How to cook pilaf in a Kelly slow cooker. Pilaf in a slow cooker. Pilaf with pork in a slow cooker - a step by step recipe with a photo

Alexander Gushchin

I can't vouch for the taste, but it will be hot :)

Content

Uzbek pilaf is one of the most popular dishes of oriental cuisine, which has spread all over the world and won people's love in different countries. Traditionally, it is stewed in a cauldron with thick walls, but recently experienced housewives prefer to cook with the help of a modern gadget. Pilaf in a slow cooker can be cooked with chicken, with meat, lean, crumbly, from basmati rice and other varieties. Below is a recipe for pilaf for a slow cooker for every taste.

How to cook pilaf in a slow cooker

Cooking pilaf in a slow cooker is not as troublesome as in a cauldron, but you still need to try to create delicious food. A slow cooker is a great gadget that is increasingly replacing pots in the kitchen and has various programs. Pilaf is best cooked in the frying mode. The Keep Warm mode, Bake mode or Simmer mode is in use. The choice of program depends on the model of the electrical appliance, for example, the Redmond company has a special one called Pilaf.

All the secrets do not change the traditional way of cooking too much - it is important to choose the right rice, cut the meat and carrots in the right proportions and calculate the time so that the cereal does not turn into a viscous porridge. The multicooker will help itself with this - at the end of the program, it will notify you of readiness with a sound signal. Seasoning plays an important role

• barberry;
• zira;
• whole garlic;
• turmeric;
• for lean pilaf - dried fruits.

What kind of rice do you need

Experienced housewives know that the right choice of rice groats already guarantees crumbly pilaf. Opinions differ - what kind of rice is needed for pilaf in a slow cooker, you can’t definitely say. There are many varieties in the store that give pilaf a different taste, aroma and texture. Beginning housewives often use steamed rice, as it definitely won’t boil or stick together. Variety "Basmati" when cooked will lengthen twice, and "Health" will give pilaf a nutty flavor. Uzbek chefs do not recognize any other type, except for the round Krasnodar one, and they cook it in such a way that the pilaf turns out to be real.

For inexperienced lovers of this dish, there is one secret - when choosing rice, pay attention to the grains. Rice should not be too brittle, then after heat treatment they will remain in their original form. To do this, carefully look at the amount of dust and debris at the bottom of the pack. Good rice will be very clean, no matter which variety you choose.

Cooking time

Pilaf is prepared in two stages - first, zirvak (meat, onions, carrots) is fried in the "frying" or "baking" mode. Then rice is added, the "Extinguishing" program is turned on. As for zirvak, the roasting time depends on the type of meat - lamb needs to be cooked longer than chicken fillet. After adding rice and water, you need to set the special “Pilaf” mode, which involves stewing for 45 minutes. If there is no such program, you can use your choice:

• "Porridge";
• "Buckwheat";
• "Extinguishing".

At what temperature to cook

Most models of multicookers are not designed to select the temperature regime. However, sometimes you need to set the temperature yourself during cooking. In the "Frying" option, 130-160 degrees are set, depending on the type of meat. It is better to stew beef at a lower temperature, but longer in time, chicken meat can be quickly fried at 160 degrees. In the "Extinguishing" or "Pilaf" mode, it is better to use 105-115 degrees.

Pilaf recipes in a slow cooker

With meat

• Cooking time: 60 minutes.
• Number of servings: 6 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 300 kcal (100 g).
• Purpose: lunch, dinner.
• Cuisine: Eastern.

Every housewife wants to know a simple recipe for pilaf in a slow cooker with pork. Often, inexperienced chefs refuse to cook Uzbek pilaf, fearing to spoil the rice and turn it into rice porridge. Pilaf with meat in a slow cooker, prepared according to this recipe, turns out to be crumbly and very tasty, which is perfect for lunch or dinner. The simplicity of the cooking process will appeal to any cook.

Ingredients:

• pork - 600 g;
• onion - 400 g;
• carrots - 400 g;
• seasoning for pilaf - 2 tablespoons;
• long grain rice - 3.5 multi-cups;
• water - 5 multi-glasses;
• garlic - a few cloves;
• salt - 1 tablespoon;
• vegetable oil.

