King of The Uyghur Table_ Polo (داستىخان شاھى- پولو)
Watch the video tutorial here.
Polo is a traditional Uyghur rice dish, it’s one of the most famous halal Muslim street foods in Central Asia, which we consider to be “King of the Uyghur Table.” You may ask why this “simple” “carrot“ recipe is called The King, and that is because it’s our must-have cuisine to share with families, friends, and neighbours during big events, such as festivals, weddings and funerals. It is not only about the few ingredients that we choose, but also is a symbol of celebrating life, caring, and sharing during the cooking and dining.
Speaking of the recipe, it’s a unique combination of lamb, carrots, and rice. The rice gets its flavourful color from brown braised carrots and lamb. Polo is yummy, nourishing and it tastes slightly sweet. Polo goes perfect with vinegary salads. Here I made Grilled Eggplant Salad. Furthermore, you could combine Polo with Vermicelli Salad or Radish Salad. (you can find these recipes on my YouTube and later on the blog, stay tuned!!)
This dish will be perfect if you’re having a gathering with family or friends. For the full experience, I highly recommend eating it from a big shared plate (3-4 persons per plate). and eating Polo with your hand instead of using a spoon. I’m sure you will be delighted when you have super delicious and freshly made Polo on your fingertips!
😋Yield: approx.4 servings
🕙Total Time: 1 hr. 10 min.
seasoning:
salt 8-10gr
cumin 3-4gr
sugar 7gr
INGREDIENTS
lamb 321gr (I used the tailpiece)
olive oil 160ml
red onion 1x 187gr
carrot 8x 1207gr
raisins 68gr (optional)
rice 531gr
cold water 1400ml
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the lamb roughly in 5-6 big sections. Cut the onion in half and slice them into half rings. We are going to Julienne the carrots: slice the length wise, so you're creating planks about 1/3 inch (0.8 cm) thick, stack up the carrots and then cut them length wise again, creating Julianne's, try to cut them as uniformly as possible. This makes the dich look very pretty :)
Rinse the rice to remove the surface starch that otherwise causes the rice to clump together. Let the rice soak in clear water for a bit. Set aside.
To cook: Add the oil to the pan, let it heat up over high heat, when you see light smoke, add the meat and brown them up on all sides. It would be best if you had a heavy-bottomed deep pan with a lid for braising. Use the lid to reduce the splatter of oil.
Add in the onions, cumin, salt, carrots, and sugar. Mix all the ingredients carefully and gently. Let it cook (about 8-10 min.)
You want them to be soft and nice. Add the water. Be sure to scrape the bottom, that's where all the flavour lives. Bring it to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer.Throw away the rice water. Bring the rice into the pan and spread the rice evenly out with a spoon on top of the flavourful liquid. Please DON’T mix it with the rest of the ingredients. Add as many raisins as you like on top of the rice. Now use a chopstick to make holes in the layer of rice, so it simmered well. Cover and keep it at a low simmer for about 35 min. Check on it occasionally by listening to the simmering sound. The sound should be soft and slow.
Open the lid, watch out for the steam, it will burn. Mix all the ingredients gently from the bottom of the pan. Tear the meat apart into bite sizes and put them on the top of the Polo.
Serve: hot, served on a big shared plate, 3-4 people per plate, a vinegary salad would be a perfect side dish. Traditionally, in my family we combine it with Eggplant Salad. Enjoy!
Note
* When you open the lid, make sure you avoid the steam burn.
Tips
* Choose tailpiece or shank of the lamb. It's tender and juicy.
* Use a heavy-bottomed and deep pan with lid. This will help the ingredients heat and cook more evenly, furthermore using the lid prevents the oil from splattering when cooking.
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HAVE YOU COOKED THIS?
Share your thoughts, notes in the Comments below or (hash)tag @dolanchickaliya #dolanchickaliya on Instagram so we can enjoy all the deliciousness!
Aliya :)
