Correct swim. Uzbek pilaf: recipes and cooking secrets

Pilaf has been one of the most popular dishes of the peoples of the East since time immemorial. Mentions of him can be found in folk tales and in ancient chronicles. It was served as an honorary dish at big holidays, weddings and commemorations.

In the 16th century, French chefs tried to cook pilaf according to the descriptions of travelers who returned from Arab countries. However, the experiments ended unsuccessfully, because instead of crumbly pilaf, ordinary rice porridge with meat was obtained. European cooks only in the 19th century received the exact recipe for this dish and learned how to cook pilaf deliciously. In each country, the preparation of pilaf differs in its own characteristics and nuances, and hundreds and thousands of recipes for this appetizing and healthy dish have accumulated over the centuries. It is interesting that each cook turns out his own unique pilaf, even if the same recipe is taken as the basis, however, there are general cooking rules that it is advisable to follow if you want to get a dish close to the original.

Choosing products and utensils for pilaf

Asian chefs are sure that the best pilaf can be cooked only on an open fire in a cast-iron cauldron and certainly from lamb with fat tail fat. At the same time, a man must cook. But this does not mean that it is impossible to cook a real Uzbek pilaf, tasty, fragrant, fatty and crumbly, at home. Modern recipes are so diverse and versatile that every housewife can show boundless imagination and create a unique culinary masterpiece. Let's talk about what we need for a real pilaf.

Meat. Classic pilaf is prepared only with lamb - it is recommended to take the brisket, ribs, shoulder or meat from the back of the lamb. However, in the East and Central Asia, beef, pork and poultry are also used to cook pilaf. The most delicious and fragrant pilaf is obtained from fresh meat with fatty layers, which has not been frozen and kept in the refrigerator for several days. The meat in pilaf should be juicy, so it is better to cut it large - into pieces no smaller than a walnut.

Rice. If you strictly follow the advice on how to properly cook friable pilaf, then it is better to use exclusively long-grain varieties with a low starch content. This is Tajik and Uzbek rice for pilaf - devzira, scald, alanga, kenja, as well as Mexican, Arabic and Italian rice for paella. Durum rice is distinguished by long transparent grains and unusual density - it does not boil soft during prolonged heat treatment, it absorbs water well and remains crumbly even after cooling. Indian, Thai and Vietnamese varieties of rice (jasmine and basmati) are not very suitable for pilaf, as they are too soft and can stick together during cooking. If there is no other option, then rinse them well with cold water and soak for two to three hours, periodically changing the water to remove excess starch. Some recipes use wheat, pearl barley, peas, corn, or a mixture of different cereals instead of rice.

Oil. According to tradition, real Uzbek pilaf is cooked on animal fat (ghee, mutton fat) or vegetable oils. In this case, it is better to use odorless refined oils so as not to “interrupt” the aroma of the dish. Often fat tail fat is mixed with vegetable oil to increase digestibility and soften the specific odor.

Spices. Flavoring pilaf is a creative process in which you can show your imagination and inspiration. However, there is a basic composition of spices, without which the dish will not be considered a real pilaf - these are cumin (zira), barberry and hot peppers.

Cumin gives pilaf an exquisite oriental taste, dried barberry berries fill the dish with nutty notes with a slight bitterness, and hot pepper in pods or ground form makes pilaf piquant and spicy. Thyme, coriander, suneli hops, garlic and saffron can be used as additional spices, thanks to which the rice acquires a rich golden color.

Vegetables and dried fruits. In India and the Caucasus, pilaf is prepared without carrots, and in Central Asia this vegetable is an important ingredient in the dish, and it is recommended to cut it large - into cubes, straws, cubes or plates. Onions are usually cut into rings, and garlic is added with a whole head, previously peeled. In some recipes for cooking pilaf, you can find dried fruits, since prunes, raisins, figs, apricots and dried apricots set off the taste of the dish and add a pleasant sourness to it. It is better to lay them after frying meat and vegetables - along with the addition of water.

Dishes. How to cook the right pilaf in the "wrong" dishes? Alas, this is not possible. According to tradition, pilaf is cooked in a cast-iron or aluminum cauldron with a thick bottom. In a modern kitchen, a cauldron can be replaced with a duck or goose. In such a dish, rice warms up evenly and languishes over low heat, so it does not burn and turns out crumbly. Enameled thin-walled dishes, French braziers and wok pans are not recommended, because due to the lack of uniform heating, the pilaf in them burns and becomes viscous.

Zirvak. Zirvak is a mixture of meat and vegetables fried in oil, combined with dried fruits, spices and broth. In the East, the preparation of zirvak is considered a real art and a sacred act, since the taste, aroma and appearance of pilaf depend on its quality. Oriental chefs say: if you make a good zirvak, then you know how to cook pilaf, and step-by-step recipes with photos posted on our website will clearly demonstrate all the stages of cooking.

Sequentially add meat, onions and carrots to the cauldron, fry them until golden brown, and ten minutes before they are ready, add dried fruits and spices to them. After that, fill the contents of the cauldron with boiling water so that the water covers a layer of meat and vegetables by two centimeters, and put everything to stew over low heat for 40-90 minutes. Ten minutes before the readiness, salt the zirvak (it is recommended to slightly oversalt it), add the head of garlic and rice to the cauldron, without mixing it with the meat. Add more boiling water so that the water covers the surface by two fingers, and cook the pilaf until the water evaporates, pouring it into the cauldron if necessary. It is desirable that the cooked pilaf simmer a little more, and tasting the dish right away or letting it brew is a matter of taste and personal preferences.

Salads of fresh vegetables are usually served with pilaf, which give it freshness and contribute to better absorption of fatty meat. However, a classic appetizer for pilaf is achik-chuchuk salad, which includes thinly sliced ​​tomatoes, onion rings, hot or sweet peppers, basil and herbs, seasoned not with oil, but with grape or apple cider vinegar. Taking the classic pilaf recipe as a basis, you can make adjustments to it and create a unique signature dish that will decorate not only the festive table, but will also become part of your family's daily diet.

Today we will cook a real Uzbek pilaf according to my favorite recipe, with step-by-step photos that can be enlarged with a mouse click. Naturally, there are hundreds of recipes for cooking pilaf. In each eastern country, pilaf has its own characteristics.

Even in Uzbekistan itself, in each region, pilaf differs in taste: fat tail fat, dried apricots and raisins, quince and garlic, a special variety of peas (nokhat) are added to it. However, the set of basic products required for the preparation of Uzbek pilaf remains unchanged.

The secret of a good swim

First, let's talk about the secrets of the Uzbek pilaf. Two of them can be considered the main ones. The first secret concerns rice. Firstly, it is best to take rice from this year's harvest, so pay attention to the expiration date. It is even better to buy rice in the market.

If you take polished and round rice, then it is not very good for pilaf. Rice should be long. If you buy in the market by weight, then sorting it in your hands, you will see that rice flour or pollen remains on your hands. This is what you need. Rice should be washed in running water very well until the water runs clear.

The second secret concerns the proportions of ingredients and water. The main products (rice, carrots and meat) should be taken in a ratio of one to one. And it will take approximately the same amount of water, although there are subtleties here that will become clear during the cooking process.

Well, having prepared “Uzbek pilaf” several times, it will be possible to increase the proportions and treat a large company of a dozen people with an unusual pilaf.

Let's start with a small amount of food, enough to cook pilaf for several people according to the simplest and most reliable recipe.

What you need for Uzbek pilaf

• Rice - 0.5 liter jar
• Medium fat meat (beef or lamb) - 0.5 kg
• Onion - 0.5 kg
• Carrots - 0.5 kg
• Vegetable oil, refined (odorless) - a little less than a glass
• Garlic - 2 heads
• Quince - 1-2 pieces (depending on the time of year and for an amateur)
• Salt - 1 tablespoon
• Water
• Spices: zira - 1 teaspoon, red pepper (sweet), barberry 1 teaspoon each

To begin with, for a real Uzbek pilaf, they make a blank. To do this, chop the onion (it is not necessary to cut it finely, let it be half rings). Cut carrots into long strips and forget about the grater! Cut the meat into small, not very small pieces. Meat is desirable to take with a small amount of fat.

