One hundred percent pilaf in Fergana style. Step-by-step recipe for preparing Uzbek pilaf

Pilaf recipes

1 hour 30 minutes

105 kcal

5/5 (1)

My husband is a big fan of oriental cuisine. And my culinary experience before marriage was very modest. I had to learn a lot from my mother-in-law, since at first we lived together. It was she who revealed to me secrets of Uzbek pilaf, which amazed me with its simplicity and unique taste. The mother-in-law herself learned to cook from her grandmother, and carefully wrote down all the knowledge she gained in an old notebook. In it, among other culinary masterpieces, was found recipe for real Uzbek pilaf. T So, housewives, arm yourself with notepads and pens.

How to cook classic Uzbek pilaf - recipe with photos step by step

Kitchen appliances: stove, cutting board, knife, cauldron.

Ingredients

How to choose the right ingredients for pilaf

Rice. For pilaf, it is best to use Devzira rice. But it is not available everywhere. An excellent replacement for it would be steamed rice, basmati or special for pilaf. The surface of the cereal should be ribbed, and the cereal itself should be free of any specific odor, GMOs or additives. Only long-grain rice is suitable for preparing pilaf.
Meat. The ideal option is lamb (breast or back). But the experience of many housewives states that any meat will do and Uzbek pilaf will turn out just as tasty if you cook it with pork or beef according to the same recipe. It is worth considering that pork pilaf can turn out to be fattier and higher in calories, or leaner and drier. The main thing is that the meat is fresh and without a specific smell.
Carrot. It is very important to choose good carrots for bright, juicy pilaf. Small, wrinkled, stale - will not work. Good carrots will release juice and give the dish a unique taste and beautiful color; bad carrots will ruin it. Believe my bitter experience. So, Uzbek lamb pilaf, below is the recipe with photos.

How to cook Uzbek pilaf at home

Prepare the vegetables. Peel the onions and carrots. Prepare the meat. If necessary, defrost everything in advance.
Prepare the cauldron.

If there is none, any saucepan or deep frying pan will do, just be sure to have a thick bottom. Honored chefs claim that Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron over a fire is real pilaf, and the recipe is approximately the same in all cases.
Place the cauldron on the fire and let it warm up. When the cauldron is hot, pour half the oil into it.
While the oil is heating, chop the meat.
Cut the carrots into strips.
Place the meat in hot oil, stir gently and leave to fry.
While the meat is frying, cut the onion into thin half rings or as you like, just not very finely.
At this stage add 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. ground pepper. Stir the contents so that the onion is at the bottom and the meat is on top.
When the onions and meat turn golden, add water to completely cover the contents. When the water boils, reduce the heat, cover the cauldron with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add carrots and simmer for another 15 minutes.
Add all the spices except turmeric and salt. Cover with a lid and leave for a few minutes.
Pour the rice into the cauldron and smooth it out carefully.

Add remaining salt and turmeric.
Add water to the two phalanges of the index finger (the length of the nail, of course, is not taken into account). I got it 4.5 cm. And cover the cauldron with a lid.
Peel the garlic from the top husk. Add lightly peeled heads of garlic to the cauldron, lightly pressing them into the rice and continue to simmer until the water evaporates.
When all the water has evaporated, reduce the heat to low, make punctures in the rice and continue to simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
Carefully place the pilaf on a plate and serve.

Video recipe

How to cook is not easy pilaf, and Uzbek, his recipe, you can find out how to serve and traditional salads by viewing this video.

What to serve pilaf with

My family likes to eat pilaf with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. Some add salted and pickled vegetables in addition, while others prefer not to overwhelm the taste of this delicious dish. In Uzbekistan, pilaf is traditionally served with radish salad with pomegranate seeds or onion and tomato salad Sachchik-Chuchuk.

To ensure that cooking pilaf takes you a minimum of time and you can do it simply, quickly and very tasty, take note of a few points:

Buy all products in advance. If you need to go to the market for meat, rice and seasonings, then the entire process of preparing pilaf will take much longer.
You can prepare and chop meat and vegetables right away, so you don’t have to be distracted from the cooking process later.
Grating carrots is much faster, but it is better to chop them. Grated carrots will change the taste of the dish, not for the better.
If the onion for pilaf is cut very finely, it can burn in hot oil and ruin the entire dish. The optimal cut is a quarter of a half ring.
If you really want oriental exoticism, then you can cook Uzbek pilaf with chickpeas. It is also called Fergana pilaf.

