The other day I looked at different resources pilaf recipes. As someone who has cooked this dish probably hundreds of times, I can only shrug and suggest cooking “natural pilaf.” More precisely, Uzbek pilaf. And even more precisely - the Fergana version of Uzbek pilaf, which simply does not exist in nature as “more natural” (I will refrain from extensive ethnographic and culinary information).

Of course, as soon as I present a set of products that are actually accessible to the average city dweller, there will immediately be “apologists for the classics”: they say, cottonseed oil is not used, red carrots are used instead of yellow ones, pilaf is 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 unimportant details. But he does not forgive fundamental miscalculations. One of the fundamental components of pilaf is the fact that pilaf is a living organism, and not male, but female, which therefore requires an appropriate attitude towards itself.

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

To begin with, I suggest preparing pilaf based on small proportions of ingredients. With such pilaf it will be possible to feed 5-6 people to the full and not make almost a single fundamental mistake when preparing it. Later, if desired, the proportions can be increased and, with the experience gained, you can prepare pilaf for at least 20 people, at least for 100.

So, for a “small” pilaf we will need:

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

2. About a kilogram of medium-fat lamb, of which a third are bones, two thirds are meat. By the way, I’ll add that talk about how pilaf is prepared exclusively from lamb is nothing more than talk. And idle time. Especially considering the undeniable primacy of rice in this dish. However, lamb is the most preferred meat in it.

3. 100 grams of lamb fat, preferably tail fat, although (in the absence of it) it can be replaced with fat cut from other parts of the carcass. You should definitely avoid using lard - because of its pronounced “foreign” quality and, to put it mildly, not the best taste.

4. A kilogram of red juicy carrots. If you find a yellow one (which I doubt) - very good.

5. Three medium onions.

6. Two heads of garlic.

7. 150 grams of vegetable oil (refined).

8. MANDATORY: one and a half to two teaspoons of cumin (cumin). Without it, don’t even try pilaf.

9. 1-2 whole pods of hot pepper (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 the future pilaf.
Since I have a gas stove, I will cook pilaf in a cast iron cauldron traditional for preparing this dish, although the use of other utensils is not prohibited. It depends on the conditions you have - be it a fire, gas or electric stove. The “tool” you will need is a slotted spoon. A spatula or, especially, a spoon is not only inconvenient, but at certain stages is harmful.

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

1. Separate the meat from the bones and cut into small pieces, as for goulash. We don't throw away the bones.

2. Cut the lard into small cubes - about a centimeter by centimeter.

3.Cut the onion into thin rings.

4. Cut the carrots (we do not scrape the skin, but cut it off) into thin strips, by hand, 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 sometimes misunderstandings arise with “average” carrots, that is, those mostly sold on our shelves (during heat treatment they crumble and no longer hold their shape), I began to practice this trick. I sprinkle the chopped carrots with lemon juice, add a few pinches of granulated sugar, mix and leave to “sit” for 15-20 minutes. Thus, it acquires much greater resistance to temperatures and does not fall apart. True, as observations have shown, this only applies to some varieties of imported carrots.

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

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

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

And this is what it looks like after washing in several waters. The rice should be washed and sorted to remove stones at least two hours before preparing the pilaf in order to keep it in lightly salted water. This significantly improves the properties of rice.

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

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, drop 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 because fats can be dosed more accurately. Provided, of course, that you managed to “fit in” well enough with both the dishes and the rice used, since different varieties of rice have different abilities to absorb fats.

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

As soon as the lard turns golden, catch it and transfer it to a separate plate - it will no longer be needed for pilaf. Place the seeds into the hot oil, stirring vigorously. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of cumin. ATTENTION! Let us 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 a persistent brown color of the meat remaining on the bones.

Now it's time for the onions. It should also fry with vigorous stirring. Its readiness is also determined by color: the onion should turn golden.

As soon as the onion turns golden, add the chopped lamb pulp to the cauldron and mix.

Fry the meat carefully. We don't want it to get crusty. It is quite enough for it to burn 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 it thoroughly with the other ingredients.

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

It is very important not to make mistakes with water - it is better not to add it than to overfill it. I usually pour water by eye, but this time I used a measuring cup, pouring 1.2 liters of food onto the indicated volume of food. What happened next showed that I was exactly in the required volume. I recommend that you pour no more than a liter, since the rest can be added when adding rice. The water level from the frying along the top edge should be about a centimeter to one and a half centimeters.