In a heavy pot, heat up the oil and begin to sauté the onion over medium heat until golden brown, stirring constantly. If the onion is fried until brown, then the pilaf will turn out darker..

Now add the meat and fry it along with the onions. It is not necessary to fry the meat to a crust, 7-10 minutes is enough in time, then add the carrots and continue to fry.

Pour about 0.5 liters of warm pre-boiled water into the zirvak so that the products are completely covered. The resulting mixture - the basis for the preparation of Uzbek pilaf is called "zirvak".

Make the fire as strong as possible and bring to a boil. Add spices and salt. The taste should be slightly salty, because after adding rice, the saltiness will decrease.

Remove the rhizome and top layer of the garlic from the garlic. The taste of pilaf largely depends on zirvak: all products should be enriched with the taste of each other, so do not rush to put rice in pilaf. Total zirvak is cooked for about 40-45 minutes. Before laying rice, put 2 heads of garlic and cut into pieces quince into zirvak.

While the zirvak is being cooked, rinse the rice very thoroughly in running water so that the water is clear of rice pollen. When the zirvak for our traditional Uzbek pilaf is finally ready, pour in the washed rice and level it in an even layer.

Fill with water so that it covers the rice by 1-2 cm - this is approximately one phalanx of a finger. This moment is very important: excess water turns pilaf into sticky porridge.

Determining the right amount of water comes with experience and it depends on the degree of readiness of rice and its variety: each of them absorbs water in its own way. Boil water over medium heat.

When the water has evaporated, the rice should be tasted. Take a few grains of rice at a depth of 1-2 cm: they should not be harsh in taste.

If the rice is still hard, add a little more water on top and continue simmering. So that rice does not require a lot of water during the cooking process, it can be washed in advance and poured with cold salted water for two hours.

When the water has completely evaporated, collect the rice in a pile and poke a few holes to the bottom with a wooden chopstick. Pour a tablespoon of water into each hole so that nothing burns underneath.

Close the cauldron with a tight-fitting lid and keep the fire as small as possible. Leave the pilaf to ripen and evaporate for another 30 minutes. Early opening is not recommended. After half an hour, it remains only to mix the finished fragrant dish well and gently.

Lay out ready-made Uzbek pilaf according to this simple, but at the same time traditional recipe, on a dish with a slide, along with garlic and quince.

Having prepared pilaf several times in this way, you will intuitively feel all the stages of cooking, observing the correct proportions of water, oil and other products.

Cooking pilaf is a real art and each time pilaf has its own unique taste, I hope it will turn out excellent for you, like mine.

It is good to prepare the simplest salad for such pilaf, finely chopping tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, and according to the old Uzbek tradition, it is best to drink pilaf with hot green tea.

Rice

This is the main stumbling block of all cooks who have ever cooked pilaf. Nevertheless, almost all of them agree that devzira rice is the best, as well as other Uzbek and Tajik varieties.

You can try to cook pilaf with other types of rice, but preferably not too starchy. And in any case, the rice should be washed well before laying (until the water is clear). This will wash away the starch dust and prevent the pilaf from sticking together. Cooks also advise soaking it in cold water for an hour or more.

By the way, instead of pilaf, you can use wheat, chickpeas, corn and mung beans. But that's a slightly different story.

Meat

Lamb is traditionally used for pilaf, but beef is also suitable. You can also use pork, although Muslim cooks are unlikely to forgive you for this. A chicken option is also possible, but it already has little in common with the classic Uzbek pilaf.

It is better to choose the meat of adult animals: it gives the necessary rich taste.

The meat must be cut into fairly large pieces, about 5 × 5 cm or a little more. You can fry meat in large, non-portioned pieces and grind it just before serving. It is believed that the larger the piece, the juicier the finished meat will be.

Vegetables

There are two main vegetables in pilaf: onions and carrots. Onions can be used. It is more difficult with carrots: in Central Asia, pilaf is often cooked with yellow carrots, but in its absence, the usual orange one is also suitable.

The main rule is not to grind. Onions are cut into rings or half rings, carrots are cut into large sticks about 5 mm thick. If you finely chop vegetables and meat, you will no longer get pilaf, but rice porridge.

Oil

For the preparation of pilaf, either odorless vegetable oil, or animal fat (tail fat), or both types together are used. At home, the easiest way to use refined sunflower oil.

No need to skimp: pilaf is a fatty dish. On average, 1 kg of rice takes about 200–250 ml of oil.

Spices

There is a lot of room for experimentation here. And yet, more or less traditional seasonings can be distinguished:

• garlic (slightly peeled and laid with whole heads);
• hot red pepper (laid with a whole pod);
• zira;
• barberry;
• ground black or red pepper.

You can also add thyme, coriander, suneli hops, saffron or other spices to your taste in pilaf. The easiest way is to use a ready-made seasoning mix.

Other Ingredients

In addition to the components listed above, pre-soaked chickpeas and dried fruits are often added to pilaf.

What dishes to choose

A cauldron, a cauldron and another cauldron. With thick walls. In it, the meat does not stick, and the rice cooks evenly and remains crumbly. It is best to use a cast-iron cauldron (especially if you cook pilaf on a fire), but aluminum will do.

A duck can be a good substitute for a cauldron. But a saucepan, a deep frying pan, a wok and other kitchen utensils will not give the desired effect, no matter how much you want it.

The basic principle of pilaf is as follows: first, zirvak is prepared (meat and vegetables fried in oil with spices and broth), and then rice is poured on top.

The standard proportion for pilaf is equal parts of rice, meat and carrots. The number of onions may vary, but be at least 1-2 heads. The same with garlic.

Heat up the pot and pour the oil into it. It should warm up well so that later the ingredients can brown quickly.

Next, the onion or meat is fried. If you are cooking pilaf with a lot of onions, you can fry the meat first. Spread it into the cauldron gradually so as not to bring down the temperature, and do not turn over immediately - otherwise it may begin to release juice.

Onions need to be fried until golden brown so that the finished broth gives color to the rice.

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When the meat and onions are fried, carrots are laid. It is fried for several minutes until softened.

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Then all the ingredients are poured with hot water. It should cover the meat by 1-2 cm. Garlic, red pepper pod, spices and other ingredients are put next. Everything is salted to taste (or a little more salt is added than you like: the rice will absorb it) and cooked over moderate heat for at least 40 minutes until the meat is tender.

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After the zirvak is cooked, rice is laid. It is better to do this with a slotted spoon to distribute the rice evenly. From above it can be flavored with a couple of pinches of cumin - for flavor.

1. Rice is drowned in the broth (if necessary, more hot water is added through a slotted spoon so that it covers the dish a little) and stewed open until the water is completely absorbed (about 20 minutes). Then the fire is turned off (if the pilaf is cooked on a fire, then by this moment the firewood should simply smolder), the cauldron is covered with a lid and the rice is left to steam for about 15-20 minutes.
2. After laying the rice, the cauldron is immediately closed with a lid and the contents are stewed for about half an hour at a minimum heat, and then for about 10 minutes it comes without fire.

When the fire is turned off, wrap the lid with a towel: it will absorb the condensation and prevent it from getting into the dish.

Garlic and pepper are removed from the finished pilaf. If large pieces of meat were used for cooking, then they are also taken out, cut and spread on top of the mixed pilaf. If small pieces were used, you can mix the pilaf with them.

Pilaf is traditionally served on a large plate and topped with a head of garlic. This dish goes best with fresh vegetables.

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Do you know other secrets of cooking pilaf? Share them in the comments.

Recently they cooked pilaf again. We were waiting for guests, and we wanted to cook something delicious for them! And since this delicious Uzbek dish is always welcome at any table, without thinking for a long time, I decided to cook it.

To my surprise, two of the guests present said that they themselves now often cook it at home. And to my pleasant surprise, they said that they cook it according to my recipes from the blog. They said that they finally learned how to cook it, and now they always get it without surprises.

Moreover, one of the guests expressed the wish that it would be nice to have several recipes in one article at once, so as not to waste time searching. Yes, time is valuable for everyone.

Well, fulfilling the request of my friend, and being in high spirits myself, because not only eating pilaf is delicious, but also talking about it is great, I start today's story.

And we'll start with perhaps the most popular today. Also, I suggest taking it as a basis for all subsequent recipes. In it, I will describe in the most detailed way the preparation for the cooking process, and the process itself, of course.

