"Shovla" is very good for children, as it is soft and tender, you also can do it with minced meat, if you are going to give it to small children. I myself love this meal with fresh onion, I just peel out the onion, cut the ends, wash it and enjoy it whole with "Shovla". I also like it as cold, spreading it to slice of bread:) My nephew Jahongir loves it, anytime when you ask him what to cook, he will answer "Shovla":)and you won't believe it, but he can eat half of "Shovla" that in pot:) If it is possible always use short grain rice for "Shovla", because it must be sticky.
Ingredients:
120 ml of vegetable oil
400 gr of meat, cut in small cubes or just minced
2 onions, peeled and sliced
400 gr of peeled and cut in not so long strips red carrot
2 big tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 small capsicum, finely chopped
300 gr of short grain rice, washed
Salt to taste
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of ground coriander
Fresh chopped coriander for sprinkling
Heat the oil in crock pot and put in meat, fry on a high heat until golden brown, then add in onions. Fry until onions are golden, add in capsicum and continue frying until oil starts to separate. Add tomatoes and fry stirring until oil separates out, then add in carrots. Fry until carrots are half ready, then pour in 1 liter of water. Reduce the heat on medium and let it simmer for 1 hour. Add in salt, spices and then add in rice, finely stir and add another 400 ml of water. Run your spoon into the pan, your spoon must run easily and freely, if it is not then add more water. Bring water to boil, then reduce the heat on very low, cover the lid and cook until rice is soft and ready, don't forget stirring "Shovla" frequently as rice can stick to the bottom, especially at the end. Check in for saltiness and then stir again. Take from the heat and serve sprinkling fresh chopped greens over the top. You will surely enjoy the sister of "Palov" :)
Yoqimli ishtaha!!!
i miss shovla. my grandmother used to make the best shovla. hmmm. maybe i'll cook it today!
ReplyDeleteI like shovla with dried apricots, mu mum cooks it soooo deliciously yummm:) Soon I will post the recipe:)
ReplyDeletethank you, i've been looking for this recipe for years (i learned it, and plov from a boy whose mom was from bukhara, which is a long story, and not for here and now)... suffice it to say that i made it for many years, but then stopped... and i forgot some of the more important points in making it... thank you for sharing them, so my family can, once again, enjoy this marvelous dish! (as an aside, when my older son was dating a girl from a bukhari family, he totally shocked them, when as a dinner guest, he recognized both plov and shovla, and told her mom that HER cooking was almost as good as his mom's (mine!)... lol, that completely stopped all conversation!!)
ReplyDeletebtw, i'm sure that it must be personal preference, but when i learned it, his mom didn't put carrots into it, kept the spices down to just salt and pepper, and added parsley and lemon juice, at the end... also, i've started using arborio rice (used in risotto), instead of the general, all-purpose rice i used to use, and the difference is noticeable... thank you, again!!!
You're so welcome! I always use short grain rice, as it is more sticky-just what is needed for "Shovla". Long rice as basmati or others won't do well for it, so you do the right thing using arborio (as I think it is also short grain rice). Good luck and Yoqimli ishtaha!!!
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