Now we wait for the zirvak to boil and, as soon as this happens, we put garlic and capsicum into it (ATTENTION! The pepper must be ABSOLUTELY whole so that there are no leaks. Otherwise, you will have to eat the pilaf accompanied by the fire brigade). Reduce the heat, achieve a slight, even boil, watching as the zirvak gains color right before your eyes.

After 30 minutes of low boiling of the zirvak, we taste it for salt and adjust it so that it tastes a little too salty. Then, using a slotted spoon, remove the seeds, garlic, and pepper onto a separate plate so that they do not interfere with us. We increase the temperature under the cauldron and carefully transfer the rice into it with a slotted spoon, from which the water has previously been drained.

First, we level the rice, ensuring uniform boiling of the zirvak along 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 the pilaf slowly turns into a living organism. It is not advisable to mix rice with the other contents of the pilaf, but at the same time, in order to ensure the subsequent friability and running of the rice characteristic of pilaf, it should be very gently stroked with a slotted spoon, as if transferring its own electricity into the rice through it. It is better to start stroking from the edges.

Gradually, with concentric movements, we reach the middle and slowly follow back, while the rice intensively absorbs the protruding sauce. Often, to cook it more evenly, it is a good idea to collect the rice from the edges of the cauldron to the middle and back.

You can even make a kind of number one girl’s breasts out of rice and gently caress each “breast” with a slotted spoon as if the “breast” is real and the slotted spoon is your hand. It won't hurt the rice.

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

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

Another important moment comes - tasting the readiness of the rice. To test, take a few grains of rice, going a couple of centimeters deep into the rice layer. Ready rice, when you bite into it, should be elastic, but not hard inside. If you detect the slightest hardness, pour no more than a glass of hot water onto the surface of the rice, level the mound and reassemble the rice from the edge to the middle, giving the water the opportunity to fall inside. After this, dig a “hole” in the middle of the rice layer, carefully return the seeds, garlic and capsicum that were cooked in the zirvak, there, add one and a half to two teaspoons of cumin...

... and just as carefully we cover the whole thing with rice, returning the pilaf to its original spherical shape, not forgetting to stroke this shape thoroughly.

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

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

Nuances that you may not know

1. The container in which you are going to cook pilaf must be heated very well before pouring oil into it. Good heating protects against such unpleasant things as burning of meat or vegetables after the rice is put on hold. Of course, when cooking rice, you must adhere to the temperature specified in the recipe. To be honest, the relationship between well-heated dishes and the fact that vegetables do not burn in the future is not entirely clear to me. But it exists and, of course, it was not invented by me.

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

3. Before you put the rice on hold (that is, cover it tightly with a lid or suitable container), you need to make sure that the moisture has completely evaporated. This check is best done before the rice is mounded. To do this, maintaining a temperature under the dish that can create a boil, but excludes burning, you need to make several holes in the layer of rice with a stick or the handle of a wooden spoon, all the way to the bottom of the dish, so that liquid collects in the holes. If it is transparent, it means that it is fat without any remaining moisture and the rice can be collected in a mound and placed on the stand. If the liquid is cloudy, it means there is still moisture in the fat and it needs to be evaporated. Excess and even the presence of moisture in rice, which has practically cooked and become elastic, during the process of soaking the rice, let’s say, “digest” it and disrupt the overall consistency of the future pilaf. I repeat, excess moisture should be removed only if the rice is almost cooked.

4. Often, errors in the proportions of oil (fats) in relation to other products when preparing pilaf lead to the fact that the pilaf is either “dry” or extremely fatty. It is very difficult to “calculate” the exact amount of fat with insufficient experience, especially when you consider that different varieties of rice have different coefficients of moisture and fat absorption. Therefore, I advise, especially if durum rice varieties are used, to add fat a little more than the basic values, since excess fat can always be removed during the cooking process, but its deficiency is almost impossible to compensate. A more or less clear “picture” of the optimal ratio of fat to other products is given by the final stage of preparing pilaf - the stage of preparing rice for cooking. To do this, you need to level the surface of the rice and make sure that the surface is dry and free of fat. Then, in the very middle of the surface, use a tablespoon to make a hole - about a centimeter to one and a half centimeters deep. If the bottom of the hole is slightly filled with fat, the optimal amount of oil has been chosen; if there is no fat, the pilaf will turn out “dry” and this error will need to be taken into account for the future. If there is clearly too much fat and it comes to the surface of the rice layer, you should arm yourself with a ladle and, pushing the rice layer in the middle, try to grab the excess fat with the ladle and remove it.