Therefore, if you cook according to the second, or subsequent recipes, be sure to read the first one as well. Everything is described in great detail.

It's quick to prepare and always delicious. And most importantly, it is a fairly economical dish. And although the classic versions are prepared mainly from lamb and beef, this option is very popular among the people. I already have it on the blog, so choose for yourself which one you like best.

We will need:

• chicken - 800 gr
• onion - 400 gr
• carrots - 600 gr
• rice - 600 gr
• garlic - 2 heads
• vegetable oil - 0.5 cups
• spices - zira, coriander, rosemary
• salt - an incomplete tablespoon
• ground red and black pepper - to taste

We also need a cauldron and slotted spoon, as well as a wooden stick, you can cook Chinese. If there is none, then prepare a spoon with a long handle, later I will tell you why we need it.

Preparation:

The preparation of any of the dishes of oriental cuisine requires a special approach, and of course pilaf is no exception in this matter. Its preparation should be taken without haste and fuss, always in an excellent mood, having enough free time.

It is also required to follow all the rules of cooking, to withstand the required time at each stage of cooking. In general, the matter should be taken quite seriously and responsibly. Only this can guarantee the preparation of a real Uzbek dish exactly the way it is prepared in its homeland.

But I will say right away that the task is quite solvable. There is nothing impossible in this. And when they say “that only an Uzbek can cook a real Uzbek pilaf,” don’t believe it, it’s not true. Everyone can cook, and especially those who really want it.

1. To begin with, let's take care of the chicken, because it is with it that we will cook today. For cooking, it is better to purchase fresh or chilled chicken. Don't use just breasts, or just thighs, or wings. It is best that the chicken is whole. Different meats will give a richer and richer taste.

And it should be remembered that any pilaf will turn out delicious only when there are bones on the meat. This applies to absolutely any meat from which you are going to cook.

Usually in Uzbekistan, it is taken for 500 grams of rice - 500 grams of carrots and the same amount of meat. But I always put more meat so that no one looks at each other and there is enough for everyone. Something, and meat, as a rule, is eaten first.

But if you wish, take less meat.

2. Wash the chicken, pat dry with a paper towel and cut into fairly large pieces. If you cut it finely, then all the meat will boil, as it cooks quickly enough. It would be better if the pieces are preserved as a whole.

3. Cut the onion into thin half rings. To do this, you need to have a sharp enough knife, otherwise it will not work thinly. And it is important for us to cut it in such a way that the onion has time to evaporate during cooking, giving all the juice to the dish being prepared.

4. First, cut the carrot diagonally, cutting it into long thin plates no more than 0.5 cm thick. And then stacking several plates in a pile, cut it into strips. Try to cut the carrot carefully so as not to cut yourself. When the stack is large enough, the knife can easily slip off. Therefore, to begin with, cut no more than 2 - 3 plates at the same time.

Therefore, be patient and cut as expected.

The role of carrot is very important, it gives sweetness, juiciness, color and appearance. And if you rub the carrots, then we will not get the desired effect. Just like if you cut it into cubes or thick sticks.

Yes, science! But you have to try to master it if you want to eat delicious food!

5. Rice is also a special topic. Any store-bought rice will not work. Choose elongated rice varieties, round-grain varieties are not suitable for cooking pilaf. Steamed varieties are good, they do not boil soft during cooking, and the rice turns out friable, which it should be.

Often in the bazaar in Central Asia you can see such a picture, when buying rice, they try it on the tooth. So, if the grain is easy to bite, then such rice is not suitable for pilaf, only porridge can be cooked from it. The grain should be hard, this definitely will not boil and will not stick together.

Rice must be washed by placing it in a bowl until the water is clear. This will release excess starch, and the rice will turn out crumbly. Steamed rice varieties are washed fairly quickly. But some other varieties will need to be washed for 10 minutes or more.

In addition, such varieties are also left for a short time in water, they are allowed to lie down so that the rice swells and cooks faster.

6. Spices are also needed, without zira it will not get the desired flavor. It gives a real smell and taste, without it the dish will not turn out truly Uzbek. Ground coriander is also often added. Barberry will also never be superfluous. Therefore, purchase them in advance.

7. Garlic is also added for flavor. It is not necessary to completely peel it from the skin and cut it into pieces. It is only necessary to clean off the place where the roots were located, there may be remnants of the earth, and remove the upper layers of the shirt. Also, rinse the garlic thoroughly.

8. It is advisable to cook pilaf in a cauldron, so it turns out to be the most delicious. This is due to the thick walls and uniform heating. If there is no cauldron, then you can cook it in a thick-walled pan with high sides. You can’t go to a big campaign there, but you can feed your family completely.

It looks like everything is ready. You can start cooking.

Cooking:

1. Pour oil into a cauldron and heat it up to a bluish haze. Do not look that there is a lot of oil, do not reduce its amount. There are also many ingredients, and it is necessary that each particle be slightly oiled.

2. Carefully, so as not to burn yourself, place the chicken parts in a cauldron. In order for the oil not to splatter, the chicken must be dried. There is no need to salt or pepper it in advance. We need to achieve a quick golden crust so that the flesh inside remains juicy. For this we need maximum fire.

Fry chicken until golden brown. Periodically stir the contents with a slotted spoon.

3. Add onion, mix immediately. If it starts to burn, then you can reduce the heat to medium and bring the onion to softness or golden color.

4. Pour a glass of hot water and let the onion sweat for 10 minutes until all the water has boiled away. During that time, the onion will become almost transparent.

5. Now is the time for carrots. As we remember, it gives taste and color. And to get a golden color, the carrots need to be lightly fried so that it releases the juice. Strong fire is not necessary. Carrots should languish more than fry.

After sweating the carrots for about ten minutes, while not forgetting to mix the contents of the cauldron, we proceed to the next step.

6. Now is the time to add spices, salt and pepper. Stir, then stick two heads of garlic directly into the middle. Stick harder so that it does not float when we add water.

After that, we will no longer interfere with anything until the very end of cooking.

7. Spread the washed rice in an even layer. Smooth it out well over the entire surface.

8. Then a very important point, you need to fill it with water correctly. Hot water is needed, so boil the kettle in advance.

It is necessary to pour water into the cauldron through the holes in the slotted spoon. This simple action will allow the rice to stay in place. It is necessary that the carrots do not float. And if we pour water from the kettle directly onto the rice, a funnel will form and the carrots will immediately float up.

9. Water should be poured so that it covers the rice by 1.5 - 2 cm. Usually the index finger is the measure. If you put it in water (although it will be hot), then the first phalanx should be completely covered.

Let the contents boil over high heat, then reduce it to medium.

10. After waiting until the water boils, let it boil for 5 minutes, then try the broth. While there is broth, it can be salted if there is not enough salt. When the broth boils away, it will be too late to salt, the salt will not have time to disperse.

11. Cook the rice almost until cooked, boiling should occur evenly over the entire surface. Otherwise, rice will be cooked on one side, and on the other it may remain raw.

During this time, no liquid should remain on the surface at all. But she was still inside. We need it to boil away too, otherwise we will get ordinary porridge.

To do this, carefully collect a hill of rice. To do this correctly, you need to take a slotted spoon and collect rice from the edge to the center. At the edges, the rice is already completely ready, but in the middle it was more difficult for him to reach readiness. Therefore, we will help him with this.

By moving the rice from the edge to the center, we kind of cover the raw middle with the finished one. When the hill is ready, we take a Chinese stick, or a spoon with a long handle, and with rotational movements we make holes over the entire surface of the slide. They need to be done to the very bottom, which is why a simple spoon will not work, just the length of its handle is not enough.

All the water that we have left below now has an outlet to the outside. And when she leaves, she will help the raw rice to reach the desired state along the way. And for this to happen, and besides, the bottom layer does not burn, the fire must be reduced to a minimum and cover the cauldron with a lid.

12. Darken it in this form for 15 minutes. After that, turn off the fire and without opening the lid, cover it with a towel so that the steam does not escape through the holes. He will steam what is left not yet steamed.

Leave the dish in this state for about 15 minutes. Then open the lid, so that the condensate that forms on the lid does not get back into the cauldron.

