Pilaf is a standard recipe. How to cook crumbly pilaf? Step-by-step cooking recipe with photo

Pilaf is a dish that is cooked in different countries of the world according to their own national recipes. Any option for preparing this delicious hearty treat will delight eaters with a rich meat aroma, crumbly cereals and a bright taste of various spices. And in order to cook real pilaf, to cook, or rather to stew it, it is necessary in a cauldron or other thick-walled dish. In this case, the rice grains will not stick together and turn into ordinary porridge, but will remain intact. Numerous folk recipes involve the use of not only rice, but also other cereals for cooking pilaf. Traditional lamb meat can be successfully replaced with beef, pork, chicken and even fish. A special type of pilaf is sweet pilaf with dried fruits.

There are many, but all of them are united by the right choice of dishes, types of rice, meat, vegetables and spices. Let's start with rice.

Rice

For the preparation of pilaf, strong varieties of rice with transparent grains of medium length, with low starchiness are needed. Thai and Indian rice varieties, long grain, parboiled and wild rice are not suitable for pilaf. The best option is Uzbek and Tajik rice. Choose oshpar, belay alanga, akmarzhan, devzira, round Krasnodar rice, barakat.

Before cooking pilaf, you need to properly prepare the rice - sort it out, rinse it several times, soak it for a couple of hours in salted water.

Meat

The best meat for a dish is undoubtedly lamb - brisket, shoulder and back. Take twice as much meat if you have it with bones. Pork and beef are also suitable for pilaf. But do not take veal - the pilaf will not be so fragrant.

Oil and spices

Pilaf is cooked in corn oil or fat tail fat, seasoned with cumin, barberry berries, hot pepper, the rest of the spices are optional. But do not take ready-made spice mixtures, supposedly for pilaf, they will not give the dish the desired flavor.

Dishes

You need to cook pilaf in a thick-bottomed cast-iron pan with straight walls. Never take thin-walled and enameled dishes for pilaf.

Basic classic recipe

So let's get started.

1. Take the meat, fry it until golden brown, remove it from the pan and fry the onion in half rings in the same fat. Place the meat back in the pot.
2. Stir the onion and meat, heat them for 5 minutes and add the carrots, chopped (not grated!).
3. Fry everything for 2-3 minutes without stirring, then mix all the ingredients and fry for 10 minutes, stirring gently.
4. Add spices, fry a little more and cover with boiling water.
5. Next you need to add pepper and barberry berries.
6. Simmer the dish over low heat until the water has completely evaporated. This usually takes from 40 minutes to one and a half hours. About 10 minutes before the end of cooking, the meat part needs to be slightly salted.
7. When the meat part (zirvak) is ready, you need to make the fire maximum, put the unpeeled head of garlic and washed, well-dried rice in a saucepan, then slowly pour in boiled water - it should cover the rice by 2-3 cm.
8. Bring the dish to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the rice comes out from under the water, while it should be half cooked.
9. Next, you need to put a plate on the rice, close the pan with a lid, make the fire minimal and simmer the pilaf for another 20 minutes.
10. At the end of cooking, remove the pilaf from the heat, stir and serve immediately.

Pork pilaf in a cauldron

The dish is quite high in calories, it is better to eat it for lunch.

Ingredients:

• 200 g of pork;
• 200 g of rice;
• 200 g carrots;
• 200 g onions;
• 40 ml of vegetable oil;
• 1 clove of garlic;
• salt, ground black pepper - to taste.

Cooking like this:

1. Pour vegetable oil into the cauldron, heat.
2. Cut the meat into pieces, fry until tender on all sides.
3. Cut the onions into half rings, put them on top of the meat.
4. Grate or chop carrots, add to the bulk, stew the products.
5. Pour in the washed rice, pour in warm water, it should cover the food with two fingers.
6. Season with salt to taste, add black pepper.
7. Put a whole head of garlic 10-15 minutes before the end of cooking.
8. Warm up until the water evaporates, turn off the fire, let the dish come under the lid.

You can serve vegetable salad with pork pilaf.

Loose pilaf with chicken

Delicate and fragrant treat with poultry meat. The dish is suitable for a children's table

We will need:

• 750 g chicken;
• 600 ml of water;
• 400 g of rice;
• 350 g carrots;
• 1 large onion
• 1 head of garlic;
• italian herbs, hard pepper - 5 g each;
• cumin, thyme, turmeric, salt - 5 g each

Cooking method.

1. Wash the rice, add to warm water, leave for 40 minutes.
2. Peel the onion, cut into half rings. Grate the carrots, peel the garlic and divide into wedges.
3. Wash the chicken, chop into medium-sized pieces.
4. Pour vegetable oil into the pan, put the chicken, fry until a delicious crust.
5. Pour in onions, brown, add carrots, heat all together for 4 minutes.
6. Salt the mass, add cumin, thyme, hot pepper, turmeric, Italian herbs. Pour in 550 ml of water, add garlic.
7. Bring the mixture to a boil, simmer covered over low heat for half an hour.
8. Add rice, add some water, simmer pilaf for 25 minutes. Remove the garlic when serving.

Decorate the pilaf with parsley sprigs.

Lamb pilaf recipe

Simple pilaf without spices and dried fruits, the dish is quickly prepared.

Required components:

• 2 liters of water;
• 1 kg of stewed lamb;
• 400 g of rice;
• 100 ml of vegetable oil;
• 3 medium onions;
• 3 medium carrots;
• 2 head of garlic;
• ground red pepper and salt - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Warm the cauldron, pour in refined vegetable oil, fry the lamb.
2. Cut the onion into half rings, carrots into bars or strips.
3. Put onion to meat, fry for 10 minutes, add carrots, simmer for 25 minutes, heat - medium, stir.
4. Add salt, red pepper, put the heads of garlic in the center.
5. Rinse the rice, put on top of the roast.
6. Pour in hot water, it should cover the food by 1 centimeter.
7. Simmer under the lid for 15 to 20 minutes, the heat is low.

When serving, put the meat on top, garnish with herbs.

How to cook pilaf in a cauldron

You need to know how to cook traditional pilaf. To help - a step-by-step recipe and the right products.

Composition:

• 1 kg of fatty meat pulp;
• 720 g basmati rice;
• 60 g dark raisins;
• 2 medium onions;
• 2 large carrots;
• 2 heads of garlic;
• 1 cup vegetable oil;
• cumin, coriander seeds, salt - 1 tablespoon each. (incomplete).

Step by step recipe:

1. Peel and chop the carrots into large strips without using a grater. Cut the onions into half rings. Peel the garlic cloves.
2. Rinse fatty meat and dry.
3. Heat refined vegetable oil, fry vegetables and meat cut into slices. Roasting time - 6-7 minutes.
4. Add washed rice.
5. 17 minutes after the start of frying the zirvak, add salt, cumin, coriander to it.
6. Put cereals on top, pour in water. The liquid should cover the food.
7. Simmer the pilaf until the liquid evaporates.
8. Add dark pitted raisins, salt. Squeeze a few heads of garlic into the rice.
9. Darken the dish for another half hour, then cover the cauldron with a blanket and let stand for 20 minutes.

When serving, remove the garlic, garnish the pilaf with herbs.