Cooking method:

1. We prepare all the products and set the bowl, pour vegetable oil
2. We cut the onion as you like, it is better to cut the carrots into strips. We cut the meat into cubes, after cutting off the excess fat so that the dish does not turn out to be greasy.
3. Fry onions and carrots, after 7 minutes add meat. Fry pork with vegetables for about 13 minutes, add seasoning and salt.
4. We wash the rice, add it to the bowl, stick a few cloves of garlic and carefully pour hot water. We set the "Rice" or "Pilaf" mode for 40 minutes.
5. We mix the contents of the multicooker after the signal - a hearty dinner is ready!

With chicken

• Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes.
• Number of servings: 6 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 200 kcal (per 100 g).
• Purpose: dinner
• Cuisine: Azerbaijani.
• Difficulty of preparation: easy.

Porridge with zirvak is present in almost all oriental cuisines, but many nations make it according to their own recipes. In Azerbaijan, dried fruits are often added to pilaf - dried apricots and raisins, which gives the food a more piquant flavor. If you first stew dried fruits in butter and with a pinch of spices, it turns out incredibly tasty! In this recipe, you will learn how to cook Azerbaijani-style rice with chicken and dried apricots in a slow cooker.

Ingredients:

• chicken fillet - 500-700 g;
• rice - 2 cups;
• water - 4 glasses;
• carrots - 1 large piece;
• onion - 1 pc.
• dried apricots - 1 handful;
• raisins - 1 handful;
• salt, pepper - to taste;
• turmeric, seasoning for pilaf.

Cooking method:

1. Soak the rice and rinse it thoroughly in 3-4 waters.
2. Cut the chicken fillet into small cubes, finely chop the onion, and chop the carrots into strips or on a grater.
3. Add oil to the multicooker bowl and fry the carrots, onions and chicken.
4. Dried apricots and raisins can be washed and dried, or fried in a pan with butter and a pinch of spices to make the dish look like in the photo. Then dried fruits must be added to zirvak.
5. Add rice, add water. In any suitable mode, rice should be cooked for 45 minutes, then set to the “Heating” mode and left to languish for another 15 minutes.

With fish

• Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes.
• Servings: 4 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 150-170 kcal.
• Purpose: dinner.
• Cuisine: Eastern.
• Difficulty of preparation: medium.

The recipe for cooking pilaf in a slow cooker with fish cannot be called a traditional version of this dish, made according to all the rules. It is popular with those who prefer diet food and take care of their figure. Thanks to fish, which goes well with rice, pilaf is not so high in calories and is suitable for a light dinner. In this recipe, you will learn how to cook pilaf with red fish so that it becomes your signature dish.

Ingredients:

• fillet of red fish (trout) - 400 g;
• rice - 1 cup;
• carrots - 1 piece;
• onion - 1 piece;
• seasoning - to taste;
• salt, vegetable oil.

Cooking method:

1. Cut the onion into half rings, and the carrots into strips, and fry everything in the “Baking” mode for about 5 minutes.
2. Add diced fresh fish and simmer zirvak for another 10 minutes.
3. Pour pre-washed rice into the contents of the bowl and fill everything with water.
4. After 45 minutes, you need to select the “Heating” mode so that the dish is sweated over low heat.
5. Diet dinner is ready - the photo does not convey the amazing aroma! It will turn out very tasty.

Pilaf is an oriental dish. There are many variations of its preparation, but all of them are united by common components: cereals (mainly rice, but there may be bulgur, peas, etc.) and zirvak - the basis of meat, poultry, fish or fruits.

There are 2 main cooking strategies that came from Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. Pilaf in Uzbek means the joint preparation of cereals and dressings. In the Azerbaijani variation, they are prepared separately and combined already when serving.

The most common option is Uzbek plov. The original recipe calls for lamb. But to get a less fatty dish, it can be replaced with pork, beef, chicken. There are vegetarian recipes with mushrooms, vegetables or fruits.

Traditionally, the dish is cooked in a cast-iron cauldron over a fire. But in modern conditions, you can cook pilaf in a slow cooker at home. Many of them have a special program.

Training

To prepare a treat in a slow cooker you will need:

• zirvak;
• vegetables: onions, carrots, head of garlic;
• vegetable oil;
• spices.

Rice is of great importance. The ideal dish is crumbly rice-to-rice cereal, which should not stick together, otherwise you will get porridge with meat. Therefore, preference should be given to varieties that do not boil soft: steamed long-grain (grain, which is not more than 6 mm), pink large rice “devzira”. You can use spanish rice for paella. If the dish is sweet, which is cooked less, basmati, long-grain oriental, is suitable.

Rice is added according to a special technology: spread on zirvak without touching the bottom. You don't need to mix the ingredients.