13. Pilaf can be gently mixed in a cauldron, and then put on a large dish. However, there are special types of preparation, and today we will talk about them, where it is not mixed, but laid out in layers. First, rice, then carrots and the last layer of meat is laid out. Everything is topped with garlic.

He retained his appearance, but his taste has changed dramatically. Having given his aroma to rice, he, in turn, absorbed all the aromas of the dish and its taste. Try it for sure! He has his fans and his opponents. Some people like this garlic very much, and I am one of them. And someone does not understand this taste.

In any case, he has already done his job, and therefore, if you do not eat it, just throw it away.

Pieces of chicken can be left whole if desired, or cut into smaller portions, while someone removes all the bones. It's a matter of taste here!

14. Serve pilaf on a large flat dish, sprinkled with fresh herbs.

It is also usually served with a salad of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes with onions seasoned with vegetable oil.

And no mayonnaise and ketchup! Real pilaf does not need any additives.

And then I met such people who ask him this or that. Don't give! Delicious pilaf is so tasty that you can quietly eat "even a spoon."

That's basically it! Much has been written, I agree. But this is just to make it clear to everyone! Everything is getting faster!

Well, how do you like the recipe? Have you already felt how delicious it will turn out? And they felt it right, it couldn't be otherwise. Well, if you are not tired, then move on to the next recipe.

Beef pilaf according to the classic recipe - "Fergana"

This classic recipe comes from Fergana, and therefore has the name "Fergana"

I’ll explain right away why this particular recipe is a classic. Well, firstly, this is the most upcoming recipe in Uzbekistan. It is prepared everywhere. Secondly, it is the basis of all others. Already on this basis, all other options are being prepared, with the addition of many other ingredients. We will look at some of them today.

This recipe is described in great detail in one of my articles. And so today I will only briefly recall all the main provisions. Who wants to cook according to this recipe, for a detailed description of it.

We will need:

• lamb - 700 -800 gr
• fat tail fat - 100 gr
• onion - 400 gr
• carrots - 600 gr
• rice - 600 gr
• zira - 1 teaspoon
• spices - for pilaf (optional)
• garlic - 2 heads (optional)
• salt - 1 tbsp. spoon
• pepper - to taste
• greens - for sprinkling

Cooking:

This recipe also has a preparation step, it is the same as in the first recipe. Here I will only briefly outline all the steps, and see the details above.

1. There is one feature here, which should be discussed in more detail. The recipe should use bone-in meat and pulp. It is advisable to use lamb for this. But if you could not find a good piece of such meat, then buy beef. It is very good if the meat is fresh or chilled.

Wash the meat on the bones and dry it. And we cut the pulp into small pieces, 2-3 cm in size, no more.

We also need fat tail fat. With it, any pilaf becomes much tastier, more aromatic and healthier. It must be cut into cubes 2 by 2 cm in size. But if you did not find it, then use only vegetable oil. But in this case it will need to be taken 200 ml.

2. Now we need to cut the onion into half rings. Carrots in thin strips. Rinse the rice until the water is clear. And you can start cooking.

3. Put the cauldron on the fire and warm it up well. Then reduce the fire to medium and put the chopped fat tail fat, boil it down to cracklings.

Then add vegetable oil.

4. Or immediately pour in the oil, heat it well until a bluish haze and carefully, so as not to burn yourself, place the meat bones in the cauldron. Fry them until golden brown over high heat. It is necessary that the juice is "sealed" in the meat, and it does not become dry. That's what a big fire is for.

5. Add chopped onion, fry until slightly golden or soft.

6. Add chopped pulp. It must be spread evenly over the seeds and onions, but do not mix, otherwise the temperature of the oil will drop sharply. You can mix it when the meat is warm, that is, after about 4 to 5 minutes.

7. Fry this meat too. Our oil is hot, and it will fry quickly enough. It should also brown slightly.

8. And as soon as this happened, add carrots. We also give her a couple of minutes to warm up and only after that we mix all the contents with a slotted spoon.

Fry the carrots over medium heat for 5 minutes, during which time it will soften slightly and turn brown.

In Uzbekistan, yellow carrots are specially grown, with the use of which the dish has a less sweet taste. Such carrots are very common there for cooking pilaf. Unfortunately, we do not have such carrots, and we use our usual varieties.

9. Pour half of the zira into the contents and pour everything with cold water. It should completely cover the carrots, but no more. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes. During this time, the carrots will release juice, and the broth will acquire a pleasant sunny color. In the future, this will give a pleasant color to the whole dish as a whole.

What we have done now is called “zirvak” in Uzbekistan, that is, it is a kind of basis for pilaf. It gives color, aroma and taste to the whole dish as a whole. Therefore, "zirvak" should be tasty.

10. If you use garlic, then insert it between the bones. By the way, there is one point. It happens that at this stage the bones can already be easily removed from the meat. They are taken out by putting the pulp back.

But you can leave it to clean up later. I do. Let them give more fat to the broth.

Also at this stage you need to salt, pepper and add spices. Of the spices, you can add only cumin (we have already added it) and ground coriander. Barberry is also good. If you have it, then feel free to add a whole tablespoon. It will be very tasty. Rice will have a slight pleasant sourness.

11. Spread the washed rice in an even layer on the entire surface of the zirvak. If the rice is not steamed, then pre-soak it in barely warm water for 20 minutes.

12. Pour water through the holes in the slotted spoon so that it covers the rice to the height of the phalanx of the index finger, or about 1.5 - 2 cm. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a state that the water does not boil, but only gurgles slightly. taste the salt

13. After about 15 minutes, almost all the water should have evaporated, by then the rice should be 90% cooked. If for some reason it is still raw, then you can add a little more hot water.

14. If the rice is almost ready, form a hill and make holes in it to the very bottom. Add the rest of the zira, rubbing it in the palms for flavor.

15. We set a very small fire and simmer, covering the lid with a towel so that steam does not escape into the holes. It will steam well that rice that has not yet reached the desired state. Tomim 15 - 20 minutes.

16. Then turn off the gas, do not open the lid. Let stand for another 10-15 minutes to let the dish rest.

17. After that, open the lid and gently mix the contents right in the cauldron. Use a skimmer for this. At the same time, get the meat on the bones, remove the bones, and cut the meat.

18. Put the pilaf in a large flat dish. Spread the pieces of meat and whole garlic on top. Sprinkle with herbs.

19. Eat with pleasure!

Otherwise, it won't work. We had a very tasty meal today. You can no longer, but still eat, the hand involuntarily reaches for the spoon.

Eat, don't be afraid. This is such a healthy and completely balanced dish that there will be no harm from it. Only one benefit.

If you are not tired yet, then I move on to the next recipe.

Video on how to cook pilaf with beef and devzira rice

Devzira rice grows only in one place on our planet - it is the Ferghana Valley in the upper reaches of the Syr Darya in sunny hospitable Uzbekistan. It has a brownish-pink color. This is a powder from the shell of threshed grain. When you wash the rice, the powder is washed off, but the brown grooves on the grain remain.

Thanks to this, it is possible to distinguish whether this is a real devzira or not.

This variety perfectly absorbs water, all juices from vegetables and fats. And so it turns out very tasty.

You can buy it on the market from knowledgeable people, or in expensive supermarkets. The last time I bought it to order in the market for 350 rubles per kilogram.

If you do not have such rice, then it's okay. You can cook it from the usual long-grain, better steamed. It will not boil soft and the pilaf will turn out to be 100% crumbly.

How to cook pork pilaf so that the rice is crumbly

Pork pilaf? Excuse me, dear Uzbeks. I know you don't cook pork dishes. But here in Russia they are prepared everywhere. Therefore, I will give a recipe so that if someone wants to cook from pork, then let him do it right.

This summer I cooked for myself for the first time. It turned out very tasty! I prepared it at the request of a friend, one might say, in the field. For me it was a wonderful experience.

Today, in order not to repeat myself, I want to offer a completely different recipe, and cook it with mushrooms. Of course, it can be prepared not only from pork, but traditionally for Uzbekistan - from lamb or beef. How it is prepared, by the way. After all, I want to give you an Uzbek recipe. They prepare it there in early spring, when the very first mushrooms begin - morels.

