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:
- turn on the “Frying” mode (if it is not there, “Baking” is suitable), heat the multicooker bowl for 5-7 minutes;
- pour in the oil and heat it until a slight smoke appears;
- 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);
- add diced meat;
- fry the meat until a crust forms, not forgetting to stir - an average of about 15 minutes;
- add carrots cut into large strips into the bowl and fry for about 10 more minutes;
- 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;
- turn off the "Frying" mode,
- add salt and spices;
- mix the ingredients gently;
- put the head of garlic peeled from the top husk;
- 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;
- 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;
- 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;
- 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);
- 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.
Pilaf has long turned from a traditional oriental dish into ours, Russian, beloved by everyone, but, unfortunately, not properly prepared by everyone. Even in the era of ordinary pots and pans, some chefs managed to turn crumbly fragrant pilaf into ordinary rice porridge with meat. With the advent of multicookers in our kitchens, cooking pilaf has become easier, but ignorance of the most important rules for cooking pilaf still allows you to get the same rice porridge with meat at the exit ...
Pilaf in a slow cooker is cooked according to the same rules as in a cauldron. The "Pilaf" mode in the multicooker means only additional frying of food after cooking, and that's it. You still have to properly cut carrots, cook zirvak properly, and properly lay rice. Therefore, before we start cooking pilaf with you in a slow cooker according to the recipes below, we will highlight the main points that should never be ignored.
- You can take any rice for pilaf, as long as it is not brittle. Pay attention to the grains in the bag when buying: the bag should not contain a lot of dust and fragments of grains;
- Each variety of rice gives its own taste and aroma to pilaf. For example, “Health” rice gives a distinct nutty flavor, and steamed polished “Basmati”, which almost doubles when cooked, is almost neutral. Turkmens and Uzbeks generally do not accept long-grain varieties, being content with the most common Krasnodar round rice, saying that only with it the pilaf turns out to be as similar as possible to the real one;
- Some chefs are strongly against steamed rice, while others, on the contrary, strongly recommend it, since it does not stick together during cooking, and the pilaf turns out to be crumbly. You decide;
- About cutting vegetables. Onions can be cut as you like, but carrots should be cut strictly into sticks or strips and preferably along, not across (I know gourmets who generally throw away the core of carrots, and you know, there is something in this! The taste of the dish changes quite noticeably) . In no case do not rub carrots on a grater, even the largest one - when cooked, it gives up its juice very quickly, turns sour and turns pilaf into the same porridge with meat;
- You can take almost any spices for pilaf, but there is a minimum that simply must be present in any pilaf. These are zira (cumin seeds, it is advisable to take black zira), dried barberry, saffron or its cheaper analogue turmeric (be careful with these spices, it is easy to overdo it), a mixture of peppers (black, white, pink, green, fragrant), garlic (whole heads or cloves, do not peel). In addition to these spices, you can add ground paprika, dried or dried tomatoes, a whole pod of hot pepper (pepper must be intact, otherwise you will get a fire-breathing dish!), Ground coriander seeds, ground nutmeg. Greens are not put in pilaf, it is served separately;
- Zirvak is cooked in boiling oil. Each cook has his own order of adding products, but one thing is the same: each product should be added to the bowl only after the oil boils and clarifies. That is, if you put the onion in the bowl first, wait for the oil to boil, put the onion and simmer it until the oil is transparent and boil, then put the carrots, stew again until the oil is transparent and boil, then carefully, along the wall, spread the meat so as not to lower the boiling point of the oil. The meat is considered ready when it has acquired a grayish color, and the oil has brightened and become transparent again. The reverse order of laying the products occurs according to the same principle: meat, we wait for the clarification and boiling of the oil, onions, carrots. The main thing is not to throw everything at once, it will no longer be pilaf;
- When the meat and vegetables are ready, pour in the spices, except for garlic and capsicum, warm them up so that they fully reveal their aroma and taste, and lay the rice;
- Rice should be spread over the meat in an even layer, in no case mixing with zirvak. Pour boiling water over the rice, spatula-deep so that the water does not mix the food. And only after all the manipulations, stick in the center a whole head of garlic, peeled from the top scales, and a pepper pod (if you like spicier dishes). All! Close the lid and press the coveted "Pilaf" button.
