Tomato and Spinach Plov

Name: Tomato and Spinach Plov
Yield: Serves Four
Ingredients: salt and ground black pepper; 900 ml/1½ pints/3¾ cups vegetable stock; 50 g/2 oz/½ cup unsalted cashew nuts, toasted; 275 g/10 oz young spinach leaves; 5 ml/1 tsp ground coriander; 2 carrots, coarsely grated; 5 ml/1 tsp ground cumin; 225 g/8 oz/generous 1 cup basmati rice, soaked; 3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; naan bread, to serve; 1 onion, chopped; 15 ml/1 tbsp ghee or unsalted (sweet) butter; 30 ml/2 tbsp vegetable oil

Preparation info

Serves
Four

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Complete Guide to Traditional Jewish Cooking

By Marlena Spieler

Published 2016

About

This vegetarian plov, or Uzbek pilaff, is redolent of cumin and coriander, spices which, along with turmeric, are the distinctive flavour of the region. Jews have been in Bukhara and Tashkent since the 16th century. Their presence in Samarkand dates back even earlier: Records suggest they first arrived in the year 1170.

Ingredients

30 ml/2 tbsp vegetable oil
15 ml/1

Main course
Vegetarian

Method

Heat the oil and ghee or butter in a wok, karahi or large pan, and fry the onion and garlic for 4–5 minutes until soft. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring, until thickened.
Drain the rice, add it to the pan and cook for a further 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the rice is coated.