First, onions and carrots are fried in a slow cooker. Then zirvak is added to them. For frying meat and vegetables, use the “frying” mode. Depending on the type of meat dressing, this may take up to 20 minutes. Then rice and water are added.

Many multicookers have a "pilaf" mode, which is specially designed for this dish. If it is not there, you can replace the modes: “stewing”, “cereals”, “rice”, “baking”. On one of these modes, pilaf is cooked from 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on what kind of meat is used.

Calorie pilaf in a slow cooker

Pilaf is a hearty dish with a high calorie content. Depending on its composition, the number of calories may be different. This is mainly influenced by meat: the fatter it is, the greater the calorie content.

Table of approximate nutritional value of 100 g of pilaf, depending on the type of meat

Meat	Calories, kcal	Proteins, g	Fats, g	Carbohydrates, g
Chicken	136	8,2	6,4	11,8
Beef	218,7	7,9	3,9	38,8
Pork	203,5	6,5	9,9	22,9
Mutton	246,3	9,4	10,4	29,2

This is conditional data.

Cooking delicious chicken pilaf

For the meat component, you can cut the pulp from the whole chicken or chop the carcass into pieces with bones. A dietary version of pilaf will turn out if you take only fillets.

Ingredients

Servings: 8

• chicken 500 g
• water 4 multi glasses
• rice 2 multi glasses
• carrot 2 pcs
• onion 1 PC
• garlic 4 tooth
• vegetable oil 2 tbsp. l.
• salt, spices to taste

per serving

Calories: 136 kcal

Proteins: 8.2 g

Fats: 6.4 g

Carbohydrates: 11.8 g

40 min. Video recipe Print

Pour vegetable oil into the multicooker bowl, activate the “frying” mode.

After a minute, we fall asleep finely chopped onion. Fry until golden brown.

Add chopped carrots. Fry for 5 minutes.

Cut the chicken into medium sized pieces. I put it on vegetables. Fry until crispy.

Sprinkle well-washed rice on zirvak. You don't need to mix. You can stick garlic cloves around the perimeter of the rice.

We add spices. Carefully fill with water. We turn on the “pilaf” program for 25 minutes.

At the end, the contents can be mixed and allowed to infuse for 10 minutes.

How to cook pork pilaf

Ingredients:

• Pork - 450 g;
• Rice - 250 g;
• Onions - 2 pcs.;
• Carrots - 2 medium;
• Garlic - 1 head;
• Spices - to taste;
• Water ≈ 400 ml.

How to cook:

1. Preparing vegetables: clean, cut. Onions - half rings, carrots - cubes.
2. Rice is washed under running water.
3. We cut the meat into small pieces.
4. Add vegetable oil to the multicooker bowl. We warm up according to the "frying" program.
5. Add meat, fry on all sides.
6. Add the onion to the meat, fry for 3-4 minutes.
7. Add carrots, also fry for 4 minutes.
8. Sprinkle washed rice on top. Level without mixing. We add seasonings. Carefully pour in water: it should cover all the products by 1-2 fingers.
9. We turn on the “pilaf” mode for 40 minutes.
10. In the middle of the process, we introduce garlic cloves into rice.

At the end of the time, mix the dish, let it brew for 10 minutes.

Videos cooking

Delicious crumbly pilaf with beef

Ingredients:

• Beef - 500 g;
• Rice - 2 multi-glasses;
• Carrots - 2 medium;
• Bulb - 1 large;
• Garlic - 1 head;
• Vegetable oil - 2 tbsp. l.;
• Spices - to taste;
• Water - 4.5 multi-glasses.

Cooking:

1. Wash the rice well.
2. We prepare vegetables. Cut the onion into half rings, carrots into strips.
3. We clean the meat from the veins and cut it.
4. In a slow cooker on the “frying” mode, heat the vegetable oil.
5. Add onion. Fry until golden brown.
6. I put carrots. We fry for a couple of minutes.
7. Add meat and some spices. Fry until it browns evenly on all sides.
8. Pour the rice over the meat and vegetables. We do not mix. We fall asleep spices. We stick a peeled head of garlic in the middle. Fill with hot water.
9. We turn on the “pilaf” mode for 1 hour.

At the end, leave to brew in the "heating" mode for 40 minutes.

Video recipe

Diet pilaf with fruits

For pilaf lovers who are on a diet, a fruit dessert is ideal. This dish can also be consumed in fasting.