BY THE WAY

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

Well-cooked pilaf in itself is not bad even the next day - after heating. And yet he is a little “not the same” as the day before. Recently I was able to spot a method that seems to return yesterday’s pilaf to its original taste and aroma. I liked this method and already applied it to my “yesterday’s pilaf”. Try it if you have a chance.

They do it this way (per serving). First, half the middle onion head is finely crumbled.

The part of the pilaf that needs to be heated is transferred to a frying pan, the onion is mixed with the pilaf and the dish is heated over high heat for several minutes (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 second half of the onion can be used for a small salad with tomatoes. That's the whole method.

MORE BY THE WAY
About pilaf mythology, or about harmful and funny stereotypes that have arisen around the preparation of pilaf

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

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

And again - why am I talking about this? And besides, I know about pilaf not from books or from someone’s words, and not even from observing the real masters of this craft directly in the Fergana Valley, participating in oshpoz competitions and even once taking one of the prize places. I know about pilaf, knowing the realities of the historical homeland of pilaf. And, knowing the realities, I can well talk about the many myths bordering on shamanism that have arisen around the preparation of this dish. Shamanism and myths are not as harmless as they might seem at first glance. Not only do they produce mediocre recipes for very mediocre pilaf, which are perceived by the inexperienced public as basic. Mythology simply hits the hands of many and instead of pilaf, pathetic parodies of pilaf appear on their holiday tables, after which they simply don’t want to take on the task of preparing this dish.
Let's look at these myths, and, having sorted them out, let's forget about their existence.

The first myth is that proper pilaf can only be prepared in a cauldron, and only a cast iron one, for which you need to play tricks with this very cauldron accordingly. Otherwise, as they say, there will be no luck.

It would be foolish to expect from the authors of books dedicated to pilaf in particular and Uzbek cuisine in general that they will offer to cook pilaf in any utensil that comes to hand. Yes, a cauldron, especially a cast iron one, is the most optimal and most convenient “container” for preparing pilaf, especially if the pilaf is cooked over a fire and the cauldron is installed correctly. Optimal, but by no means resolving the issue of the “correctness” of pilaf, much less resolving the issue of choosing dishes. For anyone who cooks pilaf regularly (once or twice a month, because pilaf from being healthy can easily turn into a dish that is the opposite of healthy), and at a fire, there is a reason to get a cauldron - either cast iron or duralumin (there is a difference between them, but not so mythologically monstrous). But what should someone do who does this much less often, on major holidays, and not on a fire, but, say, on an electric stove and does not want to have a heavy 8-liter container on the kitchen shelf? Or goes to someone to “make pilaf”, but there is no cauldron there? Dry the oars? After all, proper pilaf can only be cooked in a cauldron?

As an argument, I could give my own example of cooking more than proper pilaf in an ordinary (admittedly steel) pan, and my homemade aluminum cauldron with a wide flat bottom and almost vertical walls (I have an electric stove) is more of a pan 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 preparing pilaf are, of course, known to everyone. This is a) frying seeds, meat, onions and carrots, b) forming a zirvak (sauce) and then stewing the roast in it, and c) boiling rice in a zirvak and finally cooking it under dam (steam), which is also called boiling the rice and which is described in quite detail by the classics of cooking. All these stages can be easily combined either in one vessel (a steel pan, thin- or thick-walled, in a wok and in another suitable container) or separated by frying in a large frying pan and continuing all other steps in a steel pan.

Of course, using non-traditional utensils for pilaf will require more careful control of the temperature (we are not talking about the fire method of cooking pilaf in a saucepan) and other manipulations with both the equipment and the stove. But we assume that the “gasket” between the slotted spoon (kapgir) and the dishes is a fully accomplished cook. Because, I’m afraid, even a five-star cast iron cauldron won’t help a poor cook. Thus, the statement that good pilaf can only be prepared in a cast iron cauldron is a myth.

