Pilaf (polo) is one of the most appreciated dishes among Uighur people. We cook it only for VIP guests and only on special occasions like festivals and at weddings.
Ingredients for Pilaf are fresh mutton, carrots, onions, vegetable oil, melted sheep’s fat and rice. There are more than 10 kinds of this rice dish, mainly mutton, beef, chicken and vegetarian versions (the latter being without meat), but the most common one is with mutton. Pilaf is usually eaten by hand and is regarded as the best food of Uighur people. Thus we have a saying which is “pilaf is for the men.”
Cooking method and legend
First cut the mutton into small squares and cook together with edible oil. After a while, add some onion, carrots, water and refined salt. Twenty minute later add the rice. Wait for another forty minutes and the polo is done.
The legend behind this famous dish goes like this. It is said that more that a thousand years ago, a doctor named Abdulwali was in poor health in his old age. No medicine could help him. In search for a cure, the doctor concocted a meal which he ate twice a day for half a month until he miraculously recovered. His neighbors was amazed at his good health and asked him about it. He told the secret to them and the recipe was passed around. That is polo today.