This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how various countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a festive drink, or even a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. Click here to see all of my “Christmas In…” series from years’ past.
Welcome back to one of my favorite series on the blog! What’s not to love? I put a bunch of names in a bowl and my girls pick them, lottery style, and we begin to wonder what dishes are in store for the next month and what we might learn about the countries along the way. One thing that seems to be a recurring theme? We’re not huge fans of Eastern European cuisine. To be fair, this isn’t as odd as Belarus’ Oliver Salad: a confusing slaw (in the dead of winter, nonetheless) containing ham, potatoes, and peas. As my girls said, the lamb is the best part of the dish and they had wondered if I made the meal before when they came to the kitchen. It did seem familiar and, in fact, there is another dish like this that I made before: Palestinian Qidreh. So, if you like lamb and rice dishes, I’d say make that one over this meal from Kazakhstan.
Lamb Plov
1 lb lamb stew meat, cut into rough 1” cubes
Yellow onion, peeled and diced
3 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼” wide, ~3” long sticks
1 tbsp cumin
1.5 cups long grain rice, rinsed and drained
2 bay leaves
3 cups stock (chicken or beef)
Small head of garlic
Cilantro or parsley
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a dutch set over medium-high heat.
Season the lamb with kosher salt and black pepper and brown on all sides, about 6-8 minutes.
Add in the onion and carrot, along with a teaspoon or two of more oil. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook everything together, over medium heat, until the vegetables have softened, roughly 10-12 minutes.
Once the onions are translucent and the carrots have relented slightly, add in the cumin and stir to combine until fragrant, about a minute.
Stir in the rice and toast for a minute or two, stirring frequently.
Add in the bay leaves and stock and stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, rub away a layer or two of the garlic “paper.” Slice off the bottom-third of the garlic bulb and reserve.
Once the stock is boiling, season it with salt and pepper and give one last stir. Place the garlic head, cut-side-down, into the rice, giving it a light press. Crack the lid on the jar and reduce the heat to medium-low.
After five minutes, completely cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and cook for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
After 45 minutes of cooking, remove the bay leaves and fluff the rice. Stirn in a little minced fresh cilantro or parsley and serve.
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