Important! If you have round rice at home for pilaf, it is better not to use it. It will make a delicious rice porridge, not the pilaf you want to cook.

For lovers of diet food, chicken pilaf is perfect; it contains much fewer calories.

There are many other options for preparing pilaf, for example. This recipe is a godsend for lovers of both tasty and healthy food.

If you are interested, write questions, comments, and send photos of prepared dishes. We housewives always have something to learn from each other.

Uzbekistan has always been famous for its hospitality and delicious cuisine. The calling card of the country is Uzbek pilaf. This hearty and at the same time light dish can feed a large number of people, which is why it is prepared for weddings, anniversaries and other holidays.

Uzbek-style pilaf (step-by-step recipe) - basic cooking principles

The secret of real Uzbek pilaf is the selection of quality ingredients, especially rice and the correct sequence of their addition.

So, to prepare pilaf you will need: devzira rice, carrots, onions, meat, preferably lamb, garlic, cumin, barberry, vegetable oil and table salt.

The carrots are peeled and cut into large strips. The more of this vegetable in the pilaf, the tastier it will be. Never grate carrots for Korean salads. A thinly sliced vegetable will simply dissolve in the pilaf during cooking, and this cannot be allowed.

The onion is peeled, washed and chopped into large rings or half rings. Thinly sliced onions fry faster, which means they are easier to burn. Burnt onions in pilaf are not only not beautiful, but also not tasty.

Now get to the meat. Ideally, you should use lamb or beef, but if you prefer pork, you can cook with it. The meat is washed, dried with paper napkins and cut into fairly large pieces. If you cut it finely, it will disintegrate into fibers, which is unacceptable for pilaf. The fat from the lamb is cut off and chopped into small pieces.

Pilaf can be cooked on a gas stove or fire. Induction and electric cookers are not very suitable for this. Pilaf should be cooked over an open fire and only in a cast iron cauldron. Pots are not suitable for this. We cook pilaf, not rice porridge.

The empty cauldron is thoroughly calcined over high heat. Put lamb fat cut into pieces into it. As soon as the fat has rendered, the cracklings are removed with a slotted spoon. Add refined vegetable oil and calcinate. To determine that the oil is hot enough, throw an onion ring into it. If the oil sizzles, add the rest of the onion. Fry it, stirring regularly, until a pleasant golden color.

Place the meat in the fried onion and fry it until cooked, stirring constantly. As soon as the meat is covered with an appetizing crust, add carrots. Continue to fry over moderate heat. The carrots should become soft. If you take a straw, it should bend but not break.

Water is boiling in a kettle. The contents of the cauldron are poured with boiling water. This will be the basis of the pilaf - zirvak. It is prepared only in the same sequence as described above. Cover the cauldron with a lid and cook for about forty minutes.

The rice is thoroughly washed to remove any debris. Remove the top leaves from the garlic heads, trying to keep the head intact.

After forty minutes of boiling, add garlic, cumin and barberry to the cauldron. At this stage it is salted. The broth should be slightly salted, as some of the salt will be absorbed by the rice. Stir and cook for another 20 minutes.

Fistfuls of rice are placed in the zirvak. Level with a slotted spoon. The water level should be two centimeters above the surface of the rice.

As soon as the rice is in the cauldron, I increase the intensity of the fire. This is done so that the water begins to boil intensively and evaporate. The lid is not covered. Use a slotted spoon to slightly move the rice towards the middle so that the water evaporates faster. When the water in the holes stops gurgling, level the rice, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook for another 20 minutes. Remove the garlic and stir the pilaf from bottom to top.

Garlic is separated into cloves. Uzbek-style pilaf (step-by-step recipe) is laid out on a wide dish. Place garlic cloves on top.