Ingredients:

• Rice - 2 multi-glasses;
• Raisins - 100 g;
• Dried apricots - 6 pcs.;
• Prunes - 5 pcs.;
• Butter - for greasing the bottom of the bowl;
• Spices - to taste;
• Honey (optional) - 1 tsp;
• Water - 4-5 multi-glasses.

Cooking:

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly under running water.
2. Pour dried fruits with cold water, leave to soften.
3. Dried apricots and prunes are squeezed out of the water and cut into strips. You can leave them whole, but then you need to put more of them. In this case, we also increase the amount of raisins so that it dominates.
4. Lubricate the bottom of the multicooker bowl with butter.
5. We put all the dried fruits on top.
6. Add spices to taste.
7. We fall asleep on top of rice. We level. Make a hole in the middle.
8. We heat the water, dissolve honey in it, pour it into the hole. The water should cover the rice by 1 finger.
9. We turn on the “pilaf” program for 25 minutes.

At the end, let it brew for 10 minutes. We mix.

Turn on the "pilaf" mode for 20 minutes.

Let it brew for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with grated soy cheese when serving.

Features of cooking in multicookers "Redmond" and "Panasonic"

The process of preparing pilaf in the Redmond multicooker is the same as for equipment from other manufacturers. Most of the models of this company are equipped with a special "Pilaf" mode. In the rest, the manufacturer recommends using the “Rice-cereals” or “Express” mode, depending on the model.

On its website, Redmond provides various recipes for cooking dishes, where you can choose your multicooker, and the system will show the ingredients, mode and cooking time.

The model range of Panasonic multicookers is not so wide, but almost all of them have a special mode for cooking pilaf, which is designated “Pilaf”. If it was not in the selected model, it is better to replace it with the "Pipechka" mode.

A few tips will help you get fragrant, crumbly, golden pilaf:

• The ratio of meat, rice and vegetables should be equal.
• The more oil, the more golden the pilaf will be, the more it will resemble the classic Uzbek.
• It is better to use refined oil so that its aroma does not interrupt the smell of the dish.
• Carrots are best cut into strips or cubes, and not grated.
• Mandatory spices are: barberry, cumin, hot red pepper, the rest can be chosen to your taste.
• Turmeric or curry will help to give pilaf a golden color.
• Rice should be selected from varieties that do not boil soft and washed thoroughly.
• Put the rice on top of the meat with vegetables, and do not mix until the end of cooking.
• Do not open the multicooker lid until the end of the process.
• At the end, let the dish rest for 10 to 30 minutes.

You can cook a real oriental pilaf in a slow cooker. The above recipes are only a small part of the dish options. Thanks to this electronic assistant, the process of preparing pilaf becomes easier. Trying combinations of different spices and ingredients, each time you can get a dish with a new taste.

One of the most popular dishes of oriental cuisine - pilaf - has been visiting our dinner tables for a long time and has earned a lot of fans. Its preparation has many nuances and features, depending on the recipes adopted in various national cuisines: Caucasian, Tatar, Uzbek, etc. Traditionally, pilaf is cooked on fire in a massive (cast iron) cauldron (cauldron). The use of modern household appliances creates its own versions of this dish, convenient and quick to prepare. It will be about how to make Uzbek pilaf in a slow cooker.


This kitchen multifunctional electrical appliance allows you to quickly change cooking technologies, move from frying to stewing, for example. And this is just what is needed for pilaf. In a slow cooker, it will turn out crumbly and rich. By the way, the slow cooker is a “descendant” of the rice cooker, which was invented in Japan in the 60s of the last century; pilaf should be obtained with its help the best. In some devices there is even a special “pilaf - quenching” mode. If it is absent, the “stewing” and “frying” buttons are used.

Ingredients

Food recipes differ primarily in the type of meat product used: lamb, pork, beef, chicken. The recipe for real pilaf, cooked in a slow cooker, should include lamb.

In traditional Uzbek cuisine, pilaf is cooked with lamb.

However, fresh lamb is not always on the shelves, or is too expensive for the average customer. Therefore, you can cook with any meat, using mainly sirloin parts. But lamb has a significant advantage: it is the lowest cholesterol meat.


To cook delicious and fragrant Uzbek pilaf in a slow cooker, you need to prepare the following components:

1. Low-fat lamb pulp (beef, pork) - 500-600 g; however, it is still necessary to have bones for fat. Try not to use a frozen product, the meat of the finished dish will not be juicy enough.
   
