Sponge cake and plov

Plov is the most important Uzbek national dish. It has many kinds by method and ingredient: fried, soaked, with raisins, with garlic, with quince, with mince and others. The general rule has three stages: heating the oil, cooking the zirvak and adding the rice. The cauldron is heated, oil is poured in and the flame lowered; the oil first gives dark smoke, then whitish. According to the book, an onion dropped in then removes the bitter compounds. Onion is fried in half-rings, then meat (2×2 cm), then carrot cut in strips; that is the zirvak. Water and salt are added and boiled 5–10 minutes, then rice soaked in warm water goes in, with water 1–1.5 cm above the rice. The rice must boil evenly. When the water is absorbed the rice is heaped in the middle, pierced with a stick, cumin and raisins are added and it steams 15–20 minutes. Amounts in the book: 0.5 kg meat, 1 kg rice, 1 kg carrots. Safety: heating oil until it smokes is dangerous, since oil can catch fire. Therefore heating the oil, putting the cauldron on the fire, controlling the flame and lifting the lid are done only by adults, and pupils do not stand where oil may spatter. If oil catches fire do not pour water: cover with a lid and turn off the heat. Cauldron and lid handles are hot: use oven gloves. Near open flame or gas avoid wide sleeves and tie back hair. Pupils wash rice, cut carrots and onions (supervised), lay the table and serve. Use a separate board and knife for raw meat and wash hands with soap. Meat must be fully cooked. Allergies and religious or family food rules are respected.