Grechka Plov - Uzbek Beef Pilaf with Buckwheat
Grechka plov is one of many varieties of Uzbek pilafs and the method of cooking it is the same, except instead of adding rice, you add buckwheat. Buckwheat cooks quicker than rice and gets soft quite quickly, so be sure to not over cook them.
Equipment
- Korean Carrot Salad Grater
Ingredients
- 100 g vegetable or sunflower oil
- 300 g beef cut in cubes
- 150 g onion sliced
- 200 g carrots peeled and either thickly grated or cut into very thin strips
- 300 gr buckwheat grains
- 2 tsp salt (to taste)
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp crushed cumin seeds
- 1 whole head of garlic to add as it is without breaking or peeling.
Instructions
- First, heat the oil and begin to fry the meat on high heat until it is dark brown. Making sure that the meat is completely dark brown is very important as it will give an extraordinary flavour to the dish.
- Then add the onions and shredded or finely sliced carrots, throw in the spices and the whole garlic head followed by 200 ml of water then simmer on low heat.
- The meat should cook for about 40 min. In the meantime, wash the buckwheat really well by rinsing it a few times with cold water.
- Now add the buckwheat on top of the fried meat and vegetables. At this point, you add just enough boiled water to cover the buckwheat. (to check the right amount of water, run a spoon inside of the pot, if it runs freely, then that is enough.) Buckwheat becomes soft very quickly and we want to make sure it isn't overdone.
- Bring to a boil on high heat, and double-check the salt before covering the pot and lowering the heat again.
- Cook until all the water evaporates and the buckwheat is soft.
- If you feel the buckwheat is ready but see some water remaining, then take off the lid, and cook over high heat until it evaporates. Then serve as desired.
