Shah-plov Azerbaijani style

Eastern cuisine is rich in centuries-old authentic recipes, and one of them is Shah-plov Azerbaijani style. In each region of the country, there are its own peculiarities in its preparation, but the presence of a crispy, oil-soaked crust made of thin lavash remains unchanged, under which a lot of dried fruits, meat, and crumbly rice are hidden.

Yield: 6 servings

Preparation time: 2 hours 40 minutes.

Calories: 262 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Cuisine: Azerbaijani.

Ingredients

• meat (lean lamb, or veal, or turkey thighs) – 480 g;
• long-grain rice – 400 g;
• white onion – 250 g;
• dried apricots – 80 g;
• raisins – 80 g;
• dried figs – 80 g;
• butter – 150 g;
• lavash – 1 package;
• turmeric – 1/2 tsp;
• spice mix for pilaf – 2 tsp;
• chili pepper – optional;
• salt – to taste;
• carrot – 150 g;
• odorless vegetable oil for frying – about 60 ml.

Preparation

1. Prepare the ingredients for making Shah-plov Azerbaijani style. We use turkey thigh meat, but it can be replaced with veal or lamb. The butter should be melted in the microwave or in a water bath. It is better to take a rectangular shape of lavash, making it easier to work with later.

2. Rinse the rice thoroughly.

3. Pour a large amount of water over the rice and boil it for just 5 minutes until semi-cooked.

4. Then rinse thoroughly under running water and leave in a colander to dry a bit.

5. Pour boiling water over the dried fruits, then rinse under running water.

6. Cut the carrot into fairly large pieces.

7. Cut the onion into arbitrary cubes.

8. Cut the meat into medium pieces.

9. Now that all the chopping is done, you can start frying. In heated oil, keep the onion until it becomes lightly translucent.

10. Add the carrot and fry everything for about 3-4 minutes.

11. Cut the large dried apricots and figs into long pieces.

12. Add them to the vegetables in the pan and sauté together for about a minute.

13. Transfer the sauté to a plate, and return the pan to the heat.

14. Sauté the pieces of meat in a little vegetable oil (regardless of the type of meat, this will take about 5 minutes).

15. Add the sauté to the meat. Do not turn off the stove.

16. Add salt and seasonings to the mixture. Keep everything on the heat for about a minute and turn off the burner.

17. Cut the lavash lengthwise into 3 parts. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees with both upper and lower heating.

18. Grease any heatproof container that will hold the rice and sauté (this can be a pot, pan, or springform) with melted butter on all sides.

19. Place the first strip of lavash inside so that the edges hang over or at least one edge does. Grease this preparation well with oil.

20. Lay the remaining strips, overlapping them on top of each other. Thoroughly grease them with oil.

21. Place half of the rice on the bottom. Level it out and salt it. No need to tamp it down. Add a couple of spoons of melted butter.

22. Next, distribute all the meat with dried fruits. If desired, add chili pepper.

23. Cover this layer with the remaining rice, which, like the first half, should also be salted and drizzled with oil.

24. Place the hanging ends of the lavash on top.

25. Brush the top with the remaining oil.

26. Cover the pot with foil and place it in the middle of the preheated oven.

27. After 1.5 hours, remove the foil and keep the dish for another 20 minutes at the same temperature to dry the lavash until crispy.

28. Turn the preparation onto a dish and remove the pot.

29. Shah-plov Azerbaijani style is ready. When cutting the crispy crust, the entire construction unfolds like a flower, revealing the center, which is filled with crumbly rice and dried fruits. This treat is prepared only for large holidays or for dear guests. Try it yourself, enjoy your meal!