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Azerbaijani cuisine

Plov (saffron rice)

Buttery saffron rice served with "gara": meat cooked with chestnuts and dried fruit. The centrepiece of a festive table.

Well-cooked hot dish

Plov (saffron rice) — dish photo
Plov (saffron rice) — Azerbaijani cuisine. Photograph of the dish.

Ingredients

  • long-grain rice
  • butter
  • saffron
  • lamb or chicken
  • onion
  • chestnuts
  • dried apricots
  • raisins
  • salt

How it is prepared

The rice is par-boiled in salted water, drained and steamed in a pot over a crust (gazmakh). The meat is stewed separately with onion, chestnuts and dried fruit.

Food safety with low immunity

  • Cook meat right through: steaming hot inside, with no pink parts or pink juices.
  • Cool cooked rice within an hour, refrigerate it and eat it within 24 hours: bacteria that make toxins can multiply in rice left at room temperature.

Your diet during treatment is agreed with your doctor. Sample 7-day menu for the treatment period →

Storage

Cool rice dishes within 1 hour, refrigerate and eat within 24 hours. Do not keep them at room temperature.

Reheating

Only once, until steaming hot. Never reheat rice a second time.

Symptoms it may suit

  • Low appetite. Gives a lot of energy and protein in a small portion — can help when appetite is low.
  • Weight loss. Energy-dense and easy to enrich (oil, cheese, yoghurt) — can help with weight loss.

These are general observations: what suits you can change from day to day.

Treatment phases

  • Before treatmentmay suit
  • During a coursemay suit
  • Low counts (neutropenia)Freshly cooked and hotmay suit
  • Between coursesmay suit
  • After treatmentmay suit

Phase notes are general. During low counts, follow only your care team’s food rules.

If you have other conditions

  • Heart disease, Obesity, Liver disease, Stomach and gut. Can be fatty. With heart, liver or digestive disease, or excess weight, discuss fat content and portions with your team.
  • Diabetes. Rich in carbohydrates (rice, potato, dough). With diabetes, discuss portion size and blood sugar with your team.
  • Kidney disease. Can be a source of potassium (tomato, potato, pulses, dried fruit). With kidney disease, discuss potassium limits with your team.

Nutrition (per 100 g)

Nutrition figures from a reliable source have not been added for this dish yet.

More from this cuisine

Azerbaijan: food database → · Country page →

Related topics

Food safetyNeutropenic diet (low-microbial diet)PasteurisedCore cooking temperatureLeftoversCross-contamination

Sources

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Safer Food Choices for People With Weakened Immune Systems
  2. FoodSafety.gov (U.S. HHS). Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature
  3. USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Leftovers and Food Safety
  4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food Safety for Older Adults and People with Cancer, Diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Organ Transplants, and Autoimmune Diseases
  5. Food Standards Agency (UK). Chilling
  6. World Health Organization (WHO). Five keys to safer food manual
  7. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Food Safety During Cancer Treatment
  8. National Cancer Institute (NCI). Eating Hints: Before, during, and after Cancer Treatment
  9. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, 2019. Neutropenic diets to prevent cancer infections: updated systematic review and meta-analysis
  10. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). FoodData Central — Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS)
Medical disclaimerThis information is for educational purposes only and does not replace medical advice.

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