When we lived in Samarkand, we went specially to the mountains for them. Once in the local mountains called Amankutan, I found two huge morels, each kilogram, or even more. Pilaf was cooked from one, right in the mountains for an overnight stay. Cooked without any meat. It was amazingly delicious!

We also grow morels, and who collects them in May, cook pilaf from them, it's very tasty!

Although you can cook with absolutely all mushrooms, both fresh and frozen, and even with champignons. And as you already understood, you can cook both with meat and without it. I'm cooking today with meat. If you decide to cook without meat, then simply remove it from the recipe, as if it were not there, and leave everything else unchanged.

For vegetarians and fasting - this will be the perfect hearty dish!

We will need:

• pork meat (or other) - 400 gr
• mushrooms - 400 gr
• carrots - 600 gr
• onion - 250 gr
• rice - 600 gr
• ghee - 100 gr
• vegetable oil - 100 gr
• garlic - 1 head
• zira, coriander - 1 tbsp. spoon
• salt, pepper - to taste

Cooking:

1. Rinse the meat, dry it and cut into pieces with a side of 3 - 4 cm. You can use both the pulp and bone-in meat, for example, ribs.

2. Rinse fresh mushrooms thoroughly and put in a colander so that all the water is glassed. If the mushrooms are frozen, then defrost them and dry them with a paper towel.

3. Cut the onion into thin half rings. Carrots - straws. How to do this, see recipe 1. Rinse the garlic, remove the top husk and thoroughly clean the place where the roots were. We leave the head entirely and in the "shirt".

4. Rinse the rice until the water is clear. If it is not steamed, but rather hard, then soak it in warm water for 20 minutes.

5. Warm up the cauldron and pour vegetable oil into it, warm it also to a light haze. Carefully, so as not to burn yourself, put the meat in the oil. To do this, you can use a slotted spoon.

6. Quickly fry the meat until golden brown. It should fry quickly enough, as the oil is hot. Fast frying gives a crust, thanks to which the juice will remain inside, and the meat will not turn out to be overdried.

7. Immediately add ghee and onion. Fry it until golden brown and soft.

8. Then add the mushrooms. They should be cut into large enough pieces so that after cooking they do not have to be looked for. In addition, it should be noted that when fried, the mushrooms will decrease in volume by at least two times. Fry everything together for 5-7 minutes.

9. Then add carrots, spices, salt and pepper. Stir and fry for 10 minutes until lightly browned and soft. We got a beautiful and fragrant zirvak. We add garlic to it, which we try to drown deeper into the thickness of meat, mushrooms and carrots.

If necessary, reduce the heat, nothing should burn.

10. We fall asleep rice, laying it out in a thin even layer. We try to cover all the carrots with it so that it does not float when we add water.

11. Pour hot water through the holes in the slotted spoon so that it covers the rice by 1.5 -2 cm, or on the phalanx of the index finger. Let it boil over high heat, then reduce the heat. After 5 minutes, taste the broth, if it seems to you that there is not enough salt, then salt the broth evenly.

12. Evaporate all the water, the rice should be almost ready by then. If it turned out to be damp, then you can add a little water.

If its readiness is 90%, then we make a hillock, collecting rice from the edges to the center, we make holes with a wooden stick to the very bottom. Then you need to reduce the heat to a minimum, cover with a lid and put a towel on it so that steam does not come out of the cauldron. He must do his job and bring the rice to readiness.

13. After 15 minutes, turn off the fire, and leave the pilaf to languish for another 15 minutes under the lid.

14. Mix the finished pilaf right in the cauldron, do it carefully so as not to break the rice and damage the mushrooms. Then put it on a large flat dish. Sprinkle with herbs and enjoy!

Delicious and fragrant pilaf is ready! Hope you enjoy it. I also hope that you understand how to cook it without meat? If you do not understand, then ask in the comments, I will be happy to answer you!

Uzbek beef pilaf with quince

In order not to be repeated with recipes, I want to cook this version of pilaf with quince, or it can be replaced with pumpkin.

This is a purely autumn cooking option. It is prepared when the quince or pumpkin absorb all the sunlight and become tasty and fragrant.

I am cooking today with quince - a beauty. But you can safely change the word quince to the word pumpkin, since the dish is prepared in the same way with both.

I must tell you that it turns out to be insanely delicious. To be honest, we in our family are so spoiled for the various variations of this dish that for us it has long become just an everyday dish. But when I cook it with quince, it's always an event! Therefore, when the husband brought a large and delicious-smelling fruit from the market, he immediately marked "This is for pilaf." And it wasn't discussed.

We will need:

• lamb (beef) - 600 gr
• fat tail fat - 100 gr
• quince - 350 -400 gr
• vegetable oil - 0.5 cups
• onion - 300 gr
• carrots - 600 gr
• rice - 600 gr
• zira - 1 teaspoon
• ground coriander - 1 teaspoon
• barberry - 1 tbsp. spoon
• salt, ground black pepper - to taste

Cooking:

For the preparation of ingredients and slicing, read in detail in the first recipe. And here we will focus on the recipe itself.

1. We use meat even lamb, even beef. You can also cook with pork. In Central Asia, this meat is not cooked, but we can do it. Therefore, take the meat from which you want to cook.

Again, we need pulp and we need meat bones. I use lamb again, and I have fat tail fat in reserve. If you do not have it, then cook in oil. But in this case, you will need a little more than half a glass, namely 200 ml.

2. Cut the meat into large pieces the size of meat bones. Cut fat into small pieces.

3. We will cook in a cauldron. We heat it, then spread the fat and lightly fry it. You can fry until cracklings and then remove them. I want to save them for taste, and therefore I fry them only lightly, and then I take them out on a separate plate.

Pour oil into a cauldron, heat it well and lay out the meat bones. Fry them until golden brown over high heat. Well-roasted meat retains all the juice inside and cooks faster.

4. As soon as the bones are fried, add the pieces of meat and fat that you got. Wait 3 minutes until they are warmed by steam, then mix and fry everything together, also until golden brown. It is important not to overcook the meat, otherwise the broth will turn dark later, and this will make the pilaf brown. And not only the color, the taste will also suffer.

5. Put the onion in the cauldron. Again, wait 3 minutes until it warms up and then mix it with the meat. Fry until it turns golden. Then pour hot boiled water and boil the contents until the meat begins to move away from the bone.

It may take 30 minutes to an hour. If the meat is young, it will cook faster. The time also depends on which boney parts of the meat you are using. Some cook faster, others may take a little longer.

During cooking, the onion will also lose its shape, becoming like mashed potatoes. This is good, it will nourish the broth in which rice will be cooked with its taste. Fat tail fat will also evaporate completely and become completely invisible.

6. While the meat is being cooked, let's take a look at the quince. It is good to have a tasty ripe quince, it is desirable that it does not have an astringent taste.

It must be thoroughly washed, then cut into 4 parts and remove the core. Then cut it into medium-sized slices in the form of a crescent, 0.5 cm thick. If the fruit is large, as it turned out to be with me, then cut each slice into two more halves.

7. Fry the slices in a minimum amount of vegetable oil until golden brown. Then lay out on a paper towel.

It should be remembered that quince darkens very quickly when cut, so you can hold it in cold water for a while before roasting. Then lay out on paper towels and pat dry. So the slices will not darken and remain a beautiful sunny color.

8. When the meat has reached readiness, get the meat on the bones and remove the bones. Send the meat back.

This must be done if you are preparing a dish for guests. If you cook for yourself, then you can leave the bones. For example, we like it very much when meat is laid out on the bones. And the husband always asks not to clean them ahead of time. I don't mind. After all, pilaf will be cooked for another 40 minutes, so the fat from them will increase even more during this time.

9. Whatever you do, it's time for carrots. We spread it on top of the meat and, without interfering, let it stand for 2 - 3 minutes so that it warms up. Then mix and simmer everything together for about 10 minutes. Make sure that the carrots do not burn. If this does not have enough own juice and broth, then you can add a little hot water.

10. Add cumin, ground coriander, salt and pepper to taste. We also add barberry. Thus, our zirvak is ready.

Barberry is used in all cooking options, it gives a wonderful light sourness to the whole dish as a whole. It can be added, both large black and smaller red, there is no difference.

