Ma’jun Palov (Uzbek Carrot Pilaf)

I previously knew very little about Uzbek cuisine, but found a wonderful blog that introduced me to hundreds of Uzbek recipes- The Art of Uzbek Cuisine. Bread, noodle, and rice dishes are prominent, especially Palov (rice pilaf with meat and vegetables). Ma’jun Palov is an Uzbek Carrot Pilaf made with chicken, long grain rice, sliced carrots, and carrot juice. It uses up a lot of carrots. I got a large bag of carrots in my CSA juicing box and this recipe used them all- over 3 pounds!

The Ma’jun Palov turns into a brilliant orange color, so I don’t recommend wearing anything white with messy eaters. By the time Evan finished, he was covered in orange.

I cooked the chicken as whole pieces, then broke them up with my spoon when I mixed everything together at the end.

Ma’jun Palov (Uzbek Carrot Pilaf)

Adapted from The Art of Uzbek Cooking

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Ma’jun Palov (Uzbek Carrot Pilaf)

Course Main

Cuisine Uzbek

Keyword carrot, chicken, pilaf, poultry, rice, Uzbek, Uzbekistan

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4 -6 Servings

Ingredients

• 3.3 pounds (11 large) carrots
• 1 2/3 cups (350 grams) long grain rice
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions thinly sliced
• 1 pound boneless skinless, chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Instructions

• Peel the carrots and julienne 2 of them. Juice the remainder.
• Rinse the rice and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with tablespoon salt and cover with hot water. Set aside.
• In a deep pan or pot, drizzle oil over medium high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent. Add the chicken thighs and cook until golden brown. Stir in the sliced carrots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add enough carrot juice to reach halfway up the chicken and vegetables.
• Reduce heat to low, cover the pot halfway with a lid, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the coriander, cumin seeds, and season with salt. Drain the rice and evenly spread over the chicken and vegetables. Pour in the remaining carrot juice to cover the rice and increase heat to medium high.
• Once most of the juice has evaporated, reduce heat to low, stir the top of the rice, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid, stir the top of the rice, cover again, and cook until rice is tender, another 10-15 minutes.
• Stir everything together and serve immediately.