The most delicious dishes in a cauldron. What to cook on a fire in a cauldron? Recipes for a cauldron

It is rather difficult to remember on the fly a more interesting and self-sufficient cooking device than a cauldron.

This traditional cauldron, of a characteristic, recognizable form, played an important cultural, even civilizing mission for the ancient nomadic peoples of Central Asia and the Great Steppe.

The convenient hemispherical shape of the cauldron, portability, the ability to cook any dishes, contributed to the fact that it has been “preserved” in an almost unchanged form to this day. Now not only representatives of the Central Asian peoples prepare all kinds of dishes in a cauldron. A cauldron at home has become an everyday utensil for many of our compatriots.

At home, a cauldron, like a barbecue, is considered a real "master" of the kitchen. Cooking for Uzbeks and other peoples of that region is simply unthinkable without it.

Why is a cauldron good?

Modern cauldrons differ in shape, weight, size, material of manufacture. The most "correct" of them have the shape of a hemisphere, made of cast iron. The only negative: they cannot be used on a gas and even more so on an electric stove.

Cauldrons are designed for open fire, hearth. They are ideal for the garden, cottage, picnic. Lighter models made of metal alloys with a flat bottom are suitable for apartments, stoves. At the same time, there will be no difference in convenience compared to cast-iron samples. Thick aluminum cauldrons with almost parallel walls are also good. In addition, they have less thermal inertia, which is better when using an electric stove.

The volume of the cauldron can vary greatly.

In a twenty-liter one, it is quite possible to cook food for a motorized rifle platoon. An eight-liter is enough for a large family: it will be possible to cook pilaf with it for five to seven people.

From the point of view of technology, the cauldron is ideal for cooking dishes of Central Asian cuisine. It would not be a big exaggeration to say that the main features of the same Uzbek cuisine are formed due to the unique properties of the cauldron.

Features of cooking in a cauldron

Meat, and not only, dishes in a cauldron are prepared, as a rule, on the fat of fat-tailed rams.

Fat tail fat, cut into cubes, is melted at the bottom of the cauldron over high heat until it turns into golden cracklings. They are then removed, thrown away or used as an appetizer for strong drinks. This procedure is mandatory in the preparation of the vast majority of dishes for a cauldron.

The next step is roasting meat (beef, lamb, rarely pork). The most important thing in working with meat is to properly fry it, "seal" - in culinary slang, that is, give it a crust. To do this, it is important not to overcook, at the same time not to lay too much of it at the same time. In this case, the cauldron must be sufficiently warmed up by the time of laying, otherwise the meat will simply begin to stew.

The hemispherical shape of the cauldron allows you to fry it not only on one side, as in a pan, but on all sides

Next, the bow is laid in the cauldron, and here the fun begins! After closing the boiler with a lid, the onion quickly begins to release juice. Once on the hot bottom, the juice will instantly evaporate. Hot vapors will not be able to leave the cauldron because of the lid, they will inevitably begin to circulate inside. It is this effect that makes cooking in a cauldron unique!

Pre-fried to a crust meat in a cauldron or any other pre-laid product will be stewed in the juices of onions and other ingredients. In the upper part of the boiler, whatever you put it will be steamed. There are a lot of options for such compound dishes in Uzbek cuisine. A variety of vegetables, fruits, rice are most often added to meat with onions in layers. According to this principle of steaming, you can cook pilaf, basma, dimlyama, and other well-known dishes of Central Asian and Caucasian cuisines in a cauldron.

In great detail and artistically, all the features of the use of a cauldron are set out in the well-known book from Stalik Khankishiev “Kazan, barbecue and other male pleasures”

In addition to vivid, memorable stories from life, it contains classic and author's recipes for dishes in a cauldron. This book should be on the shelf of every person who is not indifferent to the kitchen and food.

Popular recipes: cooking in a cauldron

When thinking about what to cook in a cauldron, it is better to start with simple things, such as potatoes.

Required Ingredients:

• 1 kg of potatoes;
• a quarter kilogram of fat tail fat;
• half a kilo of onions;
• 200 g smoked chicken, ham or ham;
• fresh greens;
• salt, spices.

Cooking technique:

1. First you need to melt the tail fat. If he is not to his liking or simply does not exist, it is enough to pour vegetable oil into the cauldron.
2. Cut the potatoes in half, send the small ones to the frying whole. Fry until golden brown, set aside, sprinkle with salt.
3. After the oil (fat) has cooled slightly, put chopped onion half rings, a layer of ham or other meat product, cut into small pieces, into the cauldron.
4. Arrange the fried potatoes on the meat, season with zira, cut the bell pepper into slices on top. Finish with herbs to add flavor, close the lid tightly.
5. Cook for several minutes over medium heat, until the characteristic mouth-watering sounds appear. The same amount - until fully cooked on a weak fire.

