Uzbekistan's food is characterized by its heavy use of meat, rice, and dough, with the national dish being plov (or palov), a rice pilaf cooked with meat, carrots, and onions. Other popular traditional foods include shashlik (grilled meat skewers), manti (steamed dumplings), and samsa (baked meat pies), along with various noodle dishes like lagman. Bread, or non, is also a fundamental part of every meal.

When speaking of Uzbek food, the first item that must be featured is the Plov. Ask any Uzbek and he or she will likely tell you that it is the national food of Uzbekistan. Granted, the Plov it is also eaten throughout the other Central Asian countries with slightly differing renditions, the Plov is, properly speaking, a uniquely Central Asian staple.

There is usually a serving of meat on the fried rice (allow me to call it that). Traditionally, the rice is cooked in the pan itself. The shredded carrots are fried first with onions, then adding some turmeric to give it the typical yellow hue. The souls of the fried rice are special Uzbek dried raisins (a type that is not sweet), and of course, cumin. When the server sets down the meal you should smell the fragrance right away, and you will dig in like there is no tomorrow.

Have fun! on to my salad!

Mediterranean Citrus & Carrot Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette, a great salad which I'll share with my daughter!
featuring vibrant flavors like castelvetrano olives, fresh herbs, and rose water. The carrots, red onions, fennel, olives, and radishes get seasoned to perfection and marinate for a few hours. Then the marinated mix is adorned with a garnish of lettuce, orange supremes, mint leaves, and cilantro. Mounded in the center of the plate and drizzled with rose water, this dish is finished with sliced almonds and citrus dressing for a refreshing burst of texture and acidity.

It was divine! The event organizers had pre-ordered the selections, which were served family-style. I could have made a meal on the appetizers alone. There were multiple salads (tomato/onion; pickled and fermented vegetables), multiple dips (yogurt; eggplant) with pita bread, Uzbeki bread, lamb dumplings, and cheese-filled phyllo roll-ups. The main dishes were a lamb pilaf and another pilaf topped with mixed vegetables. Sides of rice. Dessert was kunefe, a tasty cheese pastry served with vanilla ice cream. I had apricot tea, and others had various teas or Uzbeki coffee. There are pictures of several of the dishes at the link in the previous post. I really enjoyed the meal; I expect to go there again in the future and will recommend it to friends. I think anyone who likes Middle Eastern food would like it.

Enjoy!

Steam-fry in evoo and veggie broth: chopped onion, yellow bell pepper, sliced mushrooms and minced garlic. When soft I added black beans and a box of cherry tomatoes and cooked until they blistered. I added dried oregano, basil and red pepper flakes. I tossed everything with cooked chickpea rotini and topped the plates with vegan parm and chopped parsley. Cheers!🥂

A rare treat. Strip steak seared/pan fried in a skillet.

Garden salad of grape tomatoes, radishes, cucumber, bell pepper, broccoli, and iceberg lettuce. I am having a vinaigrette on the salad.

Salad with poppy seed dressing later.

Good Evening

Last edited Tue Oct 28, 2025, 10:02 PM - Edit history (1)

Mexican Chicken, Shrimp, & Chorizo Paella with Habanero Saffron Aioli

and also this!

Broccoli Rabe Ravioli with Sausage and Pepper Ragu with Fresh Ravioli Pasta

HERE!

Broccoli Rabe Ravioli with Sausage and Pepper Ragu with Fresh Ravioli Pasta
ravioli filled with broccoli rabe and cheese are tossed in a flavorful play on ragu made with tomato sauce, sautéed Italian sausage, peppers, and onions.

Totally lazy heat ’n eat affair. Always tickles me that when I mentioned this was one of my favorites, a FB friend in India told me I was adorable because by definition, biriyani contains meat. Whatever, Hari. You know I don’t go there so this is as close as I’ll get.

Because today I was at Trader Joe’s and I swear I stood there about 2 minutes with a package of that in my hand.

I didn’t get it cuz I didn’t know how I could soak the rice and rinse it without washing out the flavoring.

It’s already cooked—you just need to heat it up and eat.

Not a ton of seasoning, TBH. It’s basically mildly seasoned rice, a few veg, and instead of meat, just balls of more rice. As frozen entrees go—especially vegan ones—it’s a safe one, but not a “knock your socks off” extravaganza. I’m never super hungry at lunchtime and sometimes, it’ll take me two days to finish one, which makes it a real bargain at a couple-three bucks. I keep thinking I’m going to stash some extra seasoning in my locker but never remember to. Today, I finished one and rounded it out with teriyaki seaweed and an apple. Hari would probably laugh at the eclectic combination, too.

I bought some Jasmine brown rice and made it tonight after I soaked it for an hour. The only reason for soaking is to get the lead out of the rice. I quit having it, but now you can apparently remove 95-98% of the lead by soaking it for 30" . That's not too onerous, so I did it. Now I can enjoy Chinese fried rice again. I really like that dish with vegetables.

One of my go to dinners when I’m too tired to seriously cook: boneless, skinless chicken breasts covered with Rao’s marinara and shredded mozzarella. Served with thin spaghetti, Parmesan, and peas. Tastes great, not too unhealthy, and filling.