getting to know Ukraine a lil' better

After giving some thought on the future... i realized that i needed to know Ukraine a lil' better... and moreover, it's a good opportunity to show the others living outside this place what this country is all about... of course i'm not going to feature everything in one go... ill start off with one of the more tasty dishes around.

First thing up is "PLOV"... one of the first dish here that i consider tasty enough, and able to compete to a certain level to some mediocre ciplak msian hawker food of course.

Here's some short history...

Palov (Russian: 'плов') is the national dish of Uzbekistan. It is a rice dish consisting of carrots, onions, spices (cumin, salt, pepper, paprika, and Barbaris), lamb, cottonseed oil, and medium grain rice. It is traditionally cooked in a deep, metal dish known as a "qozon". Plov can be made either at home or over an open fire. Several different types of simple salads are served with Palov. The most common of these is a mix of very thinly sliced tomatoes and onions which are then mixed with salt and pepper.

Preparations and recipes can vary from region to region, however the contents of the dish will always be based on the above carrot/onion/lamb/rice mix. (called "sabzi" in Uzbek) Ingredients such as whole heads of garlic, garbanzo beans, chilis and quinces can be added while cooking. A special "wedding palov" will include saffron in its preparation.

The origins of Palov are somewhat lost over the course of history. However, stories abound of it having been served to Alexander the Great upon his capture of Maraqanda. (modern Samarqand)

Palov is from the same family of Turkic rice-based dishes as Afghan "Pulao", Turkmen "Osh", Tajik "Palov" (see also Pilaf). One can also find variations of Palov (Pılaw in Tatar) in the Tatar regions of Tatarstan, Russia and the Crimea, Ukraine.

During the years of the Soviet Union, the dish spread throughout the other Soviet republics, becoming a favorite in such diverse places as Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan.

Gotta post up some pictures of plov eating sessions so that you can see the happiness in our faces. Meanwhile, we'll make do with just the plov without anyone around it.

Basically, it taste like good ol' nasi goreng with beef pieces scattered all over. All i'm saying is... i'm missing Msian Food la! I miss wantan mee,curry mee,pan mee,roti tisu,roti dunno what what la... and i miss malaysia and my friends la! Will be back by the end of JUNE... can't wait:)