Potatoes prepared with such a simple method with other ingredients will make you forget about the existence of french fries in all kinds of fast food establishments for a long time. This dish will turn out even better if you cook it in a cauldron on a fire.

Uzbek cuisine is rich in such simple and "delicious" recipes. In a cauldron, you can equally successfully cook any meat dish, vegetable, cereal, fish, seafood dishes.

Of course, the best dishes are obtained from meat and offal, such as liver, lamb eggs, heart, kidneys. And what kind of kebabs are obtained in a cauldron!

Kebab in a cauldron: a classic recipe

Kebab is translated from Turkic languages ​​simply - shish kebab. That is, in order to do it correctly, the meat must first be marinated.

The presence of a cauldron allows you to cook kebabs (shish kebabs) even in winter, when snow-covered views outside the window and the numbers on the thermometer reject the very idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthis.

Required Ingredients:

• a kilogram of any meat, even pork;
• several large bulbs;
• mineral water with gas;
• salt, spices (zira, dry garlic, star anise).

Cooking technique:

1. The meat must be washed, cleaned of films, cut along the fiber into neat cubes with a side of 3 cm.
2. Chop the onion into rings, place in a bowl, salt well, season with spices. Next, it must be thoroughly mixed, along the way, kneading with your hands, until the release of juice begins.
3. Put the meat to the onion, mix, add mineral water to speed up the pickling.
4. Close with a well-pressed dish, marinate for about five hours.
5. Peel the marinated meat from the onions, set aside on an auxiliary plate to drain the entire marinade.
6. Fry meat on a pre-heated cauldron without oils and fats. The heating of the cauldron should be such that the meat "sticks" to the walls.
7. Put the pieces of meat on the walls with a non-greasy side, otherwise they will quickly come off. Place the fattest pieces at the bottom of the boiler.
8. Having laid out all the meat, you need to carefully close the lid, put some kind of load on it. Cooking time - about half an hour on low heat.
9. The meat inside the cauldron sooner or later, having fried, will peel off the walls. Then it will cook in its juice. The last few minutes you need to reduce the fire.
10. You can take care of serving in advance: finely chop the onion, dill, parsley. Transfer the finished kebab pieces to a festive dish, pour fat from the cauldron, sprinkle with herbs and onions.
11. It is customary to eat kebab hot, it is served with fresh vegetable salads, lemon, sauces.

No less luxurious are the first dishes in the cauldron, which are quite popular in Central Asia, including shurpa, beloved by many.

The real shurpa

This wonderful dish, which can be both "first" and "second" at the same time, is part of the sacred Uzbek culinary triad. Shurpa, pilaf and barbecue - these dishes are certainly served at all festivities and ritual events. Their presence on the table symbolizes prosperity, a good life, confidence in the future.

The dish "came" to Central Asia along with the hordes of Turkic conquerors, but very quickly became its own. It is difficult to find a better embodiment of all the advantages of local cuisine than shurpa.

Required Ingredients

For shurpa, you will need a lot of meat, since this is a frankly meat dish. Any will do: beef, poultry, lamb. Traditionally, it is customary to use two types of meat: lamb ribs, shank, hip bones for a powerful, rich broth and beef, lamb pulp or poultry fillet for greater satiety.

Characteristic for this dish is the use of two types of onions: the usual yellow tear, as well as soft white or purple.

Much attention during the preparation of shurpa is paid to the quality of water: it is better to take the purest one you can find

So, for shurpa you need:

• 1 kg of meat on the bones, half a kilogram of loin or poultry fillet;
• 1 kg of onion: three quarters of yellow or red, one quarter of white lettuce or leek;
• 200 g lamb fat;
• a few carrots;
• a couple of sweet bell peppers;
• a couple of tomatoes;
• half a kilogram of potatoes, you can replace half with turnips;
• a couple of pods of hot pepper;
• fresh greens - cilantro, savory (for Uzbeks - jambul), green basil (raikhon), parsley;
• zira, other spices to taste.