Recipe 1. Uzbek-style pilaf: step-by-step recipe with beef

Ingredients

half a kilogram of beef;

400 g long-grain parboiled rice;

salt;

350 g carrots;

freshly ground pepper;

250 g onions;

vegetable oil;

a teaspoon of barberry;

half a teaspoon of turmeric;

a teaspoon of cumin.

Cooking method

1. Peel the bulbs. Cut the thin skin off the carrots. Wash the vegetables thoroughly. Chop the onion into not too thin half rings. Place the carrots on a board, cut lengthwise into layers and chop into strips. Under no circumstances use a grater for this. You should get bars of medium thickness.

2. Trim the beef from veins and films. Rinse under the tap and pat dry with kitchen paper towels. Cut the meat into fairly large pieces. Finely chopped meat will disintegrate into fibers during cooking.

3. Place a cast iron cauldron on the stove, pour vegetable oil into it and turn on high heat. Heat until light white smoke appears. Place the onion in the cauldron and fry it, stirring from time to time so that it does not burn.

4. Once the onion turns golden, add the beef pieces to it. Continue cooking, stirring, for about 20 minutes. The meat should be covered with an appetizing crust.

5. Now add the carrots cut into strips. Pepper and salt. Stir and fry for another ten minutes. Don't forget to stir so the contents don't burn. Add turmeric, barberry and cumin.

6. Boil water in a kettle. Pour boiling water over the contents of the cauldron. The water should completely cover the meat and vegetables. Turn the heat down to moderate, cover the cauldron with a lid and simmer for about forty minutes. The meat will become tender, and the zirvak will be filled with the aroma and taste of spices.

7. Rinse the rice thoroughly. Change the water until it becomes clear. Place the rice in a sieve to drain excess liquid. Place the washed rice in a cauldron in small portions. Level with a slotted spoon. The broth level should be two centimeters higher than the rice. If it is not enough, you can add boiling water. At this stage, do not stir under any circumstances. Cook over high heat until the liquid on the surface evaporates. Make a depression in the rice and place the head of garlic, peeled from the top leaves, into it. Then simmer for another 20 minutes on low heat under the lid.

8. Open the lid, remove the garlic, stir the pilaf from bottom to top. Place on a round flat plate and serve with fresh vegetables.

Recipe 2. Uzbek-style pilaf: step-by-step recipe with pork

Ingredients

700 g pork pulp;

a pinch of dried tomatoes;

600 g rice;

salt;

150 ml sunflower oil;

a pinch of barberry;

two large onions;

a pinch of paprika;

two large carrots;

a pinch of cumin;

a pinch of turmeric.

Cooking method

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly and remove any debris. Then fill it with water and set aside. Wash the pork pulp, dry it with kitchen paper towels and cut into fairly large pieces.

2. Place the cast iron cauldron on high heat. Pour sunflower oil into it. The amount of oil depends on the fat content of the pork. The fattier the meat, the less oil you will need. Heat the oil well.

3. Place the pork in a cauldron and fry until it is covered with an appetizing crust.

4. Peel the onions and carrots. Wash. Chop the onions into half rings of medium thickness. Chop the carrots into fairly large strips. Add the onion to the meat and fry, stirring, until it is browned. Then add the carrots and cook for some more time. Don't forget to stir constantly.

5. Boil water in a kettle. Pour boiling water over the meat and vegetables so that it completely covers the contents of the cauldron. Add all the spices and salt. Stir and cook for another 20 minutes. This time is enough for the meat to become soft and for the ingredients to become saturated with each other’s aromas and tastes.

6. Place the rice in a sieve. When all the liquid has drained, place the cereal in a cauldron and smooth it out. If there is not enough broth, you can add boiling water. Do not stir. Cook over high heat until the broth has evaporated from the surface of the rice. Make a small depression and place a head of garlic into it, after removing the top leaves from it. Turn the heat down to low, cover with a lid and simmer for another half hour.

7. Remove the head of garlic from the pilaf and separate it into cloves. Mix the pilaf with a slotted spoon from bottom to top. Place it on a nice wide plate. Place garlic cloves on top.

Uzbek-style pilaf (step-by-step recipe) - tips and tricks

Do not use frozen meat to prepare pilaf. It must be exceptionally fresh.

Never grate carrots. The bars should be of medium thickness.

