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1
Brown the Lamb with Onions
15 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~190°C (375°F)
Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb cubes in a single layer for 8–10 minutes, turning once, until golden on the outside. Add the sliced onions and cook 5 minutes more until soft and golden, then stir in the turmeric, salt and pepper.
Do not crowd the pot — brown in two batches if needed, so the lamb sears instead of steaming.
Done when: Lamb is browned on the outside; onions are soft and golden.
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2
Simmer the Gara
30 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~95°C (200°F)
Pour in 250 ml water, add the dried apricots, raisins, sour plums and chestnuts, and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 25–30 minutes until the lamb is tender and the fruit is plump and glossy. Lift the gara out into a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving the cooking liquid in the pot.
Keep the simmer gentle — a hard boil toughens the lamb and breaks the fruit apart.
Done when: Lamb is fork-tender and reaches at least 63°C (145°F) inside; the fruit is soft and glossy.
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3
Parboil the Rice
8 Mins
Rolling boil, 100°C (212°F)
Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the drained rice and boil for 6–8 minutes until the grains are soft on the outside but still firm and chalky in the middle. Drain in a colander — do not rinse.
Bite a grain: it should bend without snapping and still have a white, firm centre.
Done when: Rice is parboiled — tender outside, firm inside.
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4
Layer Rice, Gara & Saffron
10 Mins
Low heat, ~120°C (250°F)
Melt half the butter in the empty heavy pot. Spoon in one third of the parboiled rice and press it lightly — this bottom layer becomes the crisp qazmaq. Spoon half the gara over it, add another third of the rice, the rest of the gara, then the last of the rice, mounding it into a pyramid. Drizzle over the saffron water and the remaining melted butter, and poke 3–4 holes through the rice with the handle of a wooden spoon so steam can rise.
Mound the rice high in the middle — the pyramid shape lets steam circulate evenly.
Done when: Layers are built with saffron water drizzled over the top; holes poked for steam.
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5
Steam (Dam) the Plov
40 Mins
Lowest heat, ~120°C (250°F)
Wrap the pot lid in a clean tea towel, place it on tightly, and steam on the lowest heat for 35–40 minutes. Do not lift the lid — the trapped steam is what finishes the rice and crisps the qazmaq.
The tea towel stops condensation dripping back onto the rice and making it soggy.
Done when: Rice is fluffy and separate, golden where the saffron touched it; the bottom layer is crisp.
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6
Rest & Serve
10 Mins
Off the heat
Rest the pot off the heat for 10 minutes. Lift the rice onto a large platter, arrange the gara over the top, and break the golden qazmaq into pieces to serve alongside. Serve hot with fresh herbs.
Letting the plov rest keeps the grains from breaking when you lift them out.
Done when: Plov is served hot, grains separate, with crisp qazmaq pieces on the side.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the plov hot from the platter, with the sweet-tart gara spooned over the saffron rice and the crisp qazmaq broken into pieces for everyone to share. The contrast of fluffy rice, tender lamb, plump fruit and crunchy crust is the whole point.
Azerbaijan
1h 30m
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