Cooking technique

1. Cooking meat. It is necessary to fill the cauldron with cold water, put meat in it, light a fire. After boiling, reduce the heat a little, salt. Salting at such an early stage is needed here for quick separation and collection of foam. A beautiful, clear broth is important.
2. After removing the foam, lay out all the sharp onions in the form of rings or half rings. Boil for about half an hour over low heat.
3. Add finely chopped lard, coarsely planed carrots, hot pepper pods. Sprinkle crushed between the palms of cumin, other spices. Boil for about an hour.
4. It's time for root crops: potatoes can be laid whole, turnips can be divided into small slices.
5. After 5-10 minutes, put tomatoes cut into quarters in a cauldron. Cut sweet pepper into rings. Cut basil, savory, add to the cauldron along with pepper.
6. Starting from this moment, it is important to periodically pour the shurpa with a small stream using a ladle. This will prevent the broth from boiling too much, along the way it will be enriched with fresh air bubbles. Thus, the meat will soften even better.
7. At the very end, shurpa must not be forgotten to salt. Correct the taste balance: add sugar if the broth is sour. The last ingredient will be finely chopped, soft-tasting white onion.

Serving shurpa is a separate “song”. Meat pieces, along with potatoes, turnips, are placed in a separate large dish. It will be a shurpa for the second. The broth is poured into deep bowls, decorated with pieces of sweet pepper, carrots, sprinkled with finely chopped parsley, cilantro. Served with fresh tortillas.

Shurpa is usually eaten immediately, while it is as hot as possible. The broth from bowls is drunk without any spoons, pieces of vegetables are scooped out with a slice of cakes. Meat and potatoes are once again salted, served immediately after the broth.

In order for the meat cooked in a cauldron to turn out juicy, appetizing and tasty, it is necessary, based on the available recipes, to follow and know some of the rules and features of making products in this real “cast-iron miracle”.

Therefore, choosing one or another method of cooking meat, one must sensibly approach not only the cooking process itself, but also observe a certain manufacturing technology for the existing components in the cauldron.

The unusual aroma, spicy taste, as well as the appetizing appearance of meat cooked in a cauldron will not leave anyone indifferent, be it a real gourmet - a dock in his business or an ordinary person who loves to eat deliciously.

General principles and rules for cooking meat in a cauldron

Any type of meat intended for cooking in a cauldron, first of all, must be washed, cleaned of films, and also, depending on the recipe, marinated, soaked or simply cut into large pieces and mixed with spices.

Before starting cooking, especially the meat, the cauldron must be warmed up well. In a heated cauldron, melt the fat, melt the fat - for further cooking on it. If the frying of meat must be carried out in vegetable oil, then it must be calcined until a certain haze appears from the cauldron.

After that, you can start frying the meat. Roasting must be carried out over high heat, in a preheated cauldron, so that the meat is filled with juice from the inside and becomes tender, and an appetizing crispy and golden crust forms on top of it.

In order for the meat to be well fried, it must be placed in a cauldron in small portions, otherwise it will release juice ahead of time and will not be fried, but stewed.

When adding a large amount of onion to the meat, it is more advisable to close the cauldron tightly with a lid. Onions, when laid in a cauldron, begin to secrete juice, which flows down to its hot bottom and evaporates. And since the cauldron is covered with a lid, fragrant vapors emanating from the onion impregnate the meat and make it even more tasty and fragrant.

Recipes and features of cooking delicious meat in a cauldron

Recipe 1. Meat in a cauldron with vegetables

Ingredients:

Meat - 1 kg.

Onion - 1 kg.

Potato - 800 gr.

Carrot - 400 gr.

Cabbage - 800 gr.

Garlic - 2 heads.

Tomatoes - 4 pcs.

Eggplant (can be replaced with zucchini) - 2 pcs.

Bulgarian pepper - 2 pcs.

Hot pepper - 1 pod.

Cooking method:

Then you need to salt the meat and sprinkle with cumin.

Next, you need to peel the onion, chop it into rings and put it on the meat. Then coarsely chop the tomatoes, put them in a cauldron and salt. Next, on top, you need to put carrots, chopped rounds, potatoes, cut in half and salt.

Then you need to cut all the other vegetables into small pieces and, together with garlic, move them to a cauldron, put greens on top, salt and add cumin.

On top of all the components, you need to lay coarsely chopped cabbage, salted in advance and lightly ground with salt and cumin.

The final touch is wrapping all the ingredients with whole cabbage leaves.

After the cauldron must be tightly closed with a lid and put on the stove, making a medium fire under it. After boiling, the fire must be reduced and continue cooking the dish for another hour.

After the dish is cooked, it must be allowed to brew for another 15 minutes in a cauldron under a closed lid.

Recipe 2. Meat in a cauldron - Chakhokhbili

Ingredients:

Meat (chicken) - 1.5 kg.

Onion - 1 kg.

Tomatoes - 1 kg.

Salt, pepper.

Greens - parsley, coriander, basil.

Cooking method:

The chicken joints must be divided into parts with a knife and fried in a heated cauldron in its own fat without adding oil.

