinly sliced in half rings
3 medium carrots, julienned
4 oz corn oil
3 cups rice
1 tablespoon salt (if kosher salt is used, reduce the amount to 3/4 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
12 black peppercorns
some red pepper flakes - optional
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pour the corn oil into the dry kazanchik, the heat under the kazanchik should be medium for the oil not to get overheated, when it gets burned. You can test the temperature of the heated oil by tossing an onion ring into the kazanchik: if the onion sizzles, the oil has reached the necessary temperature level. Toss a small bone or several onion rings into the kazanchik and let them get fried in the heated oil till they are dark brown, but don't let them get coal black. Take them out with the slotted spoon (shumovka) and discard. This step adds great flavor to the oil, and subsequently to the plov.
Now you have highly flavored clear oil in the kazanchik. You should make the heat under the kazanchik a bit lower before you add the cut onion rings, this will prevent from the oil spluttering because of the heated oil contact with onion juices. Cover the kazanchik with the lid and let the onion simmer for 3-5 minutes.
As soon as the onion gets translucent and lightly brown, add the meat. Cover the kazanchik with the lid, lower the heat under the kazanshik and let the meat release the juice. It may take about 20 minutes for the meat to get heated and start sizzling. You will see a lot of liquid in the kazanchik, on this stage make the heat higher, and again, cover with the lid. While the meat is cooking, you can cut the carrots and wash the rice.
Put the clean carrot on the side and cut 'plastinki' 1/8 inch thick. Stack the plastinki and cut into strips 1/8 inch wide.
Rice should be thoroughly rinsed 3-4 times till the water is clear; the washing procedure will prevent from getting sticky and mushy plov.
Turn over the meat and taste it for doneness. If the meat is still tough and there is little or no liquid in the kazanchik, add 1/2 cup of water, don't pour a lot of water at once; you should add water in portions, because you want 'tushennoye' but not 'varennoye' meat.
Sprinkle the almost ready meat with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and let it stay in the kazanchik for 3-5 minutes for the meat to absorb the seasonings. Take the meat out of the kazanchik onto a plate and cover with a bowl, the meat will stay warm.
Put the kettle on the stove and have boiling water ready at hand before you add rice to the 'zirvak', this is the Uzbek name for the oil-onion-meat-carrot sauce.
Add the shredded carrots and cook them under the lid for 10 minutes, it should release the juice. Stir the cooked carrots thoroughly with shumovka and check for the bottom stickers before you add the rinsed rice. After you put the rice into the kazanchik, shake the kazanchik - do not stir rice.
Put the tablespoon salt into a teacup and add boiling water, stir the solution thoroughly. Add the salty water to the kazanchik by pouring onto the shumovka, this trick helps keep the rice level even. Sprinkle the cumin seeds, black peppercorns and red hot pepper flakes all over the rice. The liquid should be 2 fingers high above the rice level.
The rice should be cooked for 20 minutes after the boiling start, and the period is broken into 2 stages.
1. After you added all the spices and there is enough liquid over the rice in the kazanchik, put the lid on the kazanchik and increase the heat. You should watch the kazanchik carefully in order to catch the moment when the plov starts boiling energetically under the lid. Lower the heat under the kazanchik and let the plov cook under the lid for about 5-8 minutes.
2. When you take off the lid in about 5-8 minutes, carefully turn over the top of the rice mound in the kazanchik. Remember, that you NEVER-EVER stir the rice in the plov, only the top part. Make holes in the rice with the shumovka handle, put the lid on the kazanchik, and lower the heat under plov to the lowest value. You can also wrap the lid with a kitchen towel before you put it on the kazanchik. Check the readiness of rice in about 5-7 minutes. Watch the sides of the kazanchik, sometimes the rice gets stuck to the sides because of great heat. When the rice is ready, put the lid back on the kazanchik, because the latter should rest for about 10 minutes on the stove, with the heat turned off.