The national dish of Uzbekistan, and quite delicious. For 4 servings (or more!).
First, soak ½ cup of barberries in hot water. These aren't absolutely necessary, but they do give the finished dish an extra tangy taste,
which is quite authentic. Cut 400g lamb shoulder into 5cm chunks and brown all over in hot oil. Transfer to a casserole dish. Cut 2 large
peeled onions in half and then slice thinly cross-wise. Peel and cut 4-5 large carrots into batons. Add the onions together with 2 Tbs
coarsely ground cumin seed and 2 Tbs coarsely ground coriander seed (it’s best to buy the whole seeds and grind them with a mortar and pestle,
or even in an electric coffee grinder; this way you can control the degree of grinding – you don't want powder!). Fry the onions until starting
to turn golden, add the carrot batons and cook for a few more minutes, then add in 2 cups of stock, bring to a boil and pour over the lamb.
Season well with plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer on the stove top, then cover and transfer to a 160°C oven
for about 90 minutes. Meanwhile, wrap a whole clove of garlic in foil moistened with a little olive oil, and place this to roast in the oven
for an hour as well. After 90 minutes, take the casserole out of the oven, stir in the soaked barberries then add 2 cups of boiling water and
spread 2 cups of washed basmati rice over the top (don’t mix together at this stage), re-cover and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes
or so, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Now take the roasted garlic from the foil and nestle it in the centre of the plov,
and continue cooking in the oven for another 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked. Gently mix everything together, leaving the garlic
in the centre, and serve with the traditional Uzbek accompaniment, a simple tomato salad: just slice large ripe tomatoes and dress with
some finely chopped red onion and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.