Then the chicken meat should be lightly salted, add oil to the cauldron and onions.

After a few minutes, to the chicken with onions, you need to add tomatoes, cut into slices. All ingredients must be simmered over low heat under a closed lid for 30 minutes.

15 minutes before the chakhokhbili is fully cooked, sprinkle with garlic. Greens and spices.

Recipe 3. Meat in a cauldron - lamb on the bone

Ingredients:

Lamb meat on the bone - 1 kg.

Onion - 2 pcs.

Kurdyuk - 100 gr.

Garlic - head.

Coriander.

Salt, pepper.

Cooking method:

Lamb meat should be thoroughly washed and dried. Next, the meat must be cleaned of unnecessary films, cut into small pieces and put in a cauldron.

Then the meat must be poured with water so that it completely covers the lamb. Cook the meat in a cauldron over low heat, constantly removing the foam. Until fully cooked, the meat will be cooked for 1.5-2 hours.

After the meat broth, you need to strain, add finely chopped onion, garlic and fat tail to the meat.

Then, prepared in this way, the dish must be salted, pepper and stew the meat for another 25 minutes.

Before serving, the prepared lamb meat should be garnished with chopped herbs.

Recipe 4. Meat in a cauldron - roast

Ingredients:

Pork - 1 kg.

Potato - 4 pcs.

Carrot.

Bulb.

Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.

Fungi - 350 gr.

Salt, spices.

Vegetable oil.

Cooking method:

Pork should be cut into portions. Chop the onion and pepper into rings. Finely chop the garlic with a knife. Peel the potatoes and cut into bars, and chop the carrots into thin strips. Boil the mushrooms in a little salty water.

Then you need to heat the cauldron and pour vegetable oil into it. Next, you need to fry the pork in oil until a spicy crust appears on it, salt and season it with spices.

After that, you need to add onion to the meat, and after a few minutes, add carrots, bell peppers, garlic and fungi.

After the vegetables become softer, you need to put the potatoes in the cauldron and pour all the components with water. Then you need to cover the cauldron with a lid and put it in the oven, heated to 200 degrees. In half an hour the dish will be ready.

Recipe 5. Meat in a cauldron - "Azu"

Ingredients:

Lamb - 1 kg.

Potato - 5 pcs.

Bulb 2- pcs.

Cucumbers (salted) - 4 pcs.

Tomatoes (ketchup or tomato paste) - 0.5 kg.

Butter (melted) - 80 gr.

Salt, pepper.

Cooking method:

Onions must be peeled and chopped into rings. Pickled cucumbers need to be peeled and cut into strips. The meat is cut in portions into long small pieces.

Then you need to warm up the cauldron well and fry the existing meat in small parts in melted butter until an appetizing crust forms on it.

Then you need to add more melted butter to the cauldron, in which you need to fry the onion. Next, you need to add the laid out meat to the onion and salt, pepper and mix all the ingredients.

Then add finely chopped tomatoes to the products. And cook all the ingredients, stirring constantly, without closing the cauldron with a lid.

After that, you need to add the broth to the dish being prepared and continue to simmer the food over low heat for 50 minutes.

Cucumbers cut earlier must be slightly simmered in the remaining broth. Fry potatoes in oil until tender. Then you need to put the potatoes with cucumbers in a cauldron, mix all the ingredients well and leave to languish with the lid closed for another 20 minutes.

The finished dish can be beautifully decorated with chopped herbs before serving.

Recipe 6. Meat in a cauldron - lamb with vegetables

Ingredients:

Mutton.

Potato, carrot.

Tomatoes, onions.

Garlic, pepper.

Lavrushka, zira.

Pepper, salt.

Cooking method:

The meat must be cut into medium-sized pieces, and the fat tail into small cubes. Chop the onion into rings. Cut the carrots into cubes, and chop the tomatoes into cubes.

Then the cauldron must be put on fire and fat tail fat is melted in it. Then you need to throw the meat into the cauldron and fry it with constant stirring until a golden crust is formed.

After that, you need to put the onion in the cauldron, fry the carrots for some time, then add the garlic, pepper and lavrushka.

Before serving the dish to the table, it must be beautifully decorated with greens.

Meat in a cauldron - little tricks and tips for cooking it

In order for the meat to be cooked juicy and soft, it must be fried in large pieces and in small portions.

Meat loves spices, seasonings, garlic and herbs from this it becomes more fragrant and piquant.

It is not necessary to constantly mix the ingredients when cooking meat in a cauldron, in order to avoid burning the products. The thick walls of the cauldron will protect any components and meat too.