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

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

I’m not saying that this was a universal phenomenon, although once upon a time people went to Moscow to buy sausage – for some reason it was not available in the periphery. But the fact took place. And pilaf cooked in pure fat tail fat was very common. But it was widespread not because fat-tailed pilaf is correct and the best, but because sometimes there was no choice (I won’t go into the exoticism associated with zigirög (specially prepared linseed oil) for now).

From personal feelings from pilaf cooked in pure fat tail fat. It freezes almost before our eyes, although there is more than forty degrees of heat around and no degrees inside (well, maybe two or three bowls). It's hard on the stomach. It (sorry) guarantees a not-so-pleasant burp the entire next day. “Fat tail is worse than fatty meat; it is poorly digested” - This is Abu Ali Ibn Sina (“Canon of Medical Science”, book two, p. 379.)

And I’ll end with a quote from a modern classic of piping - Karim Makhmudov (“Pilaf for every taste” according to the 1987 edition, p. 25): “An excess amount of fat can greatly hinder the development of the wonderful bouquet of aroma of these products (meaning cumin, barberry and others, including seasonal components of pilaf - my note). In fatty pilaf you cannot properly feel the heat of capsicum and its unique aroma; the feeling of normal saltiness is also lost in it.”

Can you make pilaf with pure fat tail fat low-fat? Then I will come to you, if you allow me :) But seriously: the statement that proper pilaf is cooked only with pure fat tail fat is a myth.

Myth three, which says that before preparing pilaf, vegetable oil must be heated to a bluish haze and that for proper pilaf you need to use only cottonseed oil.

I have already mentioned cottonseed oil above. Anyone who has ever dealt with this oil will not let you lie: the worst vegetable oil in existence should have yet been invented. Even in a well-cleaned, refined and deodorized version, this oil feels like cotton – with a characteristic rancid taste, a bouquet of sour tones and undertones that only intensify after heating. Why in the historical homeland of pilaf almost all existing frying was carried out only on it, I think, is understandable: cotton is a local crop, so the oil from its seeds was and remains (even now) the most accessible, including in terms of availability and price. Largely “thanks to” the disgusting quality of this product, before preparing the pilaf it was heated up strongly - until the aforementioned bluish 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 frying onions in it.

These techniques, often associated exclusively with the correction of the taste of a particular oil, later migrated to the pilaf literature in the form of a mandatory technique when preparing pilaf, regardless of the oils and fats used. Well, the literature surrounding the pilaf has already given rise to further myth-making regarding the “blue haze” and cottonseed oil, without which the pilaf is “not real.”

I will not dwell on what happens to oils and fats after extreme heating, how their chemical composition changes and how dangerous this is to health - those 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 heated only to values ​​that ensure the initial intensive frying of the products, but not to a “blue haze.” And secondly: if there is something to choose from existing refined and suitable for frying 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 imported, and by no means non-cotton regions).

Thus, the statement that proper pilaf can be prepared only with cottonseed oil and that any oil for pilaf should be overheated is a myth, and a harmful myth.

Myth four: rice, after placing it in a zirvak and during subsequent cooking, should under no circumstances be mixed until the pilaf is fully cooked, especially with meat and vegetables. Otherwise, the rice will cook unevenly.

Not only the myth-makers, but also the classics of cooking speak about the undesirability of “pulling” rice after putting it in a zirvak, although, to be precise, the classics do not insist on this undesirability, while the myth-makers fiercely advocate the inviolability of rice (of course, they do not mean pilafs that are cooked separately or if the point of serving pilaf is to make it look like a layer cake).

One can understand the classics: 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 ingredients is not only desirable, but also mandatory. And nothing out of the ordinary happens with a dish in which rice is the main component. The rice cooks quite evenly and does not stick together (if this is provided for by the technology, as, for example, in crumbly mashkichiri). At what point, excuse me, could unwanted metamorphoses with rice occur in pilaf?

Any reasonable explanation for this can hardly be found among the myth-makers, who are blinded by 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 the pilaf is cooked over a fire and in a properly installed cauldron. Given these conditions, especially if they are created correctly, the rice really does not need any stirring.

