Plov zirvak
Description
Zirvak is prepared from lamb or beef by frying and then stewing the meat. Lamb should be stewed for about 45–50 minutes, while beef requires about 1–1.5 hours until tender. Don't forget to add onions and carrots at the very end, along with other seasonings and spices. Zirvak can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator or freezer, then reheated as needed when making a fragrant pilaf.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the listed ingredients.
- 2
Step 2
Wash the lamb in water, cut the meat into portion pieces, removing tendons and membranes. If there is fat on the meat, cut it off and dice into small cubes, then fry in a cauldron, using the rendered fat instead of vegetable oil. Once the fat in the cauldron is heated, add the meat and fry for about 10-12 minutes until browned. The golden color of the seared meat will give zirvak its characteristic color.
- 3
Step 3
Peel the carrots and onion, rinse them in water, cut the carrots into strips, and slice the onion into half-rings.
- 4
Step 4
By this time, the lamb will already be fried, becoming golden brown and appetizing, but will still be tough to taste.
- 5
Step 5
Pour hot water into the container, bring the contents of the pot to a boil, add salt and bay leaves, and simmer over moderate heat until almost all the water has evaporated. When only about 1-2 fingers' worth of liquid remains in the pot, add the chopped vegetables and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. If desired, you can add more hot water or vegetable broth to the pot.
- 6
Step 6
After the specified time, the meat zirvak will be ready — you can add rinsed rice, dried barberries, garlic, spices, etc. to it.