Pork pilaf in a slow cooker

To make the dish tasty and appetizing, you need to cook a good roast.

You will need:

• 500 g of pork ribs;
• 150 ml of vegetable oil;
• 4 medium carrots;
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 2 medium onions;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 1 d.l. salt
• ground black pepper, barberry, turmeric, paprika, suneli hops to taste.

Steps of preparation.

1. Soak long rice in hot water, then rinse with warm water.
2. Pour the groats into the multicooker bowl. Set the "Fry" mode for 20 minutes.
3. Heat vegetable oil, put onions, fry until golden brown.
4. Add the sliced \u200b\u200bpork and fry all together for 5-7 minutes.
5. Cut the carrots into strips, put in the roast, stir and heat for 5 minutes.
6. Pour boiling water over meat and vegetables, add spices for pilaf: ground black pepper, barberry, turmeric, paprika, hops-suneli. Set the "Extinguishing" mode for 20 minutes.
7. Add washed rice, salt, add 500 ml of boiling water so that the water covers the rice by 2 fingers. Add a whole head of garlic.
8. Close the multicooker, cook in the "Pilaf" mode for 40 minutes. When ready, stir the groats with meat.

Serve the pilaf with fresh herbs and vegetables.

Uzbek pilaf with lamb

Lamb is traditionally used to create an Uzbek or Samarkand saw. Pilaf is the main dish of the East.

Ingredient List:

• 1 kg of lamb;
• 1 kg of carrots;
• 1 kg of rice;
• 300 ml of vegetable oil;
• 4 onions;
• 2 dry hot peppers;
• 2 heads of garlic;
• 1 tsp coriander seeds;
• cumin and dried barberry - 1 tbsp each;
• salt to taste.

Recipe step by step:

1. Rinse the rice well. Wash the meat thoroughly and cut into cubes.
2. Peel the carrots and 3 onions.
3. Cut the carrots into 1 cm thick bars, onions into half rings. Peel the garlic, do not separate the slices.
4. Warm up the cauldron well, pour in vegetable oil.
5. Add a whole peeled onion, fry until black, then remove and discard.
6. Fry chopped onions for 7 minutes, add meat, fry together until golden brown.
7. Add carrots, fry everything together for 3 minutes, do not stir, then mix and heat, stirring for 10 minutes.
8. Grind coriander and cumin with your fingers or in a mortar and pestle. Add spices to the roast, season with salt, add barberry.
9. Reduce heat to medium, cook 8-10 minutes until carrots are tender. Pour in boiling water, it should cover the food by 2 centimeters. Put hot pepper, simmer zirvak for 1 hour.
10. Put the pre-soaked cereals on the frying in an even layer, pour boiling water in a layer of 3 cm. The water should be absorbed.
11. Put the heads of garlic and drown in the mass, continue to simmer the pilaf until fully cooked. Turn off the stove, cover the food with a flat plate, top - a lid. Let stand for half an hour.

When serving, garnish pilaf with stewed garlic heads and herbs.

Beef pilaf

A classic recipe for a hearty and beautiful meal for a family dinner or a holiday.

We will need:

• 500 g of beef;
• 500 g carrots;
• 350 g of onions;
• 200 ml of vegetable oil;
• 1.2 liters of water;
• 3 cups parboiled rice
• 1 head of garlic;
• 1 pinch of hot pepper;
• cumin, dried barberry, ground black pepper - ½ tsp each;
• salt and turmeric - 1 tsp each

Cooking like this:

1. Cut the carrots into small strips with a knife or with a vegetable cutter. Cut the onion into small cubes.
2. Cut the beef into medium-sized pieces.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a cast-iron pan or cauldron, fry the beef until crusty.
4. Add vegetables, simmer all together for 5 minutes.
5. Pour in salt, dried barberry, cumin, hot ground pepper, black pepper, turmeric. Mix the ingredients, simmer covered over low heat for 35-40 minutes.
6. Pour in boiling water, bring to a boil, add pre-washed rice. Cover the pilaf with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Add the head of garlic, continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
8. Remove the finished dish from the heat, stir, wrap the cauldron with a blanket, let stand.

Serve the dish hot, garnish with herbs.

Cooking in Azerbaijani

The difference in cooking pilaf in Azerbaijani from Uzbek pilav is that rice is cooked separately from vegetables.

Required products:

• 700 g long grain rice;
• 700 g lamb;
• 200 g butter;
• 150 g dried apricots;
• 100 g of prunes;
• 100 g chestnuts;
• 100 g raisins;
• 2 medium onions;
• 1 egg;
• 1 tsp turmeric;
• salt.

Cooking:

1. Soak rice in cool water, salt, leave to swell for 2 hours.
2. Cut the lamb into pieces, boil in salted water, remove the foam.
3. Wash dried apricots, seedless raisins, dried prunes. Pour boiling water over for 10 minutes. Make cross cuts on the chestnuts. Blanch for 5 minutes. Discard in a colander, pour over cool water, remove the skin. Put the peeled fruits in water, cook for 7 minutes, the heat is low.
4. Peel the onion, cut into strips.
5. Heat the pan well, melt the butter, fry the onions until golden brown.
6. Add dried fruits to the pan, put the meat. Simmer for 15 minutes, stir. Boiling water can be added if necessary.
7. Strain the rice, boil in a new portion of water, add salt, and drain in a colander. It is important not to digest the product.
8. Mix 5 tablespoons in a small container. boiled long rice with turmeric and chicken egg.
9. Melt the butter separately (leave 5 g), add salt and turmeric. You can use a water bath or microwave. Grease a cauldron or thick-walled skillet with the remaining butter. Put the egg mixture on the bottom. The next layer is fig. Saturate with spice oil. Cover with a plate, then a lid, simmer over low heat. When serving, place the meat on top of the rice.

Decorate the pilaf with dried fruits.

Real Tajik pilaf

For classic pilaf, lamb and fat tail fat are used.

Ingredients:

• 2 kg of lamb;
• 1 kg of onions;
• 1 kg of carrots;
• 1 kg of rice;
• 250 g fat tail fat;
• spices, garlic, salt.

Cooking steps.

1. Cut the meat into large pieces. Grind fat tail fat. Warm the cauldron red hot, add fat, heat until cracklings appear, remove the pieces. Put meat in fat, fry, stirring occasionally.
2. Peel the onions, cut into thin half rings, add to the meat.
3. Peel and cut the carrots into bars, add half of the product to the cauldron, fry.
4. Add the rest of the carrots, cover with water. Add salt and spices to taste, cook everything together until the meat is tender.
5. Add the washed rice, put the head of garlic in the center. Cook until tender under the lid.
6. Pierce the rice several times with a stick. Fire - weak, extinguishing time - 20 minutes. Hold the pilaf under the lid and serve.

For Tajik pilaf, you can use cumin, black and ground hot peppers, coriander, barberry, dried garlic, paprika, saffron.

With the addition of dried fruits

An original dish, for the preparation of pilaf with dried fruits, you can use dates, figs, cherry plum, dried plums, dried apricots, dried apples, raisins.