You can cook any meat in a cauldron - pork, beef, lamb, chicken. But if you decide to cook a dish of lean meat, then it is more advisable to add a small piece of bacon to it.

There are two ways to stew meat in a cauldron - in the oven or over low heat with a small addition of broth.

Meat in a cauldron turns out to be very tasty and fragrant if it is cooked with a lot of onions and spices.

Dishes on the fire always turn out tasty and fragrant. There are many ways to prepare them. In this article, we will present you the most popular and simple recipes that do not require a lot of products and time.

Dishes in a cauldron at the stake: cooking recipes

The most popular dish cooked in a cauldron is pilaf. You can do it in different ways. However, we decided to present only the option that was once described by Stalik Khankishiev.

So, to make delicious and hearty meals on the fire, we need the following products:

• fresh fatty lamb - about 600 g;
• salt, seasonings for pilaf, pepper, dried herbs - add at your discretion;
• long rice - about 2-2.5 cups;
• white bulbs - 2 large heads;
• large carrots - 2 pcs.;
• vegetable oil - add to taste (about 50 ml);
• unpeeled fresh garlic - a whole head.

Processing products for pilaf

You should start cooking any dishes on a fire by processing all the ingredients. Fatty and fresh lamb is thoroughly washed, removing all inedible streaks and films. Next, the meat product is chopped into large pieces, flavored with pepper and salt and left aside for 10-15 minutes.

While the lamb absorbs the spices, they begin to process the rest of the products. Long rice is sorted out, washed well until the water is clear and shaken vigorously. Carrots and onions are also peeled separately. The first vegetable is chopped into slices, and the second - into half rings.

Heat treatment of pilaf on fire

Lamb dishes on the fire do not cook very long. First, pieces of meat are laid out in a heated cauldron and stewed in their own juice for ¼ hour.

After all the broth has evaporated, vegetable oil is added to the lamb and fried until lightly browned. Next, carrots and onion half rings are laid out to it. After mixing all the ingredients, they continue to fry for a few more minutes.

As soon as the products acquire a golden hue, they are flavored with spices and dried herbs, and then covered with long rice and poured with water. The liquid should be 2-3 cm higher than the cereal.

Putting an unpeeled head of garlic in the center of the dish, cover the cauldron with a lid and cook the contents for about half an hour. After the lapse of time, the pilaf is carefully mixed from the bottom and removed from the fire. For a more delicious dish, it is kept under the lid for another 30 minutes.

We present pilaf to the camp table

As you can see, there is nothing difficult in preparing delicious meat dishes in a cauldron over a fire. Stalik Khankishiyev claims that such pilaf is much more aromatic than what was made on an ordinary stove.

After a long exposure of the dinner under the lid, it is distributed on plates and served at the table along with fresh vegetables and bread.

Stewed potatoes with poultry meat

Dishes cooked on a fire are not only very fragrant, but also incredibly tasty. This is due to the fact that the products laid out in a cauldron languish for a short time in their own juice at a rather high temperature.

If you cannot imagine your dinner without potatoes, then we suggest stewing it with poultry meat. For this we need:

• medium bulbs - 2 heads;
• large potato - 3 pcs.;
• poultry breasts or thighs - 600 g;
• juicy carrot - 1 large piece;
• fleshy tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
• salt, fresh herbs, black pepper and other spices - to your liking;
• vegetable oil (sunflower or olive) - about 45 ml.

How to prepare the ingredients?

Meals on a campfire should be prepared in exactly the same way as dishes on a stove. First you need to process all the products. Poultry meat is thoroughly washed and chopped into large pieces right with the skin and bones. Next, proceed to the processing of vegetables. Potatoes, sweet onions and carrots are cut into cubes, and tomatoes are crushed into gruel. If you can't puree the tomatoes, you can also chop them into small pieces.

The process of cooking on an open fire

Dishes on a campfire should be cooked using a cauldron or any other cast-iron utensils. It is hung over a fire and heated up.

Adding vegetable oil and pieces of chicken to the cauldron, they are fried until slightly reddened. Next, carrot cubes and onion half rings are laid out to them. Having flavored the ingredients with spices, they are stirred with a spoon and fried for some more time.

After the products have acquired a brown crust, potato cubes are added to them, and the gruel from the tomato is also spread. So that the ingredients do not burn to the bottom of the dish, they are additionally poured half a glass of water.

After sprinkling the dish with a little salt, it is covered with a lid and left over the fire for 20-25 minutes.

Serve stewed potatoes at the dinner table

As soon as the potato tubers become soft and form a tasty and rich dish, they are laid out on plates, and then flavored with plenty of spices.

It is advisable to serve such a dinner to the camp table along with a slice of bread, fresh vegetable salad and garlic.

