Turkmenistan Plov

Ingredients:

1 lb carrots, at least 1 lb

1 head Garlic

4 medium Yellow or white onions

1/2 pounds Marbled beef, not lean

Rice, not Minute Rice

Salt

Vegetable oil

Cooking Instructions:

Chop the onions, fairly small but not minced. Cut the carrots into slivers, about 3 inches long and only 1/8 of an inch wide. If you have some type of slicer, go for it! The important thing is that there are no big chunks of carrots, just thin slices. Cut the beef into 1-2 inch cubes. Now for the fun part. Put on an old shirt or an apron. Find a big, heavy pan or pot. An 8 quart cast iron or hard anodized dutch oven works well. Turkmen use a heavy pot called a cazan. Now you must heat the oil in the pot. The amount of oil you use will depend on the size of the pan you use. The oil should be about 1 centimeter, or 1/2 of an inch deep. It will seem excessive, but go ahead and pour it in. Drop a little piece of onion into the cool oil and turn the burner to medium. When the onion turns black, remove it with a fork. Now your oil is hot enough to cook with.

Add the meat and the whole garlic cloves. Turkmen people often throw in the whole garlic head, skins and all. You can do that, or peel the cloves. If you don't cook much with garlic, don't worry about it being too spicy - garlic sweetens as you cook it. Cook the meat and garlic until the meat starts to turn a nice roasted-looking brown. Add the onions to the meat and oil. Cook, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots to the mixture and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add a couple teaspoons of salt, or you can add the salt later to taste.

At this point, Turkmen would add rice and water into the pot with the meat. Cook as much rice as you think will fit into the rest of the pot. According to the directions on the package of rice. Just use your best judgement as to the amount. When the rice has finished cooking, add it to the meat, onions and carrots mixture in the big pot. Mix it well and serve it hot.

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