Azerbaijani plov with dried fruit and chestnuts

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear and soak it in 1 L of warm salted water for 3–4 hours. Pour 100 ml of boiling water over the saffron and let it steep for 10 minutes.

Cut the lamb into pieces, cover with 300 ml of water, bring to a boil and cook until tender; strain the broth and set it aside. Rinse the dried apricots and prunes.

Drain the soaked rice, place it in a large pot with 2 L of salted water and boil for 7–10 minutes, so the grains stay slightly firm inside. Drain in a colander.

Melt 40 g of butter in a heavy-bottomed pot, line the bottom with pieces of lavash, add the rice, then drizzle with the saffron infusion and another 40 g of melted butter. Cover with a lid wrapped in a clean towel and let it steam over the lowest heat for 45 minutes.

For the gara, slice the onion into half-rings and sauté in 20 g of butter until golden. Add the chestnuts, dried apricots, prunes, lamb, black pepper, turmeric, 100 ml of the strained broth and 2 g of salt. Simmer covered over low heat for 20–25 minutes.

Warm the raisins in the remaining butter for 2–3 minutes, taking care not to dry them out. Gently fluff the rice with a fork and mound it on a serving platter, serving the gara, raisins and pieces of crispy lavash alongside.