Required:

• 500 g long grain rice ;;
• 300 g butter;
• 100 g of honey;
• 50 g of nuts;
• dried fruits - 80 g each;
• cardamom, vanillin, cinnamon - ¼ tsp each

Preparation:

1. Rinse the rice well.
2. Put butter, salt in a liter of boiling water, add rice, cook over low heat.
3. Fry dried fruits and nuts in a saucepan in butter. Add natural honey, hot water. The liquid should cover the dried fruit by two centimeters. Cook for five minutes. The recommended spices are cinnamon, vanillin, cardamom.
4. Put the finished rice on a dish, pour over the dried fruit sauce.

For cooking it is better to use light honey, nuts - if possible and desired.

Pilaf is not so terrible as it is painted, - considers chef Roman Burtsev... “Let the connoisseurs love to increase their worth by talking about the fact that“ you need special rice for pilaf ”,“ you can't cook pilaf without cunning spices, ”etc. After such arguments, many do not even dare to approach the cauldron.

There is no one correct recipe for pilaf. There are hundreds of them. Only the Uzbek pilaf has more than a dozen varieties: Fergana, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khorezm. There is also a wedding one with dolma, yogurt, cherries, plums. As soon as a new ingredient is added, another type of pilaf is immediately obtained. In some countries, they like a sweetish dish, in others - a spicy one, in others rice is cooked separately from meat. In Russia, pilaf is most often understood as Uzbek pilaf made from rice, carrots, onions and meat (in the original - lamb, but it can be replaced with beef, pork or chicken). In the classic recipe, equal proportions of rice, carrots and meat are taken (for 8 servings - 1 kg each), onion - a little less (200 g).

The birth of pilaf is associated with the name of Tamerlane.
Concerned about the decline in the strength of his soldiers, he turned to the mullah for help, who suggested the following way to cope with hunger in the army: “We must take a large cast-iron cauldron. Put in it the meat of not old, but also not very young lambs, selected rice, swelling with pride, which will be eaten by brave warriors, young carrots, blushing with joy, and a sharp onion sting like the sword of the highly esteemed emir. All this must be cooked on a fire until the smell of the prepared dish reaches Allah, and the cook collapses in exhaustion, because he tastes the divine food. " Pilaf saved the army of Tamerlane and became the main food of the inhabitants of Central Asia. Today this dish is a decoration of both festive and everyday dastarkhan (table).

Step 1: heat the oil, fry the onion

The first step is to thoroughly heat the cauldron and pour a glass of refined vegetable oil into it (in the classical recipe, pilaf fat is not usually spared, at least 2 glasses of oil are poured into a 5-liter cauldron and fat tail fat is also added). Then you need to wait for the oil to heat up (its readiness can be understood by clicking when you throw in a pinch of salt), and then put onions cut into half rings (200 g).

Step 2: roast meat and carrots

When the onions are browned, add the diced meat (1 kg) and carrots (1 kg). The latter is not rubbed on a grater, but cut into large strips about 4 cm long and 0.5 wide. In Uzbekistan, yellow carrots are used for pilaf (there is less water in it), but in our conditions this can be neglected and the usual orange one can be taken.

Step 3: add salt and spices

When the meat with onions and carrots is fried, you need to pour in a little water, add 2 tablespoons of salt, put 4 whole heads of garlic peeled from the husk and Uzbek spices: 2 teaspoons of barberry, 1 teaspoon of cumin and a coffee spoon of turmeric or a pinch of saffron. If the spices are not found, it will turn out not Uzbek, but Kazakh pilaf (Kazakhs do not put barberry and cumin in pilaf, in their opinion, the spices interrupt the true taste of meat with rice).

Step 4: put the rice

When the meat becomes soft, remove the garlic and put rice in an even layer (1 kg) in a cauldron. Ideally, if you manage to buy an Uzbek variety on the market. If not, Krasnodar, arborio, basmati or sushi rice are perfect. The main thing is to rinse the rice several times before sending it to the cauldron and soak it in salt water for at least 2 hours. The liquid will take starch from the grains, the salt will help not to stick together, and the pilaf will turn out to be crumbly, and not like rice porridge.

Step 5: cook without a lid

Rice in a cauldron must be poured with water so that there is at least 2 cm of liquid above the surface of the grains. You can not interfere with the contents of the cauldron and close it with a lid. Let it gurgle until the rice has completely absorbed the water.

Step 6: with lid

Collect the rice with a slide, make several punctures in it with the handle of a scooper, put the heads of garlic removed before, close the lid tightly and simmer for at least half an hour over low heat. Only after that, the dish can be mixed, having fished out delicious fried pieces of meat with carrots from the bottom, put the finished pilaf on plates and sprinkle with cilantro.

Azerbaijani pilaf

Photo: Shutterstock.com

Ingredients

• Meat (beef or lamb) - 500 g
• Rice - 300 g
• Onions - 2 pcs.
• Dried cherry plum - a handful
• Refined sunflower oil - 1 cup
• Turmeric (or saffron) - a pinch
• Greens (dill, cilantro, parsley) - a small bunch
• Salt, pepper - a pinch
• Lavash - 1 pc.

How to cook:

1. Chop the onions and fry them in vegetable oil.
2. Add diced meat to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add a small amount of water (even better, broth), bring to a boil and add washed dried cherry plum.
4. Simmer meat until tender.
5. Prepare flap rice separately. Peel the groats, soak for several hours in cold water with salt, rinse in warm water, boil until half cooked in a large amount of boiling water and drain in a colander.
6. Heat oil in a cauldron, put lavash on the bottom, cover it with half-baked rice, add water and bring the cereal to readiness. Then stir it, paint with saffron or turmeric. This part of the dish is called kaurma.
7. Place the rice on a dish. Put the prepared meat with cherry plum on top and sprinkle the pilaf with herbs.

Fish pilaf with tomatoes

Photo: Shutterstock.com

Ingredients:

• Fish (fillet) - 750 g
• Rice - 1 glass
• Tomatoes - 5 pcs.
• Onions - 2 pcs.
• Garlic - 1 clove
• Thyme, marjoram, salt, pepper - pinch each
• Tomato paste - 2 tbsp spoons
• Juice lemon - quarter
• Refined sunflower oil -
• 0.5 cups

How to cook:

1. Boil rice in salted water.
2. Fry chopped onion, crushed garlic and finely chopped tomatoes for 5 minutes separately.
3. Add tomato paste.
4. Pour oil into a cauldron (or other dish with a thick bottom), then put rice, then vegetables, salt, thyme and marjoram.
5. Top with sliced \u200b\u200bfish fillets, sprinkle with 2 tbsp. tablespoons of lemon juice and simmer until tender, covered.