To make the pilaf crumbly, the rice must be washed until the water becomes clear.

Do not mix rice with vegetables and meat during cooking.

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

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

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

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

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

Cut the meat into cubes, approximately 2x2 cm.

Peel the onions and carrots.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bon appetit. Cook with love.

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

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

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

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

So, for a “small” pilaf we will need:

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

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

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

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

5. Three medium onions.

6. Two heads of garlic.

7. 150 grams of vegetable oil (refined).

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

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

10. Salt to taste.

11. As an option, you can use several grains of dry barberry, but it has absolutely no effect on the taste of the future pilaf.
Since I have a gas stove, I will cook pilaf in a cast iron cauldron traditional for preparing this dish, although the use of other utensils is not prohibited. It depends on the conditions you have - be it a fire, gas or electric stove. The “tool” you will need is a slotted spoon. A spatula or, especially, a spoon is not only inconvenient, but at certain stages is harmful.

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

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

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

3.Cut the onion into thin rings.

4. Cut the carrots (we do not scrape the skin, but cut it off) into thin strips, by hand, without resorting to the help of any kitchen devices. Sometimes, to decorate pilaf, one or two whole carrots are added to the chopped carrots, which are fried according to a slightly different algorithm than the main one. Since sometimes misunderstandings arise with “average” carrots, that is, those mostly sold on our shelves (during heat treatment they crumble and no longer hold their shape), I began to practice this trick. I sprinkle the chopped carrots with lemon juice, add a few pinches of granulated sugar, mix and leave to “sit” for 15-20 minutes. Thus, it acquires much greater resistance to temperatures and does not fall apart. However, as observations have shown, this only applies to some varieties of imported carrots.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As soon as the lard turns golden, catch it and transfer it to a separate plate - it will no longer be needed for pilaf. Place the seeds into the hot oil, stirring vigorously. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of cumin. ATTENTION! Let us remember one important thing: the color of the future pilaf largely determines the degree of roasting of the seeds. The correct degree of roasting is a persistent brown color of the meat remaining on the bones.

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

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

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

As soon as the meat has reached the specified condition, add the carrots cut into strips into the cauldron, immediately thoroughly mixing it with the other ingredients.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nuances that you may not know

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

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

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

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

BY THE WAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The main technological stages of preparing pilaf are, of course, known to everyone. This is a) frying seeds, meat, onions and carrots, b) forming a zirvak (sauce) and then stewing the roast in it, and c) boiling rice in a zirvak and finally cooking it under dam (steam), which is also called boiling the rice and which is described in quite detail by the classics of cooking. All these stages can be easily combined either in one vessel (steel pan, thin or thick, in a wok and in another suitable container) or separated by frying in a large frying pan and continuing all other steps in a steel pan.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I will not dwell on what happens to oils and fats after extreme heating, how their chemical composition changes and how dangerous this is to health - those interested in this question, I think, will find where to look for the answer. A sense of proportion is necessary in everything, and the oil should be heated only to values that ensure the initial intensive frying of the products, but not to a “blue haze.” And secondly: if there is something to choose from existing refined and suitable for frying oils - be it sunflower, corn or olive - you should not fall into a falsely understood authenticity and rush in search of the worst option (and for such, cottonseed oil is already imported, and by no means non-cotton regions).

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

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

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

One can understand the classics: in Uzbek cuisine there are dishes that are prepared similarly to pilaf (some types of mashkichiri, for example, or shavli), where mixing rice with other ingredients is not only desirable, but also mandatory. And nothing out of the ordinary happens with a dish in which rice is the main component. The rice cooks quite evenly and does not stick together (if this is provided for by the technology, as, for example, in crumbly mashkichiri). At what point, excuse me, could unwanted metamorphoses with rice occur in pilaf?

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

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

(Not everyone can be called classic)

Since time immemorial, Uzbekistan has been famous for its hospitality and very diverse cuisine. Uzbek pilaf is a masterpiece of local cuisine and a calling card of the country. In addition, this particular dish most accurately reflects the flavor of Uzbekistan and its national characteristics. Uzbek pilaf has no analogues in any national cuisine of other countries. In the 15th century, pilaf was considered an honorable dish. It was served during wedding celebrations and major holidays.

