Crown Pilaf (Şah Plov)
Şah plov Say it: shah PLOV
This is the dish that appears when a Caucasian table has something to celebrate: a dome of rice baked inside a lavash shell, brought out whole and cut open at the table so the crisp golden crust falls into saffron-stained grains, soft lamb and sweet-sour fruit. The flavour runs rich and aromatic rather than spicy — butter, saffron, chestnuts, apricots, prunes and raisins playing against savoury meat. It is a project, not a weeknight supper, but most of the work is unattended soaking, simmering and baking, and it can be assembled ahead. The one thing worth practising is the turn-out: line the dish generously, let the lavash overhang, and invert with confidence.
Crown Pilaf (Şah Plov)
Şah plov
Pronounced shah PLOV
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 2 hr
- Total
- 2 hr 40 min
- Level
- Medium
Also egg-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, nuts. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
For the rice
For the filling
For assembly
Method
Wash the rice under cold running water, then leave it to soak in a generous volume of cold salted water for 1 hour. Drain and rinse once more, until the water runs clear.
While the rice soaks, put the lamb in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add 1/2 tsp salt and simmer gently until tender, roughly 45 minutes. Drain and keep to one side. Separately, pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the saffron threads and leave to steep.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tsp salt and bring to a rolling boil. Tip in the drained rice and cook for 8–10 minutes, until tender but still slightly firm at the centre. Drain thoroughly and return the rice to the dry pot.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and spoon off the white foam that rises. Over the rice, pour 4 tbsp of the clarified melted butter, the saffron water including the threads, and 1 tsp turmeric. Turn the rice over gently with a spatula until the colour is even. Set the rest of the melted butter aside.
Warm the reserved melted butter in a wide skillet over medium heat and cook the onion until softened, 3–4 minutes. Add the lamb, apricots, prunes, chestnuts, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper, and cook 5–7 minutes more, until the lamb picks up a little colour and the fruit plumps and softens. Stir through the raisins, then take the pan off the heat.
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush both sides of every lavash sheet with oil. Use the sheets to line a 10-inch (25 cm) round ovenproof dish — a deep cake pan or bowl works well — overlapping them so the base and sides are fully covered and the edges hang over the rim. Put in half the rice, spread the lamb and fruit filling evenly over it, then cover with the remaining rice. Fold the overhanging lavash inward over the top to seal the parcel, adding extra oiled lavash if there are gaps, and brush the surface with the last of the oil.
Bake 30–40 minutes, until the lavash has turned deep golden and crisp. Leave the dish to stand 5 minutes, loosen the sides with a spatula, then invert onto a large serving plate. Bring it to the table whole and cut the crown into wedges, so each portion gets crisp shell, saffron rice and lamb. Serve hot.
Regional variant: Chicken Crown Pilaf (Toyuq Şah Plov)
Replace the lamb with 10 oz (300 g) boneless chicken thighs. Poach them in salted water until cooked through, about 20 minutes, then shred or cut into small pieces. Layer the pilaf exactly as above, adding 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon to the filling together with the turmeric. A lighter version that is very popular for big family gatherings.
Cook's notes
- Choose good basmati and stop the parboiling while the grains still have a little bite; they finish cooking in the steam trapped inside the lavash.
- No lavash? Thin flour tortillas or yufka work — just overlap them well so the crown keeps its shape when inverted.
- For a two-tone effect, hold back a small cup of plain boiled rice before the saffron goes in and scatter it over the top layer before sealing the parcel.
Serve with
Herbed yogurt, cucumber-yogurt salad, pickled vegetables and black tea.
Make ahead and storage
The lamb filling keeps a day in advance; assemble and bake the crown just before serving. Leftover wedges recrisp in a low oven.