11. By the time the carrots are slightly limp, the rice should be ready. The first recipe details how to prepare it, so I won't repeat myself.

We spread it in an even layer over the entire surface of the meat and carrots. And fill it with boiled water, pour water through the holes in the slotted spoon so that the rice does not rise from the jet of water and does not expose the carrots, it should remain covered.

The water should be 1.5 - 2 cm higher than the carrots.

12. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce it, let it boil for 5 minutes and try the broth for salinity. Add it as needed. As long as there is water, it will spread it evenly over the entire surface of the cooking dish.

13. We bring rice to readiness by 85 -90%, by that time there should be no water left on the surface. We spread the quince slices, and collect the slide so that the quince remains inside.

If water is also not visible along the edges near the walls, then carefully make holes in the slide with a stick to the very bottom. We try not to pierce the quince. When you hit a piece with a stick, go around it. In this case, the stick needs to be rotated, it will push the whole quince to the side.

Close the lid and cover it with a towel so that the steam does not escape into the cracks.

14. Reduce the gas to a minimum and simmer for 10 -15 minutes. Then turn off the gas, do not open the lid and hold for another 10 - 15 minutes.

15. Then gently mix the contents and put on a large dish. Put the pieces of meat on top of the finished dish.

16. Now you need to sprinkle pilaf with fresh herbs, and serve to the admiration of all those present. Eat with pleasure!

And the pleasure and admiration will be sure! Loose rice, stewed carrots and quince, with the aroma of zira, an additional sour taste of barberry, a light taste of fat tail fat, which carefully envelops literally every grain of rice! It's just so magical! Full enjoyment of taste and aroma. I don't even know what could be tastier!

Here, only 3 recipes, and the article is no longer small. It's a swim! Either not write about him, or write from the heart, and that means a lot! Otherwise you can't! A special dish that requires special treatment!

If you are ready to receive more recipes, then I am ready to share them further!

Delicious Samarkand pilaf

I can’t leave today’s selection without this delicious recipe. This is my most favorite. Maybe because I lived in Samarkand for a long time, or maybe because I learned how to cook a dish according to this recipe, or maybe because it is simply the most amazing and beautiful pilaf that I know of.

I have already described in great detail in one of the articles how it is prepared. And therefore, you will find it and be able to cook it.

A distinctive feature of this option is that after cooking, the rice is not mixed with all other ingredients. It is laid out on a dish in layers, just as it was prepared. Rice is laid out first, then carrots and meat and garlic are laid out last.

Carrots are not fried, but steamed. Thanks to this, the color of the dish remains light, the carrots have a rich bright color and the same rich stewed taste.

The meat is cut into large pieces, be sure to use meat on the bones. Before laying out in the dish, the bones are removed and the meat is cut into small pieces.

Served with coarsely chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, fresh herbs and green onions.

If you like to cook pilaf, and have never cooked it in this version, then cook it for sure! Believe me, it's worth it! You will like it, I'm sure!

Wedding Uzbek pilaf with peas and raisins

Well, what is a wedding without pilaf? The whole wedding as a whole in Uzbekistan is judged by what kind of plov was. Therefore, in order to cook it correctly and tasty, they invite special masters who have extensive cooking experience. And this despite the fact that all the men present at the wedding, and even women know how to cook it.

In order for the life of the young to be happy and rich, pomegranate seeds, Uzbek peas, and raisins are added to pilaf. Each ingredient is symbolic and means, for example, that there are many children in the family, that wealth and abundance live in the house, that love is a constant and faithful companion. Barberry is also placed, which means good health and longevity.

Dried apricots and chopped boiled egg can also be added.

Due to the large number of components, it is important that everything in the pilaf is balanced, so that none of the ingredients get out of the general taste.

I suggest today to cook pilaf with all the ingredients, but you can cook it according to this recipe using only chickpeas, or only raisins, or pomegranates.

We will need:

• lamb meat or beef - 700 gr
• fat tail fat or vegetable oil - 200 gr
• hard-grain rice, Devzira variety - 600 gr
• onion - 250 gr
• garlic - 2 heads
• carrots - 600 gr
• raisins - 100 gr
• chickpeas - 100 gr
• barberry - 50 gr
• pomegranate - 1 pc (200 gr)
• zira - 1 tbsp. spoon
• salt - to taste

Cooking:

1. Chickpeas should be soaked in advance, preferably even a day before cooking. During this time, you can change the water a couple of times. During this time, the peas should double in size. When you bite into it, it will no longer be hard and should be chewed.

2. Cooking meat. It should be washed, dried and cut into large pieces of 150 - 200 gr. Cut fat tail fat into small cubes, 2 by 2 cm in size. If there is no fat, then cook vegetable oil. You can also use 100 grams of oil and 100 grams of fat.

3. For wedding pilaf, a special kind of rice is used, which is called devzira. This variety is specially grown for its preparation. It is quite rare and expensive. It grows only in one place in the Ferghana Valley of sunny Uzbekistan. This is a large, elongated rice that is covered with a layer of pink powder. Therefore, it is called the pink pearl of the East.

This rice is not polished, thanks to which it retains all its nutritional properties, has a lot of vitamins and microelements. And yet it is quite hard, and therefore in the process of cooking it will not stick together and remain crumbly.

If you have such rice, then this is already good luck. Delicious pilaf is guaranteed to you. Unfortunately, even in the markets in Central Asia, you can easily run into a fake. Therefore, you need to have special knowledge and the ability to choose it.

Since it is very hard, it must first be soaked for several hours in lightly salted water.

If there is no such rice, then you can use steamed rice, which is sold in every store, in this case it only needs to be thoroughly washed until the water is clear. It is not necessary to soak it.

4. Cut the onion into thin half rings, carrots into thin strips 3 cm thick and 5-6 cm long.

5. Sort through the raisins and barberry, removing the sticks from them. And we start cooking.

6. Put the cauldron on the fire and warm it up well. Put fat tail fat and evaporate it to greaves, then remove them with a slotted spoon.

If using oil, then pour it in and warm it up well.

7. Fry the meat in oil, after frying, you should get a golden crust. Add half the cumin and 1/3 of the onion and continue to fry, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon. Fry both meat and onion over high heat until the onion is also browned.

8. Put carrots on top of the onion, smooth it over the entire surface, but do not mix. Then peas, from which all the water was previously drained and rinsed in clean water. We don't mix it either.

9. Then turn the layer of raisins, which evenly, in turn, sprinkle with barberries. Put out the garlic.

10. Pour the contents with cold water, pouring it through the holes in the slotted spoon so that the layers do not mix. You need enough water so that it only half covers the layer with peas. Salt to taste.

Let the water boil. Then reduce the fire to a minimum. Leave to languish for 40 - 50 minutes. During this time, the meat and peas will be almost ready, and all the components will steam well and give all their taste to zirvak.

11. Add some hot water, let it boil for 5 minutes and carefully remove the meat. We try not to break the layers too much.

12. Turn up the heat to high and spread the rice in an even layer. Salt.

Sprinkle some cumin. Add water as needed, it should cover the rice by 1 cm. Remember that you need to add it through the holes in the slotted spoon.

13. Bring to a boil. Make sure that it is uniform over the entire surface. If the boil is uneven, then the rice will cook as well. Cook until all the water has evaporated. By this time, rice should already be 85 - 90% ready.

If this is the case, then put the meat back into the cauldron, while gently pressing it into the rice.

14. Mix the rest of the onion with the remaining zira and put on top. Then cover tightly with a lid, for fidelity, you can cover the top with a towel so that steam does not escape, and leave to languish over very low heat for 20-25 minutes.

15. Open the cover. Carefully remove the top layer of the onion into a separate bowl. Put the meat on a cutting board and cut it into even slices, even plates, as you like.

16. Put pilaf in the form of a hill on a large dish. Previously, it can be gently mixed in a cauldron, or you can put rice first, and only then peas with raisins and carrots on top.

Gently arrange the meat pieces on top. Sprinkle generously with pomegranate seeds.

17. Serve onions in a separate bowl as an appetizer. Also serve fresh vegetables, herbs and green onions.

18. Eat with pleasure!

This is such an interesting and delicious recipe!

And here is another recipe for a festive pilaf, which is prepared in a completely different way.