Vegetarian pilaf with pumpkin and dried fruits

Photo: Shutterstock.com

Ingredients:

• Rice - 3 cups
• Pumpkin - 400 g
• Carrots - 3 pcs.
• Bulb onions - 2 pcs.
• Raisins - 100 g
• Dried apricots - 200 g
• Zira - a pinch
• Coriander seeds - a pinch
• Vegetable oil - 0.5 cups

How to cook:

• Rinse the rice several times in cold water. The water should eventually become transparent.
• Warm up the cauldron. Then pour vegetable oil into the cauldron so that it is thoroughly calcined.
• Peel the carrots and cut into strips.
• Cut the pumpkin pulp into cubes.
• Rinse dried fruits (raisins and dried apricots).
• Put onions and carrots in boiling oil and fry over high heat for a couple of minutes.
• Add chopped pumpkin and fry for a couple of minutes.
• Pour in two glasses of hot water, add a little salt, cumin and coriander.
• Put dried fruits in a cauldron, and then washed rice in an even layer and smooth. The water should cover the rice by about 1 cm.
• 1Close the cauldron with a lid and cook the pilaf over high heat until the water leaves the rice surface.
• After that, fold the rice in the cauldron with a slide using a slotted spoon.
• Close the lid again, reduce heat to low and cook until the water is completely evaporated.
• Serve hot.

Kazakh chicken pilaf with dried fruits and nuts

Photo: Shutterstock.com

Ingredients:

• Chicken - 500 g
• Carrots - 300 g
• Rice - 1 glass
• Refined sunflower oil - 0.5 cups
• Onions - 1 pc.
• Chicken broth - 0.5 cups
• Raisins (light raisins) - 60 g
• Dried apricots - 100 g
• Dates (or prunes) - 100 g
• Walnut - 100 g
• Hops-suneli - 2 tsp

How to cook:

1. Heat the oil in a cauldron and fry the chicken cut into pieces (with bones).
2. As soon as the chicken is browned, add the chopped onions, carrots and hop-suneli spice.
3. Pour in chicken broth, simmer, add a glass of rice and water up to 1.5 cm above the surface of the grains.
4. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed into the rice.
5. Close the cauldron with a lid and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.
6. While the pilaf is cooking, separately fry the raisins, dried apricots, dates (or prunes) and walnuts in oil.
7. Throw the contents of the cauldron onto a large dish - the rice will turn out at the bottom, and the chicken pieces with carrots and onions at the top. Put dried fruits on top of the finished pilaf.

Which cauldron to choose?

Cast iron

If you create a rating of the cauldrons available for sale, the first place will come to the classic of the genre - cast iron. In the East, it is believed that the older the dishes, the better - over the years of use, its pores become clogged with oil, the inner walls are covered with a layer of fat, and the food does not burn. The cast-iron cauldron has excellent thermal conductivity, and pilaf is not just cooked and fried in it, but languishes.

Aluminum

In second place in popularity are aluminum and duralumin cauldrons. The latter are made with additions of copper, magnesium, iron and manganese and weigh a little less than those made of "pure" metal. The main advantage of aluminum cauldrons is ease of use. In order not to drag a heavy cast-iron boiler around the stove, Uzbek housewives choose the duralumin.

Copper

There is one more metal from which real oriental cauldrons are made - this is copper. Unlike the Uzbeks, who will not exchange cast-iron dishes for anything, the Azerbaijanis and Iranians choose exactly copper pots. They believe that perfect pilaf is obtained only in such dishes.

Non-stick

Today in stores you can find new types of cauldrons - enameled, made of stainless steel and having a non-stick coating. As the Central Asian chefs say, this is just an imitation of an oriental pot. Wok pots and French braziers don't quite work either. If we are looking for a replacement for the cauldron, then it is better to stop at the usual ducklings or gosyatnitsa - they are cast iron and aluminum and have thick walls.

The other day I looked at different resources pilaf recipes... As a person who has cooked this dish, probably more than one hundred times, I can only shrug my shoulders and offer to cook "natural pilaf". More precisely - Uzbek pilaf. And even more precisely - the Fergana version of the Uzbek pilaf, which simply does not exist in nature “more natural” (I will refrain from a lengthy ethnographic and culinary reference).

Of course, as soon as I give a set of products that is actually available to the average citizen, there will immediately be "apologists of the classics": they say, cottonseed oil was not used, red carrots were used instead of yellow, pilaf was made not on a fire, but on a stove, and so on. However, for those who really want to cook real pilaf, I will say: do not listen to the "apologists". Pilaf is a dish that forgives liberties in insignificant details. But he does not forgive fundamental miscalculations. One of such fundamental components of pilaf is the fact that pilaf is a living organism, and not a male, but a female, which requires, therefore, an appropriate attitude towards itself.

Armed with a serious understanding of this circumstance (just below its essence I will explain clearly), we can safely get down to business.

To begin with, I propose to cook pilaf based on small proportions of products. With such pilaf it will be possible to feed 5-6 people to the dump and not make almost a single fundamental mistake during its preparation. Later, if desired, the proportions can be increased and, with more experience, cook pilaf for at least 20 people, at least 100.

So, for a "small" pilaf we need:

1. A kilogram of rice, preferably hard varieties. For example, rice devzira, which is now in almost any market at 200-250 rubles per kilo (the photo will be placed below), or its varieties, like chungara. Or - other rice varieties that have proven themselves in Central Asian pilafs - laser, alanga, basmati, etc. I want to remind once again what I have said more than once: the choice of rice for pilaf must be approached very carefully, not only considering that this is the main component of the dish, but also the fact that the dish itself is relatively laborious in terms of time and technological costs. You need it - after making a lot of effort, to experience disappointment at the finish line just because any kind of rice was bought in any shop near the station? I think no.

2. About a kilogram of medium-well-fed mutton, of which a third is bones, two-thirds is meat. By the way, I will add that talk about pilaf being prepared exclusively from lamb is nothing more than talk. And they are idle. Especially considering the undisputed primacy of rice in this dish. However, lamb is the most preferred meat in it.

3. 100 grams of lamb lard, better than fat tail, although it (for lack of) can be replaced with lard cut from other parts of the carcass. It is absolutely necessary to avoid the use of interior lard - because of its pronounced "foreign" and, to put it mildly, not the best taste.

4. A kilo of red juicy carrots. There is a yellow one (which I doubt) - very good.

5. Three medium onion heads.

6. Two heads of garlic.

7.150 grams of vegetable oil (refined).

8. MANDATORY: one and a half to two teaspoons of cumin (cumin). Don't even grab pilaf without it.

9. 1-2 whole hot pepper pods (optional).

10. Salt to taste.

11. As an option, you can use several grains of dry barberry, but it has absolutely no effect on the taste of future pilaf.
Since I have a gas stove, I will cook pilaf in a cast-iron cauldron, which is traditional for this dish, although it is not forbidden to use other dishes. It depends on the conditions you have - whether it's a fire, a gas or an electric stove. From the "tool" you need a slotted spoon. A scapula or, moreover, a spoon, is not only uncomfortable, but at certain stages it is harmful.

So, first of all, we make 100% preparation of products for pilaf - there will be no time to do cutting during frying.

1. Separate the meat from the bones and cut into small pieces, as for goulash. We do not throw away the bones.

2. Cut fat into small cubes - about a centimeter by centimeter.

3. Cut the onion into thin rings.

4. Carrots (we do not scrape the skin, but cut off) we cut into thin strips, manually, without resorting to the help of any kitchen devices. Sometimes, to decorate pilaf, one or two whole carrots are added to the chopped carrots, which are fried according to a slightly different algorithm than the main one. Since with the "average", that is, mostly sold on our shelves, carrots sometimes have misunderstandings (during heat treatment they crumble and cease to keep their shape), I began to practice this trick. Sprinkle the chopped carrots with lemon juice, add a few pinches of granulated sugar, mix and leave to “lie down” for 15-20 minutes. Thus, it becomes much more resistant to temperatures and does not fall apart. However, as observations have shown, this applies only to some varieties of imported carrots.