To prepare pilaf according to the original recipe, you need seven ingredients. The taste of the pilaf ultimately depends on the method of preparation and the quality of the fire. It should be noted that pilaf and rice porridge with various spices and meat are completely different concepts. In the process of preparing pilaf, you need to take into account all the features of the recipe in order to get a dish that in appearance and taste will be as close as possible to Uzbek pilaf.

Uzbek beef pilaf step by step recipe with photos

This recipe will reveal all the secrets and nuances of cooking traditional Uzbek pilaf with beef in a cauldron. Guided by the description, you can learn all the intricacies of cooking and discover for yourself the unique taste of this delicious dish.

A few simple tips will help you prepare a delicious Uzbek beef dish:

1. The beef chosen for pilaf must be fresh. The back, neck or loin of the shoulder blade are perfect.

2. Ripe carrots should be moderately juicy. If you cut it into strips, it will give the dish a more pronounced color and refined taste than grating it.

3. The pilaf will turn out more crumbly if you rinse the rice thoroughly. To do this, you need to rinse it with cold water until it becomes clear.

4. Do not mix rice with vegetables and spices. It should be smoothed evenly.

Products for cooking:

beef - 500 grams;
long grain rice (parboiled) - 400 grams;
carrots - 300 - 350 grams;
onions - 250 grams;
barberry - 1 teaspoon;
zira - 1 teaspoon;
turmeric - 1/2 teaspoon;
vegetable oil;
garlic, salt, pepper to taste

1.Prepare the products for cooking. Wash and peel the onions and carrots thoroughly. It is better to cut the onion into half rings.

2. To make the beef more juicy, it should be cut into larger pieces.

3. Be sure to chop the carrots into strips. It is very important not to use a grater when preparing pilaf!

4. Place the cauldron on the stove and pour in the oil, which must be heated until white smoke appears. Pour the onion into hot oil and fry it until light golden brown.

5. Add beef to the fried onion and fry it for 20 minutes until golden brown.

6. Add chopped carrots, neatly cut into strips, salt and pepper. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining seasonings: cumin, barberry and turmeric.

7. Pour boiling water over the finished frying. The water should completely cover the vegetables and meat. Close the cauldron with a lid and simmer over medium heat for half an hour. During this time period, the beef becomes tender, and the zirvak (vegetable side dish) is saturated with taste and aroma.

8. Add thoroughly washed rice to the zirvak in the cauldron. The rice should be covered by two centimeters with the broth. If it is not covered, then you need to add boiling water. Under no circumstances should you stir the rice at this stage! The top of the dish should be lightly salted.

9. Cook until all the upper liquid is absorbed into the rice.

10. After the broth has been absorbed, use the back of a spoon to make indentations in the rice. Place a whole (unpeeled) head of well-washed garlic into the resulting hole. Cover the cauldron and continue cooking over low heat for 25 minutes. After time has passed, we check for readiness. The rice should be soft and there should be no zirvak residue at the bottom.

11. Remove the garlic and mix the finished dish thoroughly. You can serve this pilaf with a variety of fresh vegetables, as well as sauerkraut.

Bon appetit!

How to cook pork pilaf so that the rice is crumbly

It seems that there is nothing difficult in preparing a delicious pilaf with meat, since the recipe is easy, and the necessary products are available to anyone! However, to make this dish truly impeccable, it is necessary not only to put a piece of your soul and heart into it, but also to scrupulously study the methods of its proper preparation. This wonderful pilaf recipe that I’m going to tell you about will definitely charm you and irrevocably win your love.

Ingredients:

pork pulp - 600-700 gr.;
rice - 600 gr.;
sunflower oil - 150 ml;
onions - two pcs.;
carrots - two pcs.;
turmeric - one pinch;
zira - one pinch;
paprika - one pinch;
pepper - one pinch;
barberry - one pinch;
salt - one pinch;
dried tomatoes - one pinch.

Cooking steps:

1. Before you start the cooking process, you need to rinse the rice thoroughly and then leave it in cool water for a short time. Washed and dried meat must be cut into small cubes.

