Uzbek Pilaf with Lamb

Rinse the rice with cold water several times until the water becomes clear. Peel the garlic heads, keeping them whole without separating into cloves. Peel 3 onions and the carrots. Slice the onions into half rings and cut the carrots into thin matchsticks.

Heat the cauldron and heat the oil in it. Fry a whole unpeeled onion until blackened, then remove it. Chop the remaining onion and fry it, stirring, until dark golden — approximately 10 minutes. Add the lamb, cut into cubes, and fry until a crust forms.

Add the carrots and fry without stirring for 3 minutes. Then stir well and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in boiling water so that it is 1 cm above the contents of the pot. Add dried red pepper, reduce the heat and simmer for an hour.

Mix cumin and coriander seeds, crushing them with your hands. Add barberries. Transfer the mixture to a cauldron, add salt to taste. Reduce the heat and cook for 10–15 minutes until the carrots are soft.

Rinse the rice once more and let the water drain. Spread the rice over the meat and level it. Increase the heat to maximum and pour boiling water so that it covers the rice with a 3 cm layer.

Once the rice has absorbed the water, press garlic heads into the contents of the cauldron. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the rice is cooked. Check for doneness with a skimmer: if the sound when striking the surface is dull, make several piercing holes with a thin wooden skewer. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and leave for 30 minutes.