Arroz Pilav

The pilau rice is one of the typical dishes of Uzbekistan. It is a potent stew that is halfway between couscous and paella, and is good although quite powerful. It is made of rice, beans, meat (chicken or lamb), vegetables (carrot, tomato, onion), raisins and saffron . You can eat in many places, but I prefered to try in Tashkent, the capital. We were at a popular restaurant where pilav is made in large pots, in the middle of a courtyard, and diners line up with their dish to be served and move to one of the long tables to share. There it is eaten by hand ... Hygiene is not quite important there, but nobody was sick.