   
2. Rice groats in the amount of 2 glasses. Rice is recommended long-grain, always large, otherwise it will boil into porridge in a slow cooker. You should not save on its quality, buy selected, pure white durum groats, less starchy. Steamed rice of a yellowish color is suitable.
3. Vegetable oil: sunflower, sesame - a quarter cup.
4. Carrots - 1 or 2 pieces, depending on the size.
   
   
5. One large onion; a head of fresh garlic (not Chinese). The degree of maturity of vegetables matters, early carrots, for example, will not give the dish the necessary taste. Garlic and onions should be fresh, juicy.
6. Salt and classic spices of Uzbek cuisine: zira (aka cumin) - 1 teaspoon, dried barberry - 1 tbsp. a spoon. It is from the zira that the piquant shade of taste characteristic of the Uzbek pilaf depends. At worst, you can use a ready-made mixture of seasonings “for pilaf”.
   
   

Food preparation

Careful preparation of the ingredients is very important: if this condition is observed, you will get a real Uzbek pilaf in a slow cooker:

The process of cooking Uzbek pilaf in a slow cooker

In order for the Uzbek pilaf in the multicooker to turn out right, it is necessary to strictly observe the order of laying the prepared products and maintain the time regime.

Preparation of the base - zirvak, a thick meat sauce, is the most important step.

The leveled surface of the rice is poured, without mixing with zirvak, with hot water, so that it covers the rice by 1.5 - 2 cm. The head of garlic is pressed into the surface of the rice, you can add bay leaves for the “bouquet”.
The second option: rice is combined with meat, vegetables and spices, and continue to fry, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, until it changes color and the rice becomes transparent. A whole garlic is placed in the center of the bowl, if desired, a bay leaf. Only after that, boiling water is poured, and then they no longer interfere with cooking until the end of cooking.

This favorite dish of many can be prepared in the same way with beef or pork. Look at the photo for our recipe for Uzbek pilaf in a slow cooker.

Some recipes for Uzbek pilaf in a slow cooker recommend soaking rice for half an hour in salt water. It is believed that the water will take away some of the starch and the grains will not stick together. Worth a try, but won't this lead to excessive softening of the cereal and turning it into porridge? This tip is suitable if you want to reduce the cooking time: stew pilaf not for 40 minutes, but only 30.

Connoisseurs advise using the rare variety of Devzira rice, which is ideal for cooking, but also the most expensive. The groats of red color after washing become golden. You can buy on the market from Uzbek sellers or in an online store.


Uzbek pilaf, cooked in a slow cooker, is “tinted” by adding spices: saffron or turmeric. The dish will be not only tasty, but also beautiful. Saffron has an exquisite bitter taste and red-brown color, but it is often faked due to the high cost of this spice. Turmeric is more accessible, it will give pilaf a golden color and enhance the specific “oriental” taste and aroma. It will take quite a bit of it - one teaspoon, you need to add it before laying the rice.
Ready pilaf is washed down with warm black or green tea with lemon.

In a few months, multicookers won universal love, and some time after their appearance they won the hearts of even those who do not recognize the use of innovations in technological progress in the kitchen. So pilaf fell into the category of dishes that are now easy to cook using this miracle of technology. Even if there is no “pilaf” mode in the multicooker, you can cook pilaf using other programs. And to make it tasty and crumbly, you should take into account the tips and useful tricks of experienced chefs.

How to replace the “pilaf” mode if there is no such cooking mode in a slow cooker

If there is no suitable program in the multicooker, then in what mode can pilaf be cooked so that it does not differ from the traditional recipe? The ideal option is the "Porridge" mode, it is in 99% of multicookers and is perfect for cooking pilaf.


It is best to cook a recipe with chicken in this mode, but for the traditional cooking of lamb, it is better to choose "Stew", which is also provided in a large number of devices. If this mode is not available, you can replace the Baking program, but you will have to adapt to it.

Important! In the "Pilaf" mode, the standard cooking time is 60 minutes

But the type of cereal and meat chosen affects the duration of cooking: lamb is cooked longer than chicken, just like steamed rice is cooked longer than polished white rice (10-15 minutes longer).


Much depends on the power of the device. If it is more than 1100 W, then the cooking time is reduced by a quarter. Due to the fact that the device works on the principle of maintaining pressure and temperature, there is no need to worry about burning food.

A special technology involves the use of a minimum amount of fat (oil or animal). This allows you to cook diet recipes, but the traditional Uzbek pilaf still needs a fat component.

How to cook pilaf in a slow cooker

When choosing cereals for cooking in a slow cooker in the “Pilaf” mode, there are no special recommendations. The best option is devzira. However, many culinary specialists successfully use round Krasnodar rice, basmati, as well as a long-grain steamed product.