Cooking fish soup in a cauldron

The first dishes on the fire are prepared no more difficult than the second ones. If you do not have the opportunity to take meat on a hike, then we suggest cooking soup from canned fish. As such a product, saury, pink salmon or tuna are ideal. But first things first.

So, to prepare fish soup, we need the following ingredients:

• saury or canned pink salmon (in oil) - 2 jars;
• drinking water - 1.5 l;
• fresh potatoes - 2 medium tubers;
• medium-sized tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
• large bulb - 1 head;
• salt, dried herbs, pepper - to your liking;
• large carrot - 1 pc.

We process the ingredients for making fish soup

Before preparing a tasty and rich fish dish on a fire, all products should be processed. Potato tubers, carrots and onions are peeled and then chopped into cubes. As for tomatoes, they are simply washed and cut in the same way.

Cans of fish are also opened separately. 1/3 of the product is crushed into gruel, and the rest is left in pieces.

The process of cooking soup on a fire

To prepare the first dish in a cauldron, bring drinking water to a strong boil. After that, cubes of potatoes and carrots are laid out in the dishes. After mixing the components, they are covered with a lid and boiled for 10 minutes. Over time, onions and slices of tomatoes are added to them.

Having plunged the vegetables into a heat treatment, they are salted, peppered, and also flavored with other spices. At the very last place, canned fish is laid out in a cauldron.

After mixing all the ingredients, they are cooked under a closed lid for another 2 minutes, and then removed from the fire and left in this form for 5-7 minutes.

Serving soup to the table

As soon as the first dish is saturated with the aromas of fish, it is laid out on plates. It is desirable to use such a soup in field conditions along with a large amount of fresh herbs, as well as a slice of white bread.

Other ways to make soups

In fact, soups in field conditions are much easier to cook than main courses. To do this, you can use not only canned or fresh fish, but also meat, seafood or stew. Completely different products can also serve as a dressing for such a dish. Someone uses cereals in the form of rice, buckwheat, barley, millet, etc., while someone uses homemade or store-bought noodles, pasta, spaghetti, etc.

Also, soup in a cauldron is often cooked without meat. To get a more satisfying dinner, mushrooms, processed cheeses are added to it, or simply roasted onions and carrots are used.

Summing up

From the materials of this article, you could learn about how you can easily and quickly prepare second and first courses in field conditions. Using the described recipes in practice, you will definitely get a delicious and hearty lunch that will warm you up in cold weather, give you a lot of strength and energy.

Without kebabs, going out of town or to the country is simply unthinkable. However, if the trip is not until the evening, but for several days, you will not eat shish kebabs alone. I want variety, including liquid food. So the question arises of what to cook on a fire in a cauldron, so that it is both tasty and not too difficult. Actually, the cauldron gives a lot of opportunities, you just need to be able to use them.

A couple of words about the camping boiler

The only recommendation is to pay attention to cast-iron cauldrons with a cast-iron lid. Aluminum ones are not suitable for all dishes, and those made of stainless steel are too thin-walled. Cast iron gives the desired degree of heating, while preventing burning.

In addition, you should correctly treat the volume of the cauldron. If there are few of you in the company, you should not stock up on bulky dishes - do not eat at a time, and then it will not be interesting (and there is often nowhere to store ready-made food). But it will take up decent space in luggage. A 5-liter pot is enough for 3-4 people, then the calculation depends not only on the composition of the “expedition”, but also on what you intend to cook on a fire in a cauldron. For second courses, get a smaller boiler, for the first - more voluminous. If you are going to combine cooking with boiling water for tea - choose something in between.

Kharcho in Karelian

Consider first what to cook on a fire in a cauldron for the first time. There are a lot of options, but this recipe was considered by us to be one of the best. For a 6-liter "pot" you will need about one and a half kilograms of meat with bones, ideally lamb, but with beef you will get a masterpiece. Only the bones are not good. The pulp is cut off and finely chopped, placed together with the bones in a bowl and filled with water almost to the top. The boiler goes to the fire for an hour and a half (the fire is kept quiet so that it only gurgles slightly). When the meat becomes soft, a mug of rice is poured; six whole medium onions and six finely chopped heads of garlic are laid. At the same moment, salt and one and a half tablespoons of red hot and red sweet ground peppers are added. Spicy lovers can still add half a spoonful of Georgian brown adjika. On the same fire, mutton fat or chopped ordinary lard is heated in a frying pan. There should be a lot of fat! Six tablespoons of tomato paste should be sautéed in it until it burns slightly and noticeably decreases in volume. Ten minutes before readiness, this frying is lowered into the cauldron, and when serving kharcho, it is abundantly covered with greens.