5. Remove the rhizome from the garlic and remove the skin, exposing the teeth.

We strive to put all products (except rice and spices) on one wide plate, without mixing, so that they are at hand.

Cooking rice. This is what a devzira rice looks like while it is still in the pollen.

And this is how it looks after washing in several waters. Rice should be washed and sorted to remove pebbles at least two hours before cooking pilaf in order to soak it in slightly salted water. This greatly improves the properties of the rice.

So, everything is prepared, we begin to warm up the dishes well.

Pour 150-200 grams of vegetable oil into the cauldron and heat the oil to such an extent that a circle of onion thrown into it turns brown in a few seconds. As soon as the oil has warmed up, dip the lamb fat into it. But you can do the opposite - first, melt the lard and, after removing it, pour oil into the melted fat. The second method is convenient in that fats can be dosed more accurately. Provided, of course, that we were able to "fit in" well enough both to the dishes and to the rice used, since different varieties of rice have different ability to absorb fats.

There is no need to melt lard into the smoke, keeping in mind its main purpose, which, of course, is not to add your own bit of fat, but to flavor vegetable oil.

As soon as the bacon is golden, we catch it and put it on a separate plate - for pilaf it is no longer needed. Dip the seeds into the hot oil, stirring them intensively. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of cumin. ATTENTION! Remember one important thing: the color of the future pilaf largely determines the degree of roasting of the seeds. The correct degree of roasting is the persistent brown color of the meat remaining on the bones.

Now it's the turn for the bow. It should also be roasted with vigorous stirring. Its readiness is also determined by the color: the onion should be golden.

As soon as the onion is golden, we send the chopped lamb flesh to the cauldron and mix.

Fry the meat gently. We don't want it to be crusty. It is quite enough to burn it with oil (in time - no more than 7-10 minutes).

As soon as the meat has reached the specified condition, we put the carrots cut into strips into the cauldron, immediately mixing them thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients.

As a rule, with vigorous stirring, carrots reach the state we need in 10 minutes. Thinly limp, it signals the beginning of a new stage - pouring warm water into the cauldron and the formation of an important component of pilaf - a sauce, which is scientifically called zirvak.

It is very important not to be mistaken with water - it is better not to add it than to pour it over. Usually I pour water by eye, but this time I used measuring dishes, pouring 1.2 liters of food into the indicated volume. Further work showed that I got exactly in the required volume. I recommend that you fill in no more than a liter, since the rest can be added when laying rice. The water level from the frying on the top edge should be about a centimeter and a half.

Now we are waiting for the zirvak to boil and, as soon as this happens, put garlic and paprika in it (ATTENTION! The pepper must be ABSOLUTELY intact so that there are no leaks. Otherwise, the pilaf will have to be accompanied by a fire brigade). We turn down the heat, we achieve a slight even boil, watching how the zirvak is gaining color right before our eyes.

After 30 minutes of weak boiling of the zirvak, we taste it with salt and straighten it so that it tastes a little salty. Then we take out the seeds, garlic, pepper with a slotted spoon on a separate plate so that they do not interfere with us. We increase the temperature under the cauldron and gently transfer the rice, from which the water has been previously drained, into it with a slotted spoon.

First, we level the rice, ensuring uniform boiling of the zirvak around the entire circumference of the cauldron, if necessary (if the pilaf is cooked on the stove), turning the cauldron around the circumference.

That crucial moment comes when pilaf is slowly turning into a living organism. It is undesirable to mix rice with other contents of pilaf, at the same time, in order to ensure friability and running characteristic of pilaf in subsequent rice, it should be very gently stroked with a slotted spoon, as if transferring its own electricity through it to the rice. It is better to start stroking from the edges.

Gradually, with concentric movements, we get to the middle and also slowly follow back until the rice intensively absorbs the protruding sauce. Often, for a more even cooking, it is useful to collect rice from the edges of the cauldron to the middle and back.

You can even make a kind of girlish breasts of the first number out of rice and gently woo each "breast" with a slotted spoon as if the "breast" is real, and the slotted spoon is your hand. It won't hurt Rhys.

Attention, this is very important! As the zirvak decreases (absorbed by the rice), it is necessary to consistently reduce the temperature under the cauldron to avoid burning vegetables and meat. This should be done carefully so that, on the one hand, it does not completely “drown out” the process of absorption of zirvak by rice, and on the other hand, to prevent sticking. In a word, it will be necessary to choose some kind of golden temperature “middle”.

Picking up the rice from the edges to the middle, we make a characteristic bulge and for at least a minute we continue to stroke it with a slotted spoon, without making any sudden movements.

Another important point comes - tasting the readiness of the rice. For a sample, we take a few grains of rice, going deep into the rice layer for a couple of sentiments. The finished rice should be firm, but not tough on the inside, when bite through. If the slightest stiffness is found, pour no more than a glass of hot water onto the surface of the rice, level the bump and re-collect the rice from edge to middle, allowing the water to fall inside. After that, we dig out a "hole" in the middle of the rice layer, carefully return the seeds cooked in the zirvak, garlic and paprika there, add one and a half to two teaspoons of cumin ...

... and just as carefully we lay the whole thing with rice, returning the pilaf to its original spherical shape, not forgetting to iron this shape well.

If pilaf is cooked on an electric stove, leave the minimum temperature under the cauldron. If on gas, turn off the minimum fire 10 minutes after closing the lid. If it's on a fire, we remove everything, up to the embers, so that the pilaf reaches only on the inner heat of the hearth. And for at least 25 minutes we do not touch anything and let the pilaf ripen completely. In the meantime, finely chop a couple of tomatoes, cut the onion into rings and wash the onion several times in cold water. Then we add it to the tomatoes, lightly salt, pepper (only red pepper) and mix well (you can watch the video procedure for preparing this salad that goes well with pilaf).

We open the pilaf that has reached readiness, take out the pepper, garlic and seeds, putting them on a separate plate, and mix the pilaf itself with a slotted spoon. Then we put it on a large dish with a slide, put seeds, heads of garlic and pepper on top, and decorate with prepared salad of onions and tomatoes around the perimeter, as shown in the picture. That's all, actually.

Nuances that you may not know

1. The dishes in which you are going to cook pilaf must be very well warmed up before pouring oil into it. Good warming up prevents such unpleasant things as burning meat or vegetables after the rice is put on top. Of course, when setting rice for control, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime specified in the recipe. To me, frankly, the relationship between well-heated dishes and the fact that vegetables do not burn in the future is not entirely clear. But it exists and, of course, was not invented by me.

2. When pilaf is cooked on an electric or gas stove, it happens that the rice is boiled unevenly. This is also a very unpleasant thing for a ready-made dish. To prevent this from happening, the rice must be stirred from time to time (at the stage when the zirvak boils), but stir very carefully, trying not to "raise" meat and vegetables to the surface. The mixing algorithm is approximately the following: first, the surface of the rice must be leveled, then, acting with a slotted spoon like a spatula, as if scooping rice from the edges of the dishes to the middle (in a circle), leveling again and after a while repeat the operation. And so - at least three or four times. If the bones are involved in the preparation of pilaf, it is better to remove them before laying the rice and return them to the pilaf before setting the rice for uprising.