The situation, however, changes dramatically if the pilaf is cooked on a gas or electric stove, and the cauldron is not only not adapted to this, but also experiences heat loss (we don’t even need to talk about the size of the cauldron and the large amount of pilaf). If the rice, at least partially stirring it, is not “helped” to reach the desired temperature and the uniformity of its cooking is not ensured, it will be partially cooked a priori, but partially it will remain half-raw. And no amount of reproach can bring him to condition. And if it does, then that part of the rice that has managed to cook may turn out to be overcooked.
Therefore, unconditional adherence to the myth-makers’ statements that in “proper pilaf” the rice is not stirred, can lead to the fact that the pilaf itself turns out to be conditionally edible, and the mood of your guests will be spoiled.

(Not everyone can be called classic)

The years spent in Uzbekistan left their mark on my taste preferences. I really love Uzbek cuisine and, as promised, I continue to share my favorite recipes with you.
Today we will cook pilaf.

It doesn’t take much time or effort to prepare delicious pilaf.
First we need to cut the onion into half rings

Cut carrots into strips

Meat in medium cubes

We're all ready. Ideal proportions for delicious pilaf 1:1:1 This is what it looks like

Pour oil into the cauldron. It needs to be heated up well.

When the oil is hot, throw in 3 cloves of garlic.

The garlic must be thoroughly fried, then the oil will be saturated with the aroma of garlic and the pilaf will benefit from this.
This is the kind of garlic we take out of the oil.

Now we send the meat to the cauldron (do not reduce the gas and fry everything over the highest heat)

Fry the meat, stirring occasionally until golden brown, when we fry the meat over high heat. It is covered with a crust on top, which preserves the juiciness of the meat inside.

When the meat is fried, add the onion.

Fry the onion thoroughly. The color of the pilaf will depend on how the onions are fried.

When the onions are fried add carrots

Also fry the carrots until golden brown.

The carrots are fried, pour water into the cauldron so that it covers the meat by 2 fingers.

It is better to pour boiling water. Now you need to add salt and spices.

We have cumin, cilantro (coriander), turmeric, paprika, barberry and salt.

The zervak ​​is almost ready, now close the lid and let it simmer. It all depends on the meat and how quickly it cooks. Simmer the meat until done.
Meanwhile, wash the rice and soak it in water. This is necessary so that the rice subsequently steams evenly and there are no raw grains of rice in the pilaf.
We also need to peel the head of garlic. We need to remove the top dirty scales from it. Cut out the roots. This is how clean garlic should be

Of course, you can do without garlic, but I advise you to try this garlic. The taste is amazing.
When the meat is ready, we pour the rice into the cauldron, but before doing this, we put the prepared garlic into the cauldron.

Now rice

Level with a spatula. And pour boiling water. Pour boiling water onto a spatula so that holes do not form in the rice and the bowl (meat stewed with vegetables) does not float to the top.

Pour about two fingers of water.

Now we wait for the water to boil away. We don’t turn off the gas!
When the water evaporates. We collect the rice in a mound like this.

You see there is practically no liquid.
Now use a spoon to make a hole at the top of the slide. Stick the spoon all the way to the bottom of the cauldron. And twist the spoon a little as if widening the hole, but do not overdo it.
Cover with a clean plate.

We crush the plate.

Now close the cauldron with a lid and set aside for 20 minutes. This is how long it takes for the rice to cook.
After 20 minutes, open the cauldron and begin stirring the pilaf.

Do not rush to mix immediately from the bottom. Gradually remove layer by layer, shaking lightly on a spatula.

In Uzbekistan, pilaf is served in a lyagan (large dish), but you can serve it in portions. A salad of cucumbers and tomatoes, pickled cucumbers or tomatoes are great for pilaf.
I hope you will like my recipe.
Don't forget to get the garlic.
Bon Appetit everyone!
P.S. It’s better to use regular short-grain rice, but as you can see, long-grain rice also turns out great. This is a matter of taste and food preferences.

Cooking time: PT02H00M 2 hours.

Approximate cost per serving: 250 rub.

It just so happens that delicacies are always prepared by men. According to legend, the first meal of meat and rice was served by the court physician of the Samanid emirs, Avicenna. To cure a high-ranking patient, he prepared a meal, calling it “royal pilaf.” Any meat dish in oriental cuisine is accompanied by a considerable amount of vegetables, so Uzbek pilaf recipes are replete with yellow or red carrots, onions and garlic.

