Uzbek Rice with Beef and Carrots (Plov)

Plov, a hearty pilaf-like mélange of rice, onion, carrots, meat, spices and sometimes other ingredients such as lentils or chickpeas, is widely regarded as the national dish of Uzbekistan. It can be a humble, everyday offering or an elaborate celebratory one, but plov is always intended to be a shared dish. Our streamlined recipe uses boneless beef short ribs, which are rich in meaty flavor because they’re not shy of fat, and a whole head of garlic, as is traditional. Golden raisins stud the rice, bringing bursts of sweetness that balance the richness of the beef. The spicing in our plov is minimal, but the finished dish is still abundantly flavorful and deeply aromatic. Fresh parsley, though not traditional, adds fresh, grassy notes and bright color.