3. Before putting the rice on top (that is, covering it tightly with a lid or a suitable dish), you need to make sure that the moisture has completely evaporated. This check is best done before the rice is heaped. To do this, keeping a temperature under the dishes capable of boiling, but excluding burning, in the rice layer, you need to make several holes with a stick or the handle of a wooden spoon to the very bottom of the dishes so that liquid collects in the holes. If it is transparent, therefore, it is fat without moisture residues, and the rice can be collected up a hill and put on top. If the liquid is cloudy, then there is still moisture in the fat and it must be evaporated. Excess and even the presence of moisture in rice, which has practically cooked and became elastic, in the process of steeping rice, let's say, “digest” it and disrupt the overall consistency of the future pilaf. I repeat, you should remove excess moisture provided that the rice is practically cooked.

4. Often, errors in the proportions of oil (fats) in relation to other products in the preparation of pilaf lead to the fact that the pilaf is either “dry” or extremely fatty. The exact amount of fat with insufficient experience is very difficult to “calculate”, especially considering that different types of rice have different moisture and fat absorption coefficients. Therefore, I advise, especially if hard rice is used, to add fat a little more than the base values, since excess fat can always be removed during the cooking process, but its deficiency is almost impossible to replenish. A more or less clear “picture” of the optimal ratio of fat to the rest of the products is given by the final stage of pilaf preparation - the stage of rice preparation for pre-flotation. To do this, the surface of the rice must be leveled and ensured that the surface is dry and free from fat. Then, in the very middle of the surface, using a tablespoon, make a hole - about a centimeter and a half deep. If the bottom of the hole is slightly filled with fat, the amount of oil is chosen optimal, if there is no fat, the pilaf will turn out to be "dry" and this error will need to be taken into account for the future. If the fat is clearly too much and it comes out to the surface of the rice layer, you should arm yourself with a scoop and, pushing the rice layer in the middle, try to grab the excess fat with a scoop and remove it.

BTW

“Yesterday's” pilaf can be made “today”

Well-cooked pilaf itself is not bad the next day after warming up. And yet he is a little “different” from the day before. Recently, I managed to spy on a way to return the original taste and aroma to yesterday's pilaf. I liked this method and I applied it already on my “yesterday’s pilaf”. Try on occasion and you.

Do it like this (per serving). First, half of the middle onion head is finely crumbled.

Part of the pilaf that needs to be heated is transferred to a frying pan, the onion and pilaf are mixed and the dish is heated for several minutes over high heat (with gentle stirring). Then the temperature is reduced to a minimum, the dishes are tightly covered with a lid and left for 15 minutes.

The other half of the onion can be used for a small salad with tomatoes. That's the whole way.

MORE BY THE WAY
About pilafythology, or about harmful and funny stereotypes that arose around the preparation of pilaf

In the early eighties, my newspaper student practice took place mainly in the place where I grew up - in the Fergana Valley. This was convenient for me for a variety of reasons. First, at the very least, I came home from Moscow. Secondly, the then editor of Andijan Pravda, where I was “seconded,” was a good friend of my father, and in a sense I had a freeman. Thirdly, (why freedom was important for me) I specialized in ethnology, ethnopolitology and interethnic relations, and, therefore, I was allowed to work on a chosen topic, practically without being involved in editorial turnover, with trips to regions beyond the scope of influence regional party newspaper, and so on and so forth.

Why am I talking about this? And to the fact that in those years (maybe it still exists now, I don’t know) the competitions of pilafs (oshpoz) were very widespread, in which, due to my then specialization, I simply could not help but participate. This action usually took place either in recreation areas, or in large teahouses - where special hearths for 8-10 boilers were equipped, located round under one roof with a central chimney. Each of the 8-10 oshpoz, of course, created the Fergana version of pilaf (devzira-palov, kavurma-palov, etc. - there are a lot of local names), they brought ready dishes to the guests, and they evaluated them - with jokes, jokes and vodka, of course , - the quality of cooked pilaf.

And again - what am I talking about? And to the fact that I know about pilaf not from books or from someone's words, and not even from observing the real masters of this business directly in the Fergana Valley, participating in the competitions of oshpoz and even taking one of the prizes once. I know about pilaf, knowing the realities of the historical homeland of pilaf. And, knowing the realities, I can quite speak about the many myths bordering on shamanism that have arisen around the preparation of this dish. Shamanism and myths are not as harmless as it might seem at first glance. Not only do they give rise to mediocre recipes for very mediocre pilaf, which are perceived as basic by an inexperienced public. Mythology simply hits many on the hands and instead of pilaf, pitiful parodies of pilaf appear on their festive tables, after which one simply does not want to take up the preparation of this dish.
Let's take a look at these myths and, having disassembled, forget about their existence.

The first myth, which says that the correct pilaf can only be cooked in a cauldron, moreover, only in cast iron, for which you need to properly tinker with this cauldron. Otherwise, as they say, you won't see luck.

It would be foolish to expect from the authors of books devoted to pilaf in particular and Uzbek cuisine in general that they will offer to cook pilaf in any dish they come up with. Yes, a cauldron, especially a cast-iron cauldron, is the most optimal and most convenient "container" for cooking pilaf, especially if the pilaf is cooked over a fire and the cauldron is properly installed. The optimal, but by no means the decisive question of the "correctness" of the pilaf, all the more not the decisive question of the choice of dishes. Anyone who cooks pilaf regularly (once or twice a month, because pilaf can easily turn from a healthy dish into the opposite for health), moreover, at the stake, there is a reason to acquire a cauldron - even cast iron, even duralumin (there is a difference between them, but not so mythologically monstrous). And what should one do who does it much less often, on big holidays, but not on a fire, but, say, on an electric stove and does not want to have a heavy capacity of 8 liters on the kitchen shelf? Or is he going to someone's place to "make pilaf" and there is no cauldron there? Dry the oars? After all, the correct pilaf can only be cooked in a cauldron?

As an argument, I could give my own example of cooking more than correct pilaf in an ordinary (albeit steel) pan, and my home aluminum cauldron with a wide flat bottom and almost vertical walls (I have an electric stove) is more of a saucepan than a cauldron. But this argument, of course, will not work. Therefore, let's see: what, in fact, can prevent the preparation of good pilaf not in a cauldron.

The main technological stages of pilaf preparation are, of course, known to everyone. This is a) frying seeds, meat, onions and carrots, b) forming a zirvak (sauce) and then stewing frying in it, and c) boiling rice in a zirvak and finally boiling it under a lady (steam), which is also called steaming rice and which is described in some detail by the classics of swimming. All these steps can be easily combined either in one dish (a steel pan, thin or thick-walled, in a wok and in another suitable te.d.) or separated by roasting in a large frying pan and continuing all the rest of the steps in a steel pan.