Advice! It is important to follow the technology of laying cereals, which also does not differ from the standard one.

Rice must be washed before being sent to the bowl until the water becomes clear. If the cereal is too sticky and starchy, then in the end the pilaf will turn into porridge.

If the slow cooker does not have a “pilaf” mode, you can cook a meat dish that is not as sensitive to temperatures as lamb. A delicious dish is made from chicken, pork and mushrooms. In this case, you can use any mode: stewing, baking, rice.

Simple pork pilaf

To prepare a dish, you will need the “Frying” and “Stew”, or “Rice” mode. The original recipe uses pork, but you can use chicken:

• 500 g of meat;
• 400 g of rice;
• 3 pcs. carrots;
• 2 onions;
• a head of garlic;
• 0.5 tsp cumin;
• pepper and salt.

Pilaf is cooked in broth, or plain water is used. Rice is washed, vegetables and meat are cleaned, cut into cubes. The slow cooker is turned on in the "Frying" mode and 2-3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, fry the meat in it until crusty.
Add spices and onions along with carrots to the meat, fry for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables become soft. Now spread the rice and drown the garlic in it, do not mix the components anymore. The device is switched to the “Pilaf” or “Extinguishing” mode.


Cooking time - 30-35 minutes. As soon as the technician gives a signal, count another 10 minutes, open the slow cooker and try. When the dish is ready, it is served. If the rice seems dry, simmer for another 10 minutes.

Recipe with mushrooms

With the help of a slow cooker, you can cook a delicious vegetarian pilaf with mushrooms. Before implementing the recipe, mushrooms must be boiled in salt water with onions. You can use champignons, mushrooms, porcini mushrooms.
Components! Take 2 cups of rice, 300 g of boiled mushrooms (about 600 g of raw mushrooms), onions and carrots, 2 each. From spices, 0.5 tsp will be required. cumin, turmeric and 1 tbsp. l. barberry. Salt, pepper take to taste. You need 2.5 cups of water, as well as 50 ml of oil.


Boiled champignons are cut into thin slices, onions - into cubes, and carrots - into cubes. Placed in a heated bowl on top of the oil, fried in the "Baking" mode. Stir and stew for 5 minutes, adding spices. Spread well-washed rice on top.

Pour food with water so that it is 1-2 fingers more. Put in the "Pilaf" mode, close the lid, the timer is 40-45 minutes. If there is no such mode, use "Quenching". The recipe goes well with a fresh salad of greens and cucumbers.

Recipe with chicken

This recipe with "Stewing" and "Frying" modes was created specifically for Redmond and Polaris appliances. For cooking, take: 700 g of devzira or other rice, 1 kg of chicken meat (preferably different parts of the carcass), 700 g of peeled carrots, 500 g of onions, 200 g of vegetable oil and a bouquet of spices. The spice set must include zira - at least 1 tsp. You can also add garlic, cumin, bay leaf, black pepper, barberry.


Cooking process:

1. The chicken is washed, dried, cut into portions.
2. Onions are cut into half rings, and carrots are cut into cubes or sticks up to 0.5 cm thick.
   
   
3. Oil is poured into the slow cooker and it is calcined well, at least 5 minutes until smoke.
4. Spread meat in oil and fry over high heat with the lid open. The chicken should be golden brown.
5. As soon as this happens, onion half rings are laid and fried until transparent, then carrots are sent to it.
6. As soon as the vegetables become soft, but not quite ready yet, add all the seasonings and salt. Spices are added in the amount of 0.5 parts of the bulk.
   
   
7. Further, as soon as the spices are mixed with vegetables, after about 2 minutes, add 100 ml of water and simmer under a closed lid for 5 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, the rice is washed at least 5 times until the water runs clear. This is necessary to eliminate excess starch. Add rice to vegetables, level with a spatula and pour hot water 1.5 cm above the contents of the bowl.
   
   
9. Set the "Extinguishing" mode for 1 hour, cover the lid and do not open it again. Only 15 minutes before the end of cooking, garlic cloves and the remaining spices are added to the rice.
10. As soon as the device gives a signal, it is turned off, or wait another 10-15 minutes. After that, open the bowl, mix and serve pilaf to the table.

You can decorate it with fresh tomatoes and herbs, which are perfect for pilaf and refresh its taste.

What modes can be used for cooking pilaf

Now we should consider in detail the programs for pilaf, how they differ:

The "Porridge" mode should be used in extreme cases, since the pilaf in it turns out to be more sticky and less crumbly.