In addition to the recipes offered today, there are still a lot of recipes that it is simply impossible to offer everything in one article! So, for example, pilaf can be cooked with cabbage rolls from grape leaves.

To do this, they are first cooked, then put on a thick culinary thread in the form of a necklace.

Pilaf is prepared according to the same scheme as, for example, Fergana, classic. Only after preparing zirvak, first we lay out a necklace of grape leaves and cook them until cooked for about 40 minutes. Then we take out and put the rice. When it is 80% ready, put the stuffed cabbage again and simmer with the lid closed for another 10-15 minutes. After that, turn off the fire and let it simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

In the same way, you can cook a dish with a small bell pepper. It also turns out pretty tasty.

There are more options and variations in accordance with the area where it is prepared. For example, Bukhara pilaf, which is cooked with raisins, or Kokand, or Khorezm, which takes a whole day to cook. Well, or the Samarkand and Ferghana variants already listed above.

In general, understanding what is done for what in the cooking process, you can cook any pilaf. And now I will try to give the basic provisions for all types and varieties.

• you should always approach the preparation of this dish only with a good and positive attitude.
• cooking does not tolerate fuss and haste
• all ingredients should be prepared in advance - cut vegetables, rinse and prepare rice, put spices under your arm, boil water. During cooking, it is not advisable to be distracted by these things. Requires maximum concentration on the cooking process itself
• for cooking, it is desirable to have a cauldron, or thick-walled dishes with high walls. Only in such dishes the heat will be distributed evenly and the dish will turn out as it should. In conventional cookware, for example, rice will cook faster against the walls and remain raw inside. It will be difficult to move and cook it, by that time the rice near the walls will boil.
• the meat used is mostly lamb or beef. Also prepared with chicken. Well, we also cook pork.
• if there is an opportunity to stock up on fat tail fat, then do it, you will not regret it. With it, any pilaf is doubly tastier. Plus, it's even more useful.

• in order for the meat to be tasty, it must be fried over high heat so that it is quickly “sealed” and covered with a golden crust. For this reason, the meat is not pre-salted, this will not allow you to get a quick crust, the juice will flow out and the meat will not be tasty.
• onions must be cut into half rings very thinly. Onion gives juice and taste, during cooking it becomes puree and is completely invisible in pilaf. Onions are not cut into cubes for cooking.
• carrots can not be grated, cut into cubes, thick sticks. Although the word “impossible” is probably not quite correct, it is possible, but they don’t cut it like that for pilaf. Carrots should be cut into strips 5-7 cm long and no more than 0.5 cm thick.
• to prepare a delicious and real Uzbek dish, you must have zira, or it is also called cumin. Without it, pilaf is not prepared.
• coriander can also be used as a spice, these are ground cilantro grains. Also a very tasty dish is obtained with the addition of barberry.

• rice for pilaf should be long-grain, it’s good if steamed is written on the package. Such rice does not stick together and turns out crumbly. The grains should not be chipped; when biting, they should not break easily.

• round-grain varieties are best not to use. They have a lot of gluten and it is good for boiled cereals, but not for pilaf.
• Do not stir while rice is cooking, otherwise it will turn into porridge.
• The best variety of rice for cooking pilaf is devzira. It is not sold in the store, it can only be bought in the markets in Uzbekistan. And that can be easily deceived. Before you buy it, read on the Internet how to choose the right one.
• Each type of rice requires a certain amount of water to cook. This can only be determined empirically.

What if all the water has boiled away and the rice is not ready yet?

- add a little hot water, and if holes have already been made in the hill, then you can add water directly into them so that the rice is steamed evenly.

What if the rice is already cooked, but there is still a lot of water left?

- open the lid and add fire. Using a slotted spoon, you can move the rice slightly away from the wall so that the hot walls help the water evaporate faster.

In this case, you need to be careful that nothing burns at the bottom.

• boiling during cooking rice should be uniform over the entire surface of the cauldron, otherwise it will boil unevenly
• after the pilaf is completely ready, open the lid so that the condensate that has accumulated on it does not fall back into the cauldron. Excess water in rice is useless.
• do not serve the dish with mayonnaise and ketchup. Also, do not serve salads with mayonnaise to it.

Cooking pilaf is like an art. Therefore, in order to create a real culinary masterpiece, you need to study. And you can learn only by preparing it, each time gradually honing your skills. Then you will begin to notice all the nuances, and comprehend all the subtleties.

That seems to be all. The article turned out great and I hope useful for you. Write in the comments if you found it useful for yourself? Have you learned something new for yourself in the preparation of this delicious Uzbek dish? And also write if everything worked out if you cooked according to one of the recipes. If something did not work out, do not despair, write, describe what did not work out and I will help you. Will definitely do it next time!

And also share with your friends. I will be grateful for the likes you put.

Well, I'm done with this. All the best to you, and bon appetit to those who cooked pilaf today!

How many chefs, so many recipes. But still, there are some rules and recommendations that will allow you to find the answer to the question: "How to cook pilaf at home?"

There is a special category of dishes that underlies gastronomic art. If this is Belarusian cuisine, then definitely draniki, if Russian, then hodgepodge, if oriental, then pilaf. It is cooked on an open fire in a thick cauldron. It's time to reveal all the secrets of cooking real pilaf.

Before you learn how to cook pilaf at home, you need to find out which rice is suitable for this dish. In different regions, different varieties are used for cooking. In any case, it should absorb water well, but not boil soft. For real pilaf, long-grain, large and transparent rice with a minimum starch content is suitable.

There are other tips that will help you learn how to cook pilaf at home:

• The dish is prepared in thick-walled dishes (ideally, a cauldron).
• Almost all ingredients (vegetables and meat) are fried in special fat tail fat (modern housewives can use ordinary vegetable oil), which must be heated until a light haze forms.
• Much attention is paid to the preparation of zirvak - any meat should be well fried. If there are bones, they must be fried first - this will give the dish a rich taste.
• Carrots are cut into large strips, and onions are cut into fairly large half rings. For pilaf, it is best to take red carrots - it has a sweet taste, which is extremely important for making real pilaf.
• The meat should be stewed in its own juice for at least 30 minutes. Only in this case, the zirvak will be saturated with meat flavor, and onions and carrots will give it additional sweetness, which will certainly affect the taste of the Uzbek dish.
• The broth must be salted immediately before laying the rice. It can be slightly salted, as the rice will absorb some of the salt anyway.
• Many still do not know how to cook friable pilaf at home. It turns out that the point is the amount of liquid - it should not be too much. Ideally, water should cover the rice by only 1 cm, but this also depends on how correctly the cereal was prepared for laying.

So it's time to talk about how to prepare all the ingredients for pilaf.

Rice: what to choose and how to cook

We sort of decided on the choice of rice - it should contain a minimum amount of starch. Nevertheless, it is this product that is the main stumbling block for cooks who know how to cook pilaf at home. But all Uzbek and Tajik varieties are also suitable for preparing a traditional oriental dish.

Domestic housewives can use traditional varieties of cereals, but the main thing is to give preference to the one that contains the minimum amount of starch. Any rice just needs to be washed in several waters! This is rule number 1. It would be good to soak the grits for an hour or two before lowering it into the cauldron, after which it should be put on a sieve to remove excess liquid.

The oldest recipe

Historians and gastronomic minds of our planet believe that the basics of cooking this dish were formed long before the advent of our era. Abu Ali ibn Sino knew exactly how to cook real plov. It is easy to prepare it at home, because it is not at all a matter of choosing exclusive ingredients - only observing the technology.

Our compatriot Kozma Prutkov said not in vain: "Look at the root!" So, it's time to find it in the word "palov" (pilaf is a more familiar, but not entirely correct name):

1. P (piez) - onion, without which it is simply impossible to imagine this dish, will get rid of the unpleasant odor that forms when fat or oil is heated.
2. A (aez) - carrots. This component is not used in the Caucasus, India and some Arab countries, but it is this ingredient that increases the volume of the finished dish, gives it a characteristic sweet taste, saturates the pilaf with useful substances and contributes to better cooking of meat.
3. L (lahm) - meat - the main component of any pilaf does not need comments.
4. O (olio) - fat or oil. Without this component, pilaf will simply burn. For real pilaf, natural fat of animal origin is used (ideally, mutton fat tail fat).
5. B (vet) - salt. It may seem that this is not such a significant component, but it is not. And you try not to add it to the dish. You can forget about barberry, quiche-mish, pepper and other spices, but in no case should you forget about salt - it will simply destroy the dish.