Undoubtedly, the use of utensils unconventional for pilaf will require more careful control over the temperature regime (we are not yet talking about the fire method of cooking pilaf in a pan) and other manipulations with both inventory and the stove. But we assume that the "gasket" between the slotted spoon (kapgir) and the dishes is a perfectly accomplished plov. For a poor cook, I'm afraid, and a cast-iron cauldron ransacked by five stars will not help. Thus, the statement that good pilaf can be cooked only in a cast-iron cauldron is a myth.

The second myth, which says that real and correct pilaf is made exclusively on fat tail fat.

This myth most likely "grew" from ignorance of the true Uzbek realities that developed, alas, during the years of Soviet power (as a Marxist I sprinkle ashes on my head) - there is no need to go deeper in earlier periods. Paradoxical as it may seem, in Uzbekistan it was sometimes easier (and cheaper) to buy fat tail fat rather than cottonseed oil, which, by the way, is of the most lousy quality. For kishlak people, vegetable (cottonseed, there were no others) oil in general was sometimes considered a luxury, especially since not every general store had it. But lard - fresh or melted - was much more affordable.

I am not saying that this was a universal phenomenon, although once they went to Moscow for sausage - for some reason it was not on the periphery. But the fact took place. And pilaf cooked on pure fat tail fat was very common. But it was widespread not because pilaf on fat tail is correct and the best, but because sometimes there was no choice (I will not go into the exotic associated with zigiryog (specially prepared linseed oil)).

From the personal feelings of pilaf cooked in pure fat tail fat. It freezes almost before our eyes, although around - more than forty degrees of heat and no degrees inside (well, perhaps two or three bowls). It's heavy on the stomach. He (sorry) guarantees not the most pleasant burp the next day. “A fat tail is worse than fatty meat; it is poorly digested "- This is Abu Ali Ibn Sina (" Canon of Medicine ", book two, p. 379.)

And I will end with a quote from the modern classic of swimming - Karim Makhmudov (“Pilafs for every taste” published in 1987, p. 25): “Excess fat can greatly hinder the identification of a wonderful bouquet of aroma of these products (meaning cumin, barberry and others, including the seasonal components of pilaf - my note). In fatty pilaf, one cannot properly feel the pungency of capsicum and its unique aroma; the sensation of normal salinity is also lost in it. "

Can you make pilaf on pure fat tail fat lean? Then I’ll come to you, if you will :) But seriously: the statement that the correct pilaf is prepared only on pure fat tail fat is a myth.

The third myth, which says that vegetable oil must be heated to a bluish haze before cooking pilaf and that only cottonseed oil should be used for proper pilaf.

I have already mentioned cottonseed oil above. Anyone who has ever dealt with this oil will not allow lying: the worst of the existing vegetable oils should have been invented. Even in a well-refined, refined and deodorized version, this oil feels like cottonseed oil - with a characteristic rancid taste, a bouquet of sour tones and halftones that only intensify after warming up. Why in the historical homeland of pilaf, almost all existing roasting was made only on it, I think it is clear: cotton is a local culture, therefore oil from its seeds was and remains (even now) the most affordable, including in terms of availability and price. Largely "due" to the disgusting quality of this product, it was strongly warmed up before cooking pilaf - up to the aforementioned gray haze, in order to somehow soften the taste of the oil and make it less pronounced. Moreover, again, in order to remove unpleasant odors and tastes, the oil was flavored with animal fats or by roasting the onions in it.

These techniques, often associated exclusively with the correction of the taste of a particular oil, later migrated to the near-melting literature in the form of a mandatory admission when preparing pilaf, regardless of the oils and fats used. Well, the literature around the stream has already spawned further myth-making in terms of "gray haze" and cottonseed oil, without which pilaf is "fake".

I will not dwell on what happens to oil and fats after their strongest heating, how their chemical composition changes and how dangerous it is for health - those who are interested in this question, I think, will find where to look for the answer. A sense of proportion is necessary in everything, and the oil should be warmed up only to values \u200b\u200bthat ensure the initial intensive frying of products, but not to a "gray haze". And second: if you have something to choose from the existing refined and roasted oils - be it sunflower, corn or olive - you should not fall into a falsely understood authenticity and rush in search of the worst option (and for such, cottonseed oil is already being imported, and, by no means non-cotton regions).

Thus, the statement that the correct pilaf can be cooked only in cottonseed oil and that any oil for pilaf should be overheated is a myth, and a harmful myth.

The fourth myth: rice, after putting it in zirvak and during subsequent cooking, in no case, until it is completely ready, pilaf should not be mixed, especially with meat and vegetables. Otherwise, the rice will cook unevenly.

The undesirability of "fiddling" with rice after putting it in the zirvak is spoken not only by the pilaf-makers, but also by the classics of diving, although, to be precise, the classics do not insist on this undesirability, while the myth-makers fiercely advocate the integrity of rice (of course pilaf, which are prepared separately or if the point of serving pilaf is to make it look like a puff pastry).

The classics can be understood: in Uzbek cuisine there are dishes that are prepared similarly to pilaf (some types of mashkichiri, for example, or shavli), where mixing rice with other components is not only desirable, but also mandatory. And nothing out of the ordinary with a dish in which the main component is rice does not occur. Rice is cooked quite evenly and does not stick together (if provided by technology, as, for example, in crumbly mashkichiri). Why then, excuse me, hangover unwanted metamorphoses with rice can occur in pilaf?

It is hardly possible to find any reasonable explanation for this among the pilafythmakers, blinkered at the inviolability of the myth they themselves invented. It's a pity! Mainly, the technique that excludes mixing rice with zirvak is a tribute to tradition or, let's say, culinary culture, which, of course, did not arise out of nowhere, but was largely dictated by the conditions for preparing pilaf. One of the main conditions in the context of the mentioned tradition is a special temperature regime, special because pilaf is cooked on a fire and in a suitably installed cauldron. Given these conditions, especially if they are created correctly, rice really does not need any stirring.

The situation, however, changes dramatically if pilaf is cooked on a gas or electric stove, and the cauldron is not only not adapted to this, but also experiences heat losses (the size of the cauldron, a large amount of pilaf can even be ignored). If the rice, even by partially stirring it, does not "help" to reach the required temperature and does not ensure the uniformity of its cooking, it will be partially a priori ready, but partially it will remain half-baked. And no amount of reluctance can bring him to a condition. And if it does, then that part of the rice that has time to cook may be overcooked.
Therefore, unconditional adherence to the assertions of the myth-makers that rice is not mixed in the "correct pilaf" can lead to the fact that the pilaf itself will be edible conditionally, and the mood of your guests will be spoiled.

(Not everyone can be called classic)

It is good and joyful to gather with friends and family at a common table. Chat, laugh, talk a lot with people close and dear to your heart. And for pleasant conversations, you just need to treat yourself to delicious homemade dishes.

But while waiting for guests, you always have to cook a lot. Admit it, it often happens like this: you just stand all day at a hot stove, conjuring over a hot one, making complex sandwiches and canapes, cutting a bunch of different salads, and as a result, by the festive moment there is no longer any strength to smile and play the role of a hospitable hostess. Sound familiar?

But when planning to invite guests, it is not at all necessary to plan many different dishes. Sometimes it is better to serve only one dish on the table, but such that all loved ones gasped with delight, having tasted it, and in the end they would remain full, satisfied and happy. Well-known pilaf is just such a signature dish. One is enough for a full-fledged holiday.