Real shurpa

Another good idea is what to cook on a fire in a cauldron for lunch. There are many recipes for such a soup, but this one is recognized as the most successful - in any case, for a camping performance. The step by step process will look like this.

1. The cauldron warms up well, in it a third of a kilo of beef is fried in hot vegetable oil.
2. Two chopped onions and a crushed garlic clove are added to the cauldron.
3. After five minutes of thorough mixing, water is added; after removing the foam and the upper fatty layer, the broth is left on fire under the lid for at least an hour.
4. The meat is actually ready - three carrots are poured, cut arbitrarily (recommended in circles).
5. Five minutes later, strips of two sweet peppers are poured into the cauldron.
6. After a quarter of an hour, cubes of six potatoes are thrown in. You can also add eggplant slices. Even after the same time period - salt with spices. Almost immediately, two chopped tomatoes are added, and the cauldron is left on the fire until its contents are ready.

It is better to interfere at the last stage with a stick, which mixed the coals - from it the soup will pick up a smoky aroma. And, of course, you need to serve with coarsely chopped greens.

Ear in a marching way

Fish soup in nature is much better than in apartment conditions. A cast-iron cauldron with a cast-iron lid is ideal for its preparation. The fire should already be in a well-lit state; water is brought to a boil over it in a cauldron. Potatoes are first loaded into it, five things, and millet - a couple of spoons (based on a three-liter container). Almost immediately, a fish is invested (caught on its own and cleaned, about a kilogram. It is worth cutting only if the fish are large). At the same moment, two coarsely chopped onions, lavrushka, peppercorns and salt are added. The ear will cook for up to ten minutes until the fish is cooked. Just before removing, greens are poured in, and before serving, the cauldrons are covered with a lid - for infusion.

at the stake: Tatar recipe

Second courses in nature are often much more popular than the first ones. It is understandable: it is more convenient to eat non-liquid in field conditions. So the recipes for the cauldron in this regard are very diverse. There are especially many borrowed from oriental cuisines: the nomads also loved to eat well. Especially popular is the recipe of which has been kept for centuries, passed down from generation to generation, improved and modified. Initially, it, of course, used lamb. In modern realities, both pork and chicken will do. Only beef should be avoided - it is almost impossible to achieve the desired softness at the stake from it.

In a red-hot pot, lard, cut into smaller pieces, is fried. The meat is laid out in it and fried for about a quarter of an hour (with regular turning). Then carrot straws are poured, followed by finely chopped onions. Five minutes later, washed rice is laid, which is salted immediately. All this is poured with water, which should be two fingers higher than rice, and mixed. When the liquid boils, the last mixing is carried out. Firewood is raked so that the fire is minimal. For about forty minutes we do not touch either the fire or the pilaf. When the water has almost evaporated, we stick garlic cloves and add spices, including cumin. Another 10 minutes - and you can feed the hungry standing around the fire.

Dumlyama behi

No matter what anyone thinks, lamb in a cauldron is the most delicious: at the stake, it largely loses its unpleasant smell. And the proposed dish is sure to please everyone. You will need tail fat, 200 grams: you need to cut it and put it on the bottom of the boiler. The next layer will be on which you will have to put half a kilo of heads. One and a half kilograms is placed on top. This row is salted and sprinkled with cumin. Now the pure sheep pulp is placed - and seasoned in the same way. On top - another onion layer, on it - tomatoes (three pieces are enough), generously sprinkled with red pepper, followed by many large chunks of carrots. A quince is placed on it, each fruit of which is cut into quarters. Again, zira, and whole peeled garlic heads are stuck between quince slices. Prepared lamb in a cauldron is placed on a strong fire under a tightly pulled lid. It starts to hiss - the coals are raked, and the boiler is left on fire for one and a half to two hours. Fragrant yummy!

Difficult bird

In nature, you can’t do without a recipe for how to cook chicken in a cauldron over a fire. Still, chicken is cheap, quite dietary and loved by many. Good next recipe.

The carcass is cut in portions, washed, dried and lightly rubbed with salt. Oil is heated in a cauldron, in which chopped carrots and onions are first roasted. Only after the chicken is placed and brought to golden brown. Then two tablespoons of sour cream are poured, slices of potatoes (about a kilogram) are placed and water is poured - so that it only covers the tubers. After boiling, salt, laurel, pepper and seasonings are introduced. Shortly before the end of the process, crushed garlic and herbs are added. Five minutes of insistence - and ask to the table! You definitely won't try this at home.