Pilaf in a slow cooker classic recipe

To prepare a classic recipe for pilaf with lamb in a slow cooker, you need to take: 600 g of meat, cut into pieces, 2 cups of steamed rice, 2 large carrots, 2 onions, 2 tsp. mixtures of zira, coriander, mustard and barberry, 2-3 tsp. salt. You will also need 4 cups of boiling water. The measure of glasses is given when using faceted dishes.


Cooking processes:

1. The basis for zirvak. In a bowl, the meat is fried in hot oil until the juice from the pieces has completely evaporated.
2. Adding vegetables. Then add spices, salt, carrots, cut into cubes, as well as onions. Fry until half cooked 3-4 minutes.
3. Rice bookmark. Rice washed to clear water is placed on top. The components are mixed and poured with boiling water. Set the mode "Rice", "Extinguishing" or "Baking". Total time - no more than 40 minutes.

After cooking, the dish should stand for another 10-15 minutes. According to the same recipe, you can cook pilaf in a slow cooker with chicken, just reduce the time by 10 minutes.

To make pilaf tasty, crumbly and the first time, remember a few little tricks:

• fill the bowl only 7/10 of the volume, that is, 0.7 liters of each liter;
• when laying food, fill the slow cooker by 60%, as there will still be water, and rice will increase during cooking;
• do not constantly open the lid when checking food. It is best, after frying and adding rice, not to open it at all until the timer indicates the end of cooking;
• root crops are cut into small pieces, otherwise they will not have time to fry before laying the cereal.

In a slow cooker, pilaf can be cooked with grated carrots, since little fat is used here, and the dish often turns out dry. In contrast to the traditional recipe, grated carrots here only enhance the taste.

Properly cooked pilaf in a slow cooker is not a fantasy.

And if a lover of traditional recipes is allowed to try such a dish, he is unlikely to remain indifferent. And you can cook an Uzbek dish even without using the classic Pilaf recipe.

Unlike pilaf, the time of origin of which is lost for centuries, and such vast territories as the Middle East and India are recognized as the homeland of the dish, everything is easier with multicookers. They are a continuation of rice cookers that appeared in the second half of the last century in Japan and spread throughout Southeast Asia. Manufacturers gradually supplied these electric pans with automatic and semi-automatic programs for cooking not only rice, but also other dishes, so now literally everything is cooked in multicookers - from cereals and pilaf to steaks and mulled wine.

Rice is an integral part of pilaf, so modernized rice cookers seem to have everything to cook it properly. But how will multicookers cope with meat, vegetables and spices, will they be able to provide a kind of penetration, exchange of tastes of all ingredients with each other (this, you see, happens with the classic method of cooking pilaf - in a cauldron)? Let's check.

Preparation and evaluation

Everyone has their own swim. Someone has lived in Central Asia for 15 years and certainly knows the right way. Someone cooks according to the secret recipe of the grandfather from Tashkent. In our experiment, the main thing was not to cook pilaf according to the recipes given in multicooker cookbooks. We deliberately refused to fully automate the process, because the goal was still pilaf, and not rice porridge with meat.

Having studied the cooking algorithms from the collections that the multicookers are equipped with, we turned to the pros in preparing authentic pilaf for help - the founder and co-owner of the Plov.com project, Ilkhom Ismailov. Multi-cooker recipes, of course, surprised him a lot, so he generously presented us with his own. Together we adapted it for cooking not in a cauldron, but in a slow cooker.

Cooking:

1. turn on the “Frying” mode (if it is not there, “Baking” is suitable), heat the multicooker bowl for 5-7 minutes;
2. pour in the oil and heat it until a slight smoke appears;
3. Dip the onion, peeled and cut into half rings, into the bowl and fry until a dark golden hue appears, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes);
4. add diced meat;
5. fry the meat until a crust forms, not forgetting to stir - an average of about 15 minutes;
6. add carrots cut into large strips into the bowl and fry for about 10 more minutes;
7. pour hot water (at least 90 degrees) so that it covers the contents of the bowl, and leave in the “Frying” mode for another 5-7 minutes;
8. turn off the "Frying" mode,
9. add salt and spices;
10. mix the ingredients gently;
11. put the head of garlic peeled from the top husk;
12. set the cooking temperature to 60-70 ° С (this can be done in the user modes “Multi-cook”, “Custom choice”, and if there are none, then “Extinguishing” or “Heating” will do), and leave it like that without stirring and without closing the lid , until the meat is half cooked for about 30 minutes;
13. taste the broth and add salt if necessary: ​​ideally, the broth should definitely seem very salty to you - it should be so, because rice will take a lot of salt;
14. lay out pre-washed rice in water (at least 3-5 times), level it, in no case, without stirring, and pour hot water (at least 90 degrees) about 1-1.5 cm above the cereal;
15. activate the maximum power (if there are no manual settings, you can use the Soup, Cooking, Baking modes) - let it boil for 5 minutes until the water goes below the rice level (rice should be half cooked);
16. close the lid of the multicooker and activate the "Pilaf" program. In models where this program is automatic, cook until it ends. If the cycle is semi-automatic, set the time to at least 30 minutes (20 minutes will be enough in multicookers-pressure cookers). At the end, evaluate the degree of readiness of the dish: aroma, cooked rice, readiness of meat.

