Carrot and cashew nut plov

Uzbekistan is probably not a country that springs to mind when you think of great culinary traditions, however it's a cuisine that surprises... As is befitting its place on the map, the food of Uzbekistan is a delicious meeting of East and West. There are similarities with Turkish food and also Iranian touches with the use of sumac as a souring agent. There are also some Chinese and Indian influences in addition to the obvious Russian influence. It's not, however, a good cuisine if you're vegetarian as everything seems to contain sheep in one form or another.
I was inspired to try and create a vegetarian plov after acquiring a copy of an Uzbek cookery book that I'dpicked up last time I was in Israel. I have to say from the off, this recipe is not authentic. Why? Well, firstly I am lacking in a kazan, the ubiquitous cooking pot used throughout Central Asia. My grandmother had one, a huge black cast iron cauldron-type affair, I did hope to inherit it after she died (along with the axe she used to chop her vegetables - no delicate kitchen implements for my granny) however no one knows what became of it. So in lieu of a kazan I used a cast iron enamelled casserole dish, and I have to say it worked just fine. No sticking or anything untoward happened despite warnings to the contrary. Obviously the other major sticking point in authenticity is the lack of sheep, I substituted cashew nuts for the extra protein. Anyway, the end result was delicious, and very straightforward to make.

 Ingredients:
1 large onion sliced into half rings
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 head of garlic (unpeeled)
2 large carrots
50 g cashew nuts
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried barberries (could substitute unsweetened cranberries)
1/2 tsp sumak
Salt to taste
2-3 strands of saffron
100 ml ghee (you could use vegetable oil, but for the unctious mouthfeel it really needs something slightly more wicked...)
250 g long grain rice
Boiling water

1. Melt the ghee in a heavy bottomed casserole dish and fry the sliced onion and garlic until soft and lightly coloured. Add the julienned carrots and cook for 5 minutes until just starting to soften

2. Place the unpeeled garlic head in the middle of the pan, then put the lid on the casserole dish and continue to cook on a low heat for 20 minutes
3. Meanwhile, wash the rice in cold water until the water runs clear, then leave to soak in warm water until the vegetables have finished sauteing
4. Once the vegetables are cooked throw in the cashew nuts, sprinkle on the cumin, paprika, sumak, barberries, salt and saffron strands. Stir in gently without disturbing the garlic

5. Drain the rice and layer it on top of the vegetables. Don't mix in, you want the vegetable layer at the bottom protecting the rice from burning, or else rather than a plov you'll get a rice crust (which is actually v.tasty in itself)

6. Add freshly boiled water to the pot, I haven't given amounts because it will vary depending on the size of your pot. You want the water to be around 1.5cm above the level of the rice
7. Boil until all the water evaporates, this should take around 5 minutes
8. Once the water has evaporated poke holes in the rice with the end of a wooden spoon to allow the steam to escape

9. At this point, turn off the heat, cover the pan with a kitchen towel and put on the lid. Leave to steam for 20 minutes
10. Lift off the lid (and enjoy the gorgeous smell!) take out the garlic head and leave to one side, now mix everything together and turn out onto a serving dish. Place the garlic bulb on top. The idea with the garlic is that the now creamy soft oil infused garlic cloves can be squeezed over the individual servings to taste. You can eat it as it is, or serve a simple tomato and onion salad as an accompaniment.