Fried potatoes

The tubers baked in the fire are a little fed up with everyone. We offer you a way to cook potatoes in a cauldron on a fire, and in such a way that it will become the central dish on the table. It is necessary to cut the potatoes larger - in half, in extreme cases, into three parts. It is advisable to dry the slices a little. In a cauldron, oil is heated to a haze - and the workpiece is poured. You need to mix it immediately and intensively so that each piece is in oil. The potatoes are traditionally fried. When a familiar crust is formed, chopped onions are poured into the cauldron; as soon as it becomes transparent, a mixture made of garlic, dill with parsley and onion is added. Five minutes of mixing - and you have a delicious side dish. So cauldron recipes can please your taste buds with completely unexpected dishes!

Cooking in a cauldron will require more time and skill from you compared to a barbecue and smokehouse. But, believe me, the cauldron is worth it! The number of dishes that can be prepared with it is truly limitless. The taste and quality of food cooked in a cauldron will delight any gourmet.

To prepare dishes with a cauldron, you will need two products that you have not used before in your culinary business. These are fat tail fat and the Central Asian spice zira. Both are better to buy in the market. They are not expensive, but their presence is essential to create a unique taste of dishes cooked on a cauldron.

Ferghana pilaf recipe

• 1 kg lamb meat
• 3-4 slices from the back with ribs
• 300-350 g fat tail fat
• 1 kg good medium grain rice
• 1 kg carrots
• 2-3 medium onions
• 2-3 heads of garlic
• 1-3 capsicums (red or green)
• Zira, salt

To cook pilaf, use a cauldron of at least 8 liters. First, we wash and soak the rice in warm water (at least an hour, but more is better). We cut carrots into strips 3 * 3 mm. Cut the meat into 1.5 cm cubes. Set the bones and ribs aside. We cut fat tail fat into cubes of 0.5 * 0.5 cm. If there is no fat, then it can be replaced with the same amount of vegetable oil. Heat the pot well. We put the fat and melt the fat. We take out the greaves with a slotted spoon.

We throw a whole peeled onion into the fat and fry it until black. Place the ribs and bones in a cauldron and fry until golden brown. Then we take them out. Dip the chopped onion into the cauldron and fry it. We lower the chopped mutton pulp into the cauldron and fry together with the onion. With the appearance of a crust, lower the chopped carrots in an even layer. After three minutes, gently mix the meat, carrots and onions and fry for 10-15 minutes. We fall asleep part of the zira.

Pour in boiling water so that everything is covered with water by 1-1.5 cm. We lower the whole pepper and the head of garlic. We return the ribs and bones to the cauldron. Everything should boil for 40 minutes. The water should boil off. Salt. We take out the bones. We got zirvak.

Now carefully drain the water from the soaked rice. With a slotted spoon we lower it evenly into the cauldron, equalizing the surface. Carefully pour 1 liter of boiling water without damaging the laid rice.

We add fire to the maximum. Never over mix the rice. The surface water must be completely gone. Try rice. If it's ready and there's still water left, poke holes in the rice layer. The water will boil away faster. If the rice is not ready, and the bottom is dry, then add a quarter cup of boiling water. Reduce the fire to minimum. We are waiting for the water to boil completely.

Sprinkle rice with zira and cover the cauldron with a lid. After 20-25 we open. Take out the pepper and head of garlic and transfer to a separate plate. We mix everything thoroughly.

Basma recipe

An amazingly delicious dish that you must try! Light, aromatic with lots of vegetables. Most of the time is spent preparing the ingredients. After nothing, you don’t need to interfere with anything, add anything. Just wait.

• 1 kg lamb
• 700 g potatoes
• 350 g carrots
• 1 kg of onion
• 700 g head of cabbage
• 3-4 tomatoes
• head of garlic
• 250 gr fat tail fat (or vegetable oil)
• Salt, zira

Line the bottom of a cold cauldron with thinly cut lard. Put the meat cut into pieces 3 * 3 cm on top. Salt and sprinkle with cumin. Place the chopped onion over the meat. Mode rings tomatoes and put on top of the onions. Salt. After the tomatoes, put a layer of carrots, cut into circles. Put a whole potato on top of the carrots. If it is large, cut into 2-4 parts. Salt. Potatoes should not come into contact with tomatoes! We clean the head of garlic and put it whole. Sprinkle with zira.

We chop the cabbage into large pieces, removing the stalk. Leave the cabbage leaves intact. We salt them and rub with cumin. Put a slide and cover with large leaves.

Now you need to press down everything with an enamelled lid with a load and close the cauldron with a lid. Put on fire. After 15 min. remove the lid and weight and leave to boil for an hour.

After an hour, we move everything and serve it to the table.