Last week we hit a milestone – ten straight episodes. This week we have another big accomplishment. We’ve now cooked the food from every country beginning with the letter A. Sam is very excited about this since he’s actively practicing his alphabet. Now on to Letter B.

This is also a good time for us to take a little break and catch our breath (not to mention digesting all this food). So think of this as our season finale but we will back in just a few weeks with all the countries starting with the Letter B.

But until then, let’s talk about Azerbaijan and rice!!

THE CUISINE

We are heading back into the Caucasus Mountains. We were here a few weeks ago when we learned about Armenian cuisine. Similarly, Azerbaijan sits right in between two major continents – Europe and Asia. This is that land sometimes known as Eurasia.

While Armenia is landlocked, Azerbaijan has access to the Caspian Sea, so fish (especially sturgeon) figures a little more importantly into the cuisine.

But like much of this region, rice dishes along with grilled proteins, including fish, lamb, chicken, and game, is very popular. There are a large variety (over 200) of plovs with saffron-tinted rice and abundant fruits and herbs. We decided to prepare one of those that sounded delicious.

You’ll also find meats and rice wrapped up in cabbage or vine leaves into dolma, which is very similar to what you might find in other nations in the Middle East, Balkans, or Central Asia.

Soups, kebabs, and stews are also hugely popular. Many of these dishes are cooked in traditional copper cookware which impart a distinct flavor and heat.

Like much of the cuisine of the region, the food is not overly spicy but rather flavored with fresh herbs like mint, parsley, and thyme; hearty vegetables like eggplants, spinach, and cabbage; tangy vegetables like dried apricots and pomegranate; and a good deal of dairy, especially yogurt and cheeses.

AZERBAIJANI FOOD IN NEW YORK

So I’m really embarrassed that I’ve missed this on all my pre-pandemic exploration. I’ve never been to an Azerbaijani restaurant in New York, but they’re there.

It seems like most of the Azerbaijani restaurants are deep into South Brooklyn among the large Russian and Central Asian restaurants and banquet halls in places like Sheepshead Bay, Midwood, and Kensington.

The names I have discovered that have been now added to my list include Baku Palace (named for Azerbaijan’s capital city), Old Baku, and Village Cafe (and Village Cafe 2). There’s also a community out on Long Island (probably not far from the Persian community) and I know there is some amazing food waiting for me out there.

THE VIDEO

Sam almost ate our entire mise en place of dried apricots before we even got into the cooking. Thanks to the striking color of saffron, Sam also became fascinated by the colors of food. He really wanted to eat blue things. For the most part, I think that’s not a great idea. also became very

THE DISH

There are more than 200 different versions of plov, so you can imagine how difficult it was for us to pick just one.

Plov is similar to pulao, pilaf, paella, and other national rice dishes started with the letter “p”. You’ll also find the name plov in countries like Uzbekistan.

It’s considered the national dish of Azerbaijan and so it’s served at almost every special occasion. And as I mentioned, there is far from one agreed upon way to create it. Think of it as “sandwich” – you have the base but then it can be just about anything.

More often than not, in Azerbaijan, the rice (which can vary but I like long grain) is seasoned with a saffron infused water. And it’s usually layered into special porcelain bowls and served with black tea or sour drinks to help with the richness of the plov.

I was most attracted to the sweet Shirin plov which is usually vegetarian and comprised of sweet dried fruits and chestnuts. Then there is the Syudli plov which shows off the region’s dairy products (the rice is cooked in milk). We could have done more lamb and rice with the classic Kourma Plov.

And that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to plov. I wanted to combine all of them into one dish, but that would have been potentially disastrous and sacrilegious to authentic Azerbaijani plovs.

So we mostly stuck with the Parcha-Dosheme Plov, which combines those dried fruits and chestnuts with tender chicken and onions.

The other part of the plov that was important to me to try to create was the qazmaq. This is a crispy layer of rice at the bottom of the pot. Many of the recipes I found don’t include this (and maybe I see why since it is complicated to get right), but I wanted to give it a shot since I know how delicious this component is in Spanish, Korean or Persian cuisine.

The qazmaq is usually created from an egg, yogurt, and rice mixture but I also have read it can be created from potato slices or lavash bread. Either way you do it, if you get it right, no doubt it enhances the dish immensely.

SPECIAL INGREDIENTS

Saffron

You may have encountered saffron before at the grocery store and decided not to purchase it because it was too darn expensive.

It really is amazing how much those little red threads cost (sometimes as much as $500 per ounce!).

Saffron comes from the saffron crocus flower which produces only three tiny saffron thread that need to be harvested and dried. It’s a very labor intensive spice to produce and it is not in abundance at all. In fact, it takes 50,000 flowers to produce one pound of saffron.

For those that can afford it, it’s super important to specific dishes in Spain, Greece, Iran, Afghanistan, and yes, Azerbaijan.

Flavorwise, it’s very difficult to explain. I find the subtle subtle but very pleasant and rich. Floral, peppery, slightly earthy and sweet are the. best adjectives I can come up with. And yellow. It very quickly dies everything  yellow!

THE RECIPE

But Sam and I will be back soon and we’re heading to the first international country I’ve ever visited. We’re taking a little beach vacation in The Bahamas. So stay tuned. We’ll see you soon!