Taste of Uzbek Cuisine, Part 1 of 2 – Vegan Plov (Pilaf) with Vegan Patties

In Uzbekistan, it is said that there are over 60 different Plov recipes varying in ingredients or cooking methods. Carrot is one of the traditional ingredients used in Uzbek Plov to improve flavor, increase volume, and add healthy nutritional properties to the dish. The combination of spices and carrot brings out the aroma, tastiness and mingles so well with the chewy rice so that even picky kids who do not normally like carrot can’t get enough of it!

We’ll begin by frying the vegan patties with spices. Add vegetable oil into the pan. The oil will make the rice chewier. Then turn on the fire. Add in the cumin powder and the fennel powder to bloom these spices in the oil. To avoid burning the spice powder, we added them before the oil is heated, so it’s easier to monitor and keep the oil temperature at low heat. Then gently add in the vegan patties to prevent the oil from splattering. Stir the patties to mix the spices evenly in the oil. These vegan patties are sold under the name “Black Pepper Island” and are produced by Light Light Industry Limited, a Loving Hut Vegan Food Company.

…The carrots have been simmered for five minutes. At this stage, you can transfer the carrot mixture into an electric rice cooker or a big bowl in a steamer for your convenience and carry on with the following process. However, we will continue using this same pot. We can start to layer the other ingredients into the pan. Firstly, there are our colorful bell peppers. Now we will layer the Basmati rice. There is no need to soak the rice beforehand, simply wash it thoroughly and drain the water. Gently spread the rice into the pan. Make sure the rice is evenly spread and leveled. Notice that the liquid just covers the rice, which means that water is just enough. Next is the palm dates. Space them evenly on the top of the rice. Lastly, the bay leaves. Place them evenly over the top of the rice.

Now, 20 minutes is up. Let’s turn off the fire. We will let the rice sit for five more minutes before removing the lid. This allows the moisture and aroma to redistribute more evenly, resulting in a more uniform chewy texture and flavor. Let’s wait patiently for another five minutes. Now it is time to remove the lid. Wow, smells so fragrant! Wish you were here to get a whiff of it. Next, toss our vegan Plov so that all the ingredients are well mixed. Now it is ready to be plated. Scoop the vegan Plov onto a serving plate, top with the vegan patties that we prepared earlier, then add some bell peppers and dates. Our Uzbek vegan Plov is now ready for serving.