Uyghur Polo

Beef and rice pilaf, a staple dish among Central Asian countries including Iran. Pictured above (on left) with yogurt spinach dip (on right).

Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 500g beef (we used tenderloin)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 500g carrots, julienned
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 bulb garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 cup raisins
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package instructions (we used a rice cooker).
2. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Cook the beef in the oil until evenly browned, stirring occasionally (about 10 min).
3. Add chopped onion to the pot and cook until translucent (about 10 min).
4. Add carrots to the pot. (Initially it may look like there are too many carrots in the pot, however they will shrink with cooking and mix well into the recipe).
5. Pour water into the pot. When the water boils, add the garlic bulb. Let the mixture simmer (5 min).
6. Remove the garlic bulb and reserve. Add cumin. Allow mixture to simmer on medium-low heat (15-20 min).
7. Add cooked rice to the mixture and stir.
8. Replace the garlic bulb and pour raisins on top of the rice. Cover pot and cook on medium low heat (10-15 min).
9. Remove the garlic bulb.
10. Serve with naan and yogurt spinach dip as garnish (see recipe on this blog).

Family Ratings

• McM: 4.5/5, very flavorful!

Original recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/uyghur-polo-pilaf-411849