An Uzbekistan Plov Feast with “Sunshine Girl” Dildora Muzafari & Mark Kurlyandchik
There’s an old saying in Uzbekistan: “Plov is love,” and hospitality is the most important law in Uzbek life.
Clear your calendars frame family… as next up on the frame turntable comes a traditional Uzbekistan Plov Feast hosted by frame favorite food writer, Mark Kurlyandchik. Join us as we learn about the Central Asian country’s rich culture and taste our way through a feast built around its national dish: PLOV.
Mark writes: “That simple message — ‘plov is love’ — is delivered via a mound of cumin-perfumed rice, oil-slicked with carrots and hunks of lamb and always hiding a whole head or two of garlic. The dish found its way into homes, hearts, and stomachs across the former Soviet Union, where it became a staple on dinner tables, providing a kind of nourishment synonymous with a mother’s love even though the leanest years of Brezhnevian Stagnation.”
There’s another Uzbek saying: “A Poor Man Eats Plov. A Rich Man Eats Only Plov.” In 2016, UNESCO formally recognized Uzbekistan’s plov culture and tradition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. And yet, those of us who grew up eating plov in post-Soviet households and know its contribution to humanity intimately would have to cook it ourselves. Or drive to Chicago to indulge in all its nostalgic glory. Simply put, plov’s essential message has been largely absent from the Detroit-area dining scene…until now, of course!
Prepare to meet Dildora Muzafari, a Detroit tour guide and author whose new memoir, Sunshine Girl: My Journey from the Soviet Orient to the Western World, details her incredible life story growing up in a conservative Uzbek household in Tashkent, breaking free of its cage-like traditions for forbidden love, and crossing the Iron Curtain to escape the shackles of communism.
Written in plain English of someone who speaks five languages, Sunshine Girl provides a clear-eyed view into a Soviet-era Uzbekistan teeming with spice markets and bountiful fruits, and a window into a culture still unknown to many outside of it (even those of us who grew up eating its national treasure).Straight from the frame kitchen… Serving Plov and Lots of Love. Uzbekistan, frame-style.
Uzbekistan PLOV Menu
{{ welcome }} Samosa Uzbek-style Samosa: Baked Pastry Dumpling filled with PumpkinSunday, September 26th & October 10th Parties of 1 to 6 4pm & 7pm $62 per person + fees + taxes Option #1 Socially distanced outside patio seating @ frame Option #2 Socially distanced inside seatings @ frame Parties of 1 to 6 Included: A Traditional Plov Feast by “Sunshine Girl” Dildora Muzafari & Mark Kurlyandchik Additional: A Perfectly Paired Wine Pairing by frame’s Sommelier and Wine Director Sean Crenny. Gorgeous bespoke cocktails by mixtress Jaz’min Weaver.
Pre-Covid canceled frame tickets: If you have a frame credit that you would like to use for this experience please email us here and we will happily honor your credit. Covid Protocols at frame Please know that our response plan includes every measure of the protocol on workplace infection-control practice and health and safety training for both dine-in and carry-out. Masks are required when entering the patio @ frame, inside @ frame, and walking around the building but can be taken off once seated. booking parties of six to dine in our new frame format; preserving the uniqueness of the frame experience while staying extremely conscious of the role we play in minimizing the spread of coronavirus. Give the year-round gift of frame With an ever-changing line-up of chef residencies, wine workshops, chef-taught cooking classes, food and film collaborations, book dinners, cocktail masterclasses, summer school, and more, no two days at frame are ever the same. frame gift cards are available in any denomination and make year-round gift-giving really easy! Purchase an eGift or mail a physical gift card HERE
Tickets on Sale Now. Please choose: the patio@ frame (sold for 1-6 guests) or the frame dining room (sold for 1-6 guests) Looking to book more than 8 for a celebration, email us here and let’s host a little party together!