A comparative assessment of pilaf from multicookers was carried out by a focus group of 18 people. The highlight of the tasting was that in addition to 6 pilaf prepared by us, another one was added, but made in a cauldron from the same ingredients, according to the same recipe. That is, we got 7 options for the dish.

So that the tasters would not guess which pilaf was, we sorted them into lyagans and hid them behind numbers from 1 to 7. Having tried all the pilaf options, the tasting participants voted for the one they liked. The plov with the most votes was declared the winner. Another task was to recognize among the 7 variants of pilaf the one that was cooked in a cauldron. We were wondering if tasters could tell it apart from the "multi-cooker" varieties.

In addition to the taste of the finished pilaf, the focus group participants evaluated each pilaf according to several parameters:

• appearance (appetite);
• friability of rice;
• the degree of cooking rice;
• degree of readiness and juiciness of meat;
• the fat content of the dish.

Test participants

So, we chose 6 multicookers for the test:

• Moulinex CE 503132;
• Polaris PMC 0525D;
• REDMOND RMC-FM4520;
• Oursson Mi5040PSD;
• Panasonic TMZ550;
• Philips HD3095/03.

Note that Moulinex and Oursson multicookers have the ability to cook under pressure (these are multicookers-pressure cookers), and the Oursson model also has induction heating, which also speeds up the heat treatment of products.

A distinctive feature of the REDMOND RMC-FM4520 multicooker is a lifting heating element and a frying pan in the delivery set: you can fry not in a bowl, but in a frying pan, for example, scrambled eggs. The function is called MASTERFRY, but we did not use it to cook pilaf - it is more convenient and more correct to cook it in a bowl.

Models Polaris, Panasonic and Philips can be attributed to classic multicookers with traditional heating and a good set of automatic and semi-automatic programs. However, the “commonness” of the Panasonic TMZ550 multicooker did not prevent her from winning, in which the Philips HD3095/03 multicooker also participated.

Moulinex CE 503132

The main feature of the model is the possibility of cooking under pressure in the manner of a pressure cooker. Increased pressure is used here for most programs (in total it has 33 automatic and 25 semi-automatic cycles), with the exception of "Frying", "Pizza", "Jam", "Baking".

Polaris PMC 0525D

The bowl of the multicooker Polaris PMC 0525 D is five-liter, with a ceramic inner coating and handles (more convenient to carry). Cover - with removable elements. The so-called 3D heating is implemented here, that is, uniform heat treatment of products from the bottom, side and top. Control electronic, touch, with the display.

REDMOND RMC-FM4520

As already noted, the main feature of this multicooker is the lifting heating element and the pan included for using the MASTERFRY function. The rest is an ordinary model with electronic control (which, by the way, we did not immediately understand: the programs are selected not by the "Menu" button, but by "+" and "-", which is somewhat unusual).

Oursson Mi5040PSD

As already noted, the Oursson Mi5040PSD multicooker with induction heating can cook under pressure. Induction heating is faster and more intense (therefore, when frying, for example, you need to be especially careful not to burn the food).

Panasonic TMZ550

A model that can easily be classified as a "conventional multicooker". It has traditional heating (not induction), display, electronic control and 22 automatic and semi-automatic cooking programs at normal, not elevated, pressure. The bowl is five-liter, with non-stick coating, with handles.

Philips HD3095/03

The only model in our test with a bowl of not 5, but 4 liters. The inner coating is ceramic, the bowl is multi-layered, with handles. Electronic control, touch. Backlit display. Here is traditional, non-induction heating (but three-sided - 3D), 10 automatic and semi-automatic programs.