Many will think about how to cook Tajik pilaf at home without rice? For attentiveness - five with a plus. But do not slander the genius of medicine - Avicenna knew for sure, at home. The Uzbeks called this dish none other than "Osh", where O is water and W is rice. It remains only to get acquainted with some traditional recipes.

Step-by-step recipe for Uzbek pilaf

The sequence is:

1. Melt the fat in a cauldron (it is best to do this over high heat).
2. Send onion chopped into large rings.
3. After some time, add meat (mutton, cut into medium pieces) to the vegetables and brown it.
4. Cut the carrots into large strips, lightly fry and stew with the addition of a small amount of water.
5. Add a little more liquid and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat.
6. Add salt and spices (it can be cumin, pepper, barberry, zarchiva, turmeric, etc.).

This is just zirvak - the so-called basis of pilaf. It should be transparent - only in this case the rice will turn out crumbly. One of the main secrets of the dish is revealed. It remains only to figure out how to cook lamb pilaf at home.

Zirvak is ready - continue on

Any housewife should learn how to properly prepare the basis for pilaf. Further it will be easier:

• In a cauldron with meat and vegetable broth, lay the prepared rice in a uniform layer.
• Pour the cereal with water through a slotted spoon.
• Rice will absorb all the water, after which it will come to readiness for a couple (for these purposes, they make a small slide with a hole in order for the steam to come out).
• It remains only to cover the cauldron with a lid and leave the dish alone for half an hour.
• After 30 minutes, you can mix the pilaf for the first time (gently and very carefully).

In fact, there is nothing complicated. Knowing how to cook Uzbek pilaf at home, you can cook this dish not only in a cauldron, but also in a saucepan, slow cooker or pan.

Festive pilaf recipe

To prepare it, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 kilogram of rice;
• 800 grams of lamb;
• 150 grams of chickpeas;
• 350 grams of fat;
• 400 grams of carrots;
• 4 medium onions;
• 4 heads of garlic;
• 50 grams of light raisins;
• 50 grams of pomegranate seeds;
• oriental spices and spices.

To decorate the dish, you will need 2 boiled chicken eggs, boiled carrots, onions and radishes. This recipe will help you learn how to cook pilaf at home in a pan.

How to cook?

Chickpeas must be soaked overnight in cold water. Rice should be washed several times, then left in water for two hours and put in a sieve to remove excess liquid. The meat should be cut into medium-sized pieces. Cut the onion into large half rings, and the carrots into fairly large strips.

Heat the vegetable oil in a cauldron, fry the meat in it until golden brown, then send the onion there. As soon as it becomes soft, you can lay out a layer of carrots, on it - chickpeas and a few peas of black pepper. Pour everything with water and cook for about an hour, after which you can lay out the rice, distributing it over the entire surface of the cauldron. Pour water again so that the liquid covers the grits by 1 cm. Turn on a large fire and make sure that the temperature in the cauldron is even.

As soon as the moisture evaporates, you need to reduce the flame, collect a hill of rice in the center of the cauldron and pierce the pilaf with a knife in several places - this is necessary in order for the steam to escape. After these manipulations, you need to cover the cauldron with a lid and leave on fire for some more time.

Delicious chicken pilaf

Contrary to traditional recipes, you can cook pilaf at home in a slow cooker, because not everyone can boast of having a real cauldron. For the same reason, you should familiarize yourself with the recipe for an equally delicious chicken dish, because lamb is a rather expensive and scarce product. Moreover, such pilaf is prepared very quickly, but it turns out incredibly tasty. For its preparation you need:

• Chicken fillet - 800 grams.
• Onions - about 400 grams.
• Red carrot - 600 grams.
• Rice - as much as carrots.
• Vegetable oil - almost half a glass.
• Spices - here everyone chooses on their own.

Step by step cooking recipe

You can cook in a cauldron, and in its absence - in a deep thick-walled pan. You will also need a long Chinese stick or a regular spoon with a long handle. The preparation of any oriental dish requires a special approach. In this case, pilaf is no exception. You should cook slowly, carefully following the entire sequence of laying the ingredients. Only in this case, you can cook pilaf at home in a saucepan.

So, first of all, you need to take care of the chicken. It is best to use a whole carcass of a small size (a variety of meat will allow you to get a richer taste). In the homeland of pilaf, a formula was developed for the ideal ratio of products: for 0.5 kg of rice, the same amount of meat and the same amount of carrots are taken. Chicken meat should be cut into small pieces. Onions - medium half rings, and carrots - rather large straws. Rinse rice thoroughly and leave in water for a while. You can also prepare the garlic ahead of time. For a real Uzbek pilaf, they take a whole head, cleaning it only from the ground and slightly cutting the place where all the cloves gather.

And then everything will happen exactly the same as in the previous recipes: fry the meat, add the onion, then a layer of carrots, a layer of rice and spices, pour everything with water and cook until all the liquid has evaporated.

"Fergana" recipe: a classic in its true manifestation

The name eloquently speaks for itself - the dish comes from Ferghana. This is the same pilaf that is cooked in Uzbekistan. Based on this recipe, a wide variety of methods for preparing pilaf have been created. Many people think about how to cook pilaf at home in the oven. This question will be answered very soon, but for now it is worth studying the list of products that will be needed for the classic recipe:

• Lamb meat - 800 grams.
• 100 grams of tail fat.
• 0.5 cup vegetable oil.
• Red carrot - 600 grams.
• Rice of the "correct" variety - as much as carrots.
• 1 teaspoon of zira.
• 2 heads of garlic.
• Oriental spices and spices.

The stage of preparing the ingredients is very important, because it determines in many respects the taste qualities of a real Uzbek pilaf.

How to prepare products for pilaf?

For a classic recipe, it is best to use bone-in meat and the flesh itself. If you could not find good lamb, you can use beef. It is good if the meat is chilled, not frozen. The lamb should be washed and dried with a paper towel, and then cut into medium-sized pieces. To prepare a real Uzbek pilaf, you will need tail fat - only with it the dish turns out to be much tastier, more aromatic and richer.

Onion cut into thin rings. Carrots - quite large straws. Peel the garlic from the top layer of the husk and remove the "butt". Rinse rice in several waters and soak, then drain in a colander to drain excess liquid. Now you can proceed to the most important thing.

How to cook a real Ferghana pilaf?

Put a cauldron on the stove and warm it up well. Pour vegetable oil or melt fat tail fat. Evaporate the last to cracklings. After that, carefully lower the pieces of meat into the cauldron. First, lamb on the bone. The meat should be fried over high heat until golden brown. After that, you can add the onion, and on top of it - pieces of pulp. The meat should not be stirred immediately - it is best to do this after 3-4 minutes, when it reaches the same temperature as all the other ingredients in the cauldron.

The flesh should also be browned. Only after that you can send carrots to the cauldron. She, too, needs to be given a few minutes to "warm up" - only then can she be stirred. After 5 minutes, you can add half of the zira and fill the entire contents of the cauldron with water so that it covers the carrots. Close the lid and leave the zirvak for 20-30 minutes alone on low heat.

After this time, you can carefully separate the meat from the bones and dip two heads of garlic into the cauldron, as well as add all the other spices (pepper, salt, cumin residue, coriander, barberry, etc.). After 5 minutes, you can lay out the rice, distributing it evenly over the entire surface of the cauldron. Using a slotted spoon, add water so that it covers the rice by at least 1 cm. Bring the dish to a boil, then reduce the heat. Taste the broth. Add salt if necessary.

After 15 minutes, the water should evaporate. If the rice is still raw, you can add a little more hot water and keep the dish on fire. If the cereal is ready, you need to build a small hill and make a hole in it to the very bottom. Pour half of the remaining zira there, after rubbing it in the palms of your hands.

Now you need to make a minimum fire and close the cauldron, covering it with a towel on top. Leave the dish for another 15 minutes, then turn off the flame and let the pilaf brew. After a while, you can gently mix all the contents and arrange the fragrant dish on plates. Bon appetit!