The five most commonly used ingredients in recipes are:

The brighter and juicier the root vegetable, the more nutritious and golden the rice will become. If you consider yourself a guru in cooking rice with meat in Uzbek style, try pampering those around you with green pilaf - bakhsh. Its secret lies in mixing different types of finely chopped meat, liver, fat tail fat and a large amount of herbs. Pay special attention to presentation. Whatever recipe you choose, remember - it is better to place the contents of the cauldron on a wide flat plate. Invite your guests to use pita bread instead of cutlery, and then not a single nuance of the oriental dish will be hidden from them.

Pilaf is a dish that many people love. This is a nourishing, high-calorie, colorful and tasty dish of oriental cuisine. Each housewife has her own method of preparing pilaf. There are as many varieties of Uzbek pilaf as there are regions in Uzbekistan. The main feature of Uzbek pilaf is that the onions are fried first, then the meat is laid out.

An important component of any pilaf is rice. Therefore, you need to approach its choice seriously: Uzbek pilaf is prepared from durum rice, such as devzira. In our area, unfortunately, it is very difficult to find these varieties, and I had to replace them with aromatic and no less tasty basmati. It perfectly sets off and absorbs the aroma of vegetables, meat and spices.

As for meat, there are superfluous words: lamb or beef.

To prepare Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron, take the ingredients according to the list.

Cut the tail fat into small pieces and melt in a well-heated cauldron. When the cracklings acquire a golden color, remove from the cauldron.

Cut the meat into cubes, approximately 2x2 cm.

Peel the onions and carrots.

Cut the onion into small cubes and the carrots into strips.

Place the onion in a cauldron with hot fat and fry until golden, stirring occasionally. After this, add the meat. It needs to be evenly distributed over the walls of the cauldron, allowing it to warm up, as if pushing the onion into the middle. Stir after 5-7 minutes (you don’t need to stir right away so as not to cool the fat).

After mixing, evenly lay out the carrots, let them warm up for 2-3 minutes (you can sprinkle a pinch of coarse salt on the carrots in the middle of the cauldron, and when it disappears, it’s time to mix all the ingredients). When the carrots become soft, add salt and half a pinch of cumin.

Pour water into the cauldron to just cover the carrots. Once boiling, reduce heat to low. Cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Add pepper and peeled garlic, salt and spices.

Rinse the rice with running water until the water is completely transparent.

When the zirvak is ready, remove the garlic and pepper, increase the heat and spread the rice in an even layer. Water should cover the rice by 1.5 cm (add water if necessary).

When the water has evaporated, the rice will be 80-90 percent cooked - it will taste a little tough, which is normal. It must be collected in a mound, cover with a lid, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes. At the end of cooking, return the garlic and pepper to the pilaf.

Gently mix the delicious Uzbek pilaf, place it on a dish and serve immediately.

Bon appetit. Cook with love.

in Uzbekistan they prepare many different types of pilaf, for example in Samarkand it is prepared with peas and is not very fatty, in Tashkent you can find pilaf with barberry and quince and very coarsely chopped pieces of meat, etc. in general there are many recipes for cooking and they are all CORRECT in their own way *

I was taught how to cook pilaf by an old Bukharian Jew, I don’t know what type of pilaf I’m preparing for - that’s why I just call it Uzbek pilaf

so let's get started...

we will need

1.carrot -1 kg

2.bow-3 heads

3.2 heads of garlic

4.2 hot green (or red) peppers

5 salt cumin (Cumin)

6. and of course meat - keep in mind that Uzbek pilaf is prepared only from lamb!

we need about 1.5 kg of lamb, preferably with bones

7.and lamb fat (preferably fat tail) -150g,

Fat, of course, can be replaced with sunflower oil (olive oil is not suitable), which is heated until a bluish haze forms.

8.1 kg rice

at the beginning we peel the carrots and onions, as you have already noticed from my previous posts, I am lazy in small things, and where I can make the work easier, I always use all sorts of kitchen gadgets.