Therefore, on the next warm and sunny day, invite everyone to the dacha. Stock up on rice, meat, patience and a good mood in advance. We will carefully and thoughtfully conjure a dish that will definitely delight your guests.

The most correct recipe is the classic one with lamb. And there are many subtleties and tricks here. So let's get started:

How to cook real Uzbek pilaf

What do we know about real pilaf? Perhaps everyone knows only that to cook it is a whole art that requires considerable skill, training and experience. However, like other complex dishes, it has its own secrets and subtleties of cooking, which ensure the transformation of rice, meat and vegetables into a delicious and unique dish.

The first step is to check if you have the necessary utensils. Today it is no secret to anyone that they cook it in a cauldron - a kettle with thick walls. The cauldron can be made of either cast iron or thick aluminum. The main thing is to buy a container with a larger volume, you will not lose. Just don't take the duckling. Cooking utensils must be round and with a convex bottom.

Now let's talk about the required products:

• Cook about a pound of lamb. Yes, traditional Uzbek pilaf is prepared only from it. Lamb should be fatty, so when buying from the market, take a lamb ham. Although the shoulder blade will work, this portion of the meat is leaner.

Instead of lamb, you can take beef or pork, but this will no longer be a classic option.

• Now we need a pound of rice. Naturally, long-grain, the higher its grade, the better.
• A pound of onions
• A pound of carrots
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• Ground spices. You will also need a lot of them, about 5 teaspoons. This is a mixture of ground black pepper, paprika, cumin. You can also take barberry.
• Frying fat. It should be noted here that for the classic dish only fat tail is used - mutton fat. But since this product is a rare guest in our kitchen, we will replace it with sunflower oil. You will need a lot of oil - no less than a glass. If, nevertheless, you are determined to get a fat tail, then it will take much less - 70-80 grams.

If you want to enhance the bright and unique taste of pilaf, be sure to add cumin. It perfectly emphasizes the aroma of lamb, and in the absence of it even imitates its taste (so you can go for the trick and take beef instead of lamb, but be sure to use cumin).

And a few more words about rice. We only need long-grain, ideally Jasmine or Basmati. Round is suitable exclusively for cereals, casseroles and sushi. It must be rinsed very well with cold water, it should become clean and transparent. Usually you have to change the water 7-8 times. I wrote all the secrets of making friable rice in the last article, be sure to read it.

Be sure to try raw carrots before cooking - we only need sweet ones, if they are bitter, it will spoil the taste of the whole dish.

Step-by-step cooking recipe:

There are 3 key stages of preparation that you need to focus on and these stages must be followed by all the rules.

Preparing butter or fat tail

At the first stage, we will deal with the transfer of fat. Yes, such a seemingly banal action must be performed very accurately. This is the foundation for making the right pilaf.

We put the cauldron on the stove. First of all, you need to warm it up properly, so don't rush.

Our cauldron has warmed up enough. Pour oil into it, pour it on the sides of the pot.

Attention: now the fire under the dishes must be low! It is important here that the oil heats up well, but in no case does it boil.

Remember an important point: if the oil is overheated, then the products that we then put in it will be stewed. And our goal is that meat, onions and carrots are certainly fried.

So, we ignite the oil over low heat. Do not go anywhere, watch carefully. When the oil starts to crackle and give off a whitish smoke, it's time to move on to the second stage.

For those who decided to cook according to all the rules on a fat tail (it must first be cut into pieces), the recommendations remain the same. The main thing is, when the fat tail is overheated and white smoke goes out, immediately take out the cracklings.

Cooking zirvak for pilaf

The second stage of preparation includes cooking zirvak. What is Zirvak? This is a special "pillow" of fried meat, onions and carrots, on which rice will be cooked later. Zirvak must be correct too.

So, cut the lamb into the same pieces of any size, the main thing is not very finely.

Now increase the heat under the cauldron to pretty high. Send mutton to the bottom of the pot. Let roast until light brown.

In the meantime, prepare the vegetables.

Be sure to dry the peeled onions with a towel so that not a drop of moisture remains on it! Cut into half rings.

Send the onion to the meat, while it is fried.

You have to work hard with carrots - they should be cut into long and neat cubes. Not thick, about 0.3 cm. You cannot use a coarse grater, otherwise the carrots will release too much juice and will be stewed instead of frying.

Meanwhile, our onion has acquired a slightly golden color, so add carrots to the cauldron. Stir gently and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Salt our zirvak well, it should be even slightly salty. Later, when we put rice in the cauldron, it will no longer be possible to add salt to the dish, so try to calculate everything correctly.

Add prepared spices.

The second stage of pilaf cooking has come to an end.

The third stage - we cook crumbly rice

Now we have smoothly moved on to the third stage of cooking - cooking rice. A special feature of this stage is that the rice will be steamed. In pilaf, rice must be crumbly, and steam serves this purpose. How is the rice cooked over steam here? It's very simple: rice is cooked over zirvak. It is a properly made "pillow" for rice - zirvak - that ensures crumbling of the future dish.

So, very carefully put the washed rice on top of the zirvak. From above, gently level it with a spoon. Proceed carefully, never stir the rice with zirvak.

At this point, you should already have a boiled kettle ready.

The following steps will require the utmost care and focus on your part.

Place a flat saucer on top of the rice. Now very carefully pour boiling water on a saucer. When the water covers the rice one to one and a half centimeters, stop. Instead of a saucer, you can pour water onto a wooden spatula or spoon.

Very, very carefully remove the saucer from the cauldron, acting so as not to touch or break the rice layer.

Why are such complex actions necessary? Our task is to keep all layers of pilaf unchanged and not mixed, and rice well tamped. If you pour water without the participation of a saucer, there is a great risk that it will slightly wash out the rice and the tightness of the layers will be broken, and then the dish will not turn out as intended.

We continue to cook over a sufficiently high heat. Do not cover with a lid! Do not interfere with anything!

When the water has completely boiled away and the rice visually looks ready, arm yourself with a spoon with a long thin handle. Now very carefully use the handle of a spoon to poke a few holes from the surface of the rice to the very bottom through all the layers. Carefully pour hot water into these holes. You don't need to pour a lot, just a little. From above, carefully stick the garlic wedges cut in half lengthwise.

Close the cauldron with a lid and immediately reduce the heat to very low. Let the pilaf sweat for about 20 minutes. After turning off the heat, do not open the lid for another 10-15 minutes, the dish should finally reach.

Tip: the lid under which the rice is cooked at the final stage should be very tight, literally without the slightest gap. If the lid of your cauldron doesn't cover it so well, replace it with a flat dish that is suitable for the size.

Your real Uzbek pilaf is ready! We guarantee that if you are not too lazy and properly followed all the recommendations, your guests will be delighted with it.

Put the finished dish from the cauldron on a tray or large plate in layers in reverse order compared to how they were cooked: first, rice, and on top of it a zirvak, topped with slices of juicy roasted meat.

Well, be sure to serve fresh lavash, cucumber and tomato salad and hot green tea with it.

I hope my recipe will help you please your family and friends. Write, I will be glad to receive feedback and comments!