2. Place your cauldron on the stove and pour in sunflower oil. When calculating oil, it is necessary to take into account the fat content of pork. If the meat is fatty, then, accordingly, much less oil will be needed. Pour it into a cauldron and heat it well.

How can you tell if the oil is hot enough but not burning? You need to put a small clove of garlic or an onion ring in it. The oil is considered normally heated when a golden brown crust has formed on them.

3. Take out the onion and put the chopped pork in the cauldron.

4. While the meat is frying, let's prepare the vegetables.

5. Thoroughly wash and peel the carrots and onions.

6. Chop the onion into small pieces. Chop the carrots into neat strips or grate them.

7. You can add chopped vegetables to the slightly browned meat.

8. First of all, add the onion and fry it until a nice golden color.

9. Then add the carrots and fry them for a little more time with the meat.

10. After 10 minutes, add water. Meat and vegetables should be completely covered with liquid. Add spices, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. This preparation (zirak) for our pilaf should be left on the stove for about 20 minutes. This is necessary to ensure that the pork becomes tender and soft.

11. Add rice to the cauldron, after pouring out the water in which it was soaked, and carefully level it.

12. If there is not enough water, you can add it. There is no need to stir the rice. To enhance the aroma of the dish, you can add a well-washed garlic head to the rice.

13. Cook pilaf over moderate heat until all the liquid is absorbed into it.

14. Then turn off the heat and leave the rice covered for 20 minutes. The finished pilaf can be served on the table, to the delight of the household.

We enjoy a hearty and tasty lunch! Eat for your health!

Chicken pilaf recipe step by step with photos

Do you like chicken and rice? Then this dish is perfect for you! The combination of lightness, classic and at the same time fantastic taste will win your heart and make you fall in love with chicken pilaf forever! A minimum amount of ingredients, a little time spent, a minimum of effort, imagination, and now you and your friends are enjoying a superbly prepared dish. You just need to choose the right rice, fresh chicken, vegetables and standard seasonings for pilaf - saffron, barberry and cumin.
To prepare we will need:

chicken meat - 200-300 g;
Carrots – 1 piece;
Onion – 1 piece;
1 head of garlic;
1 tbsp. rice;
vegetable oil – 60g;
water – 2 glasses;
salt - a third of a teaspoon.

Product preparation and the cooking process includes the following steps:

Properly selected rice is the key to delicious pilaf. The best varieties for this are jasmine and basmati. Rice must be washed with water. To make it crumbly, you need to thoroughly wash off the dust and starch powder, which are the main reason for rice sticking together. It must be washed with warm water at least three times. And if the water is cool, then five or six times until the water is clear. Then the washed rice must be soaked in warm, slightly salted water.

1. The meat is washed and cut into small pieces 2-3 cm in size.

2. Peel the onion, wash and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Since the onion is placed in hot oil, excess liquid can cause it to ignite.

3. Carrots must be washed twice: before and after peeling and chopped.

4. Pour oil into a frying pan with a thick bottom and heat it. Maximum heating of the oil is the key to tasty and aromatic pilaf. Its strong heating also helps to improve the taste characteristics. You can add a whole onion while heating the oil, which will act as a sorbent and help eliminate harmful substances from the oil.

5. Place the chopped chicken in hot oil and fry until nicely golden brown.

6. Add carrots to the meat, fry over low heat and add onions and garlic. Sauté, stirring continuously until golden yellow.

7. Transfer the zirak into a cauldron and put it on the fire. Pour rice into a cauldron in a thin layer. Add salt and spices to taste.

8. Fill with water and carefully level

9. Cover the cauldron with a lid and simmer over low heat for another 25-35 minutes. When the water is completely absorbed into the rice, stir it and make a hole in the center.

10. Cover the cauldron with a lid and continue cooking the pilaf over low heat for another 35-45 minutes. After this time, remove from heat and, if desired, let it brew or serve immediately.

How to properly serve pilaf to the table?

If pilaf is served on a platter, then first remove the meat from the pan, transfer the pilaf to the platter, and place the chicken on top. The dish can be decorated with pomegranate seeds. You can serve fresh vegetables or salads with chicken pilaf.
Bon appetit!

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