Plov

Rinse the rice in a bowl of cold water, pouring the cloudy water off and refilling, until the water runs almost clear after five or six changes.

That rinsing takes off the loose surface starch, which is the thing that glues grains together into a mass.

Cover the rinsed rice with warm water and leave it to soak for 30-60 minutes, then drain it just before you need it.

Set a kazan or a heavy wide casserole over high heat.

Render the diced tail fat for 8-10 minutes, until the pieces have shrunk to golden scraps, then lift them out; if you are using oil instead, heat it until it shimmers.

Brown the lamb in two batches for 4-5 minutes a batch, until deep brown on at least two sides.

Do not crowd the pan. Meat packed in drops the temperature, releases its liquid and greys in it instead of browning, and the colour on the meat is where the dark tone of the finished dish comes from.

Return all the meat to the pot and add the onions.

Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions have collapsed and browned at the edges.

Add the carrots and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning them only two or three times, until they have softened and coloured.

Cut the carrot into batons by hand rather than grating it. Grated carrot dissolves into the liquid within twenty minutes and leaves the rice orange and the dish without its texture.

Stir in the cumin seeds, crushed coriander seeds, barberries, dried chillies and salt.

Pour in 700ml of the boiling water, which should just cover everything.

Push the two whole heads of garlic down into the liquid.

Simmer uncovered for 40-50 minutes, until the lamb gives easily under a fork and the liquid has reduced to a dark red-brown broth about 2cm deep.

Taste this zirvak and season it a shade saltier than seems right. It is the only seasoning the rice will get, and 700g of unsalted rice is about to go on top of it.

Level the surface of the zirvak with the back of a spoon.

Spread the drained rice over it in an even layer, and do not stir it in.

From here the pot is two layers, not one. Rice stirred down into the zirvak swells in the fat and liquid and turns to a wet risotto; left sitting on top, it steams above the meat and stays separate.

Pour the remaining boiling water gently over the back of a spoon until it stands about 1.5cm above the rice.

Boil hard, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, until the surface water has gone and small craters open across the rice.

Gather the rice into a low dome with a spoon and poke five or six holes down through it to the base with the handle, which lets trapped steam out and stops the bottom stewing.

Turn the heat as low as it goes, wrap the lid in a clean tea towel and clamp it on.

Steam for 20-25 minutes, without lifting the lid, until the grains are tender to the tooth with no chalk in the middle.

Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 10-15 minutes.

Lift out the garlic heads and the chillies and set them aside.

Turn the rice and zirvak over together with a wide spoon and pile it onto a warm platter.

Sit the meat and the whole garlic heads on top, for people to squeeze the soft cloves out themselves.