In short, I cut the carrots and onions using a special grater

For conservatives, I’m giving you a specially enlarged picture. Look for yourself - everything is perfect

cut the meat and fat into small pieces up to 2 cm

Now comes the stage which, if you have the opportunity, is best done on the street, or with the windows wide open.. (.my wife kicked me out onto the roof)

We must render the lamb fat, or if you don’t have it, calcinate the sunflower oil.

heat the cauldron, pour about 100-150 grams of sunflower oil into it, wait until a bluish smoke appears above the oil and add pieces of lamb fat there

fry it until golden brown

remove the resulting greaves onto a plate (they are quite edible, but this is not for everybody - I, for one, don’t like it...) and fry the bones in the resulting fat until they have a stable golden color. Already at this stage you can add a pinch of salt and cumin when frying the bones stir periodically

we extract the bones from the fat, they have already done their job - they gave their juices to the fat.

Now add the onion cut into rings

a few words about onions - at the beginning it may seem that there is too much of it..., but this is not the case. Strangely enough, in pilaf the onion is not felt at all, it seems to dissolve and is not visible visually

When frying, all the water should evaporate from the onion; the readiness of the onion is determined by its appearance - it should turn golden

at this stage I went down into the house and continued cooking on a regular gas stove. We set the fire to maximum - the fat should boil

pour meat into the cauldron

fry it for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally

add carrots

stirring vigorously, fry it for about 10 minutes. The finished carrots should be soft, if they are hard and have no smell, then you haven’t cooked them enough

the moment has come when we add water. This is a very important moment, the fact is that if you pour more water than necessary, you will get rice porridge with meat, if less the rice will not cook and will be hard.

One of the basic laws of cooking rice says that for one serving of rice you need to take at least one and a half servings of water. But there are many other small important nuances - for example, the variety of rice. Each variety takes on its own amount of water during cooking.

In general, I took 1.2 liters of cold water for 1 kg of rice using this device

pour water into the cauldron and let it boil, the water level above the meat should not exceed 1-2cm

Well, we got what the Uzbeks call ZIRVAK

When the zirvak boils, we add garlic and pepper.

Before adding, we check the pepper, it must be perfectly whole, otherwise the pilaf will be very spicy, and we peel the garlic a little and remove the rhizome.

reduce the heat and cook the zirvak for 25-30 minutes, the zirvak begins to cook slowly, gaining taste and color.

we have half an hour to prepare the rice

Regarding rice, I can say that in my experience it is better to take pilaf round rice

it absorbs fat better.

the rice must be washed

until the water becomes clear,

pour warm water over the rice and set it aside

Meanwhile, our zirvak has reached condition

we taste it for salt and add salt so that it tastes too salty. Then use a slotted spoon to remove the garlic and pepper onto a separate plate so that they do not interfere with us.

Increase the heat under the pot to maximum and carefully transfer the rice into it with a slotted spoon, from which the water has previously been drained,

Level the rice, ensuring uniform boiling around the entire circumference of the cauldron.

Attention- Under no circumstances should you mix rice with zirvak!!!

Using a slotted spoon we stroke the rice, making circular movements from the edges to the middle, and we build, as it were, a small hill

Zirvak is gradually absorbed, and there is another important nuance here

As the zirvak is absorbed into the rice, you need to gradually reduce the heat so that the meat and carrots do not burn on the bottom.

when the zirvak has been completely absorbed, it’s a good idea to do one more control check - rake the rice a little and take a couple of grains of rice for testing - the rice should not crunch on your teeth. If you detect the slightest hardness, pour half a glass of hot water onto the surface of the rice, level the mound and collect the rice again from the edge to the middle, giving the water the opportunity to fall inside. After this, we dig a “hole” in the middle of the rice layer, carefully place the garlic and capsicum that had been cooked in the zirvak there... and carefully bury them, again building a mound of rice. Sprinkle the rice with cumin crushed in the palm of your hand and close the cauldron with a lid, turn the heat to low. cook for another 5-8 minutes, turn off the heat, wrap the lid with a towel and leave the pilaf to cook for another 25 minutes

When the pilaf has arrived, carefully remove the pepper and garlic, mix everything thoroughly and put it on a dish (lyagan), put the garlic and pepper on top.

If you did everything right, then the rice should look like this

Pilaf is a very fatty food, so you need to wash it down with green tea, and I don’t recommend any cold drinks other than vodka.

Bon appetit everyone!