Our site offers you several recipes by which you can cook pilaf in a slow cooker, however, it is in your power to make your own changes to each recipe. Change the amount of products, add your favorite spices - cook your own, the best pilaf!
Pilaf in a slow cooker with chicken fillet
Ingredients:
1 chicken fillet without skin and bones,
2 multi-cups long grain rice (or whatever you like)
1-2 bulbs
2-3 carrots
1 small head of garlic,
½ multi-cup vegetable oil
4 multi-glasses of hot water,
salt, spices - to taste.
Cooking:
Set the "Baking" mode and pour vegetable oil into the bowl. When it warms up well, pour the chopped onion into the bowl, then, after the oil boils, put the carrots cut into sticks or strips, and then, when the oil clears and boils rapidly, add the diced fillet. You can add to zirvak half a tomato without skin, cut into pieces. Stir and fry for 5-7 minutes. Add spices to taste. Level the vegetables and meat in the bowl, add the rice washed in several waters, pour hot water, pouring water over a spoon or spatula so that the food in the bowl does not mix, and stick the head of garlic, peeled from the upper scales, into the middle. Close the lid and set the mode to Pilaf, Cereals or Buckwheat. After the signal about the end of the mode, do not open the lid, but let it stand for 15-20 minutes in the heating mode.
Pilaf with chicken hearts
Ingredients:
1 kg chicken hearts (you can take duck, turkey),
2-3 bulbs
2-3 carrots
2 multi-cups of rice
4 multi-glasses of water,
100 g butter,
1 head of garlic
salt, spices.
Cooking:
First, prepare the hearts. Clean them of all excess and cut in half. Melt and heat the butter in the multicooker bowl in the “Baking”, “Frying” or “Cupcake” mode and cook the zirvak, frying the onions, carrots and hearts in turn, each time waiting until the oil becomes transparent and starts to boil. Add spices to taste and salt. Rinse the rice in several waters, drain the water and put the rice on top of the zirvak, level it. Insert a head of garlic in the center or, if the head seems too much for you, divide it into cloves and insert them into the rice in a circle. Pour in hot water, close the lid and set the “Pilaf”, “Porridge”, “Buckwheat” or “Stew” mode (in this case, add a little less water so that the rice does not boil into porridge, but remains crumbly). After the end of the mode, you can mix the pilaf and let it stand in the "Heating" mode from 20 minutes to an hour.
Pilaf in a slow cooker with beef
Ingredients:
500 g beef or veal,
500 g rice
500 g onion
500 g carrots
100 ml vegetable oil,
1 head of garlic
1 hot pepper (optional)
Cooking:
Prepare the products: cut the meat into 2 × 2 cm cubes, chop the onion into large cubes, cut the carrots lengthwise into strips or sticks 4-5 cm long. Set the “Baking” or “Frying” mode, heat the oil in the multicooker bowl, fry the pieces of meat in it first until the oil is clear, then the onions and finally the carrots (at this point you can add a teaspoon of sugar to the bowl, it will give the carrots a golden color). Salt, add all the seasonings (zira, barberry, turmeric, a mixture of peppers, ground tomatoes and paprika - to taste and desire), mix again and level. Gently put rice washed in several waters into a bowl, level it without mixing with zirvak, insert a head of garlic and a pepper pod deep into the center, pour boiling water so that it covers the rice layer by no more than a centimeter, and close the lid. Set the mode to "Pilaf" ("Porridge", "Groats", "Buckwheat"). After the end of the mode, let the finished dish stand in the heating mode for 20 minutes or more. Then remove the garlic and pepper, peel the garlic cloves. Place a pile of rice on a wide dish, and fried meat with vegetables around. Decorate with greenery.
Pilaf with pork and prunes
Ingredients:
400 g rice
400-500 g of pork (ribs are possible),
75-100 ml vegetable oil,
2-3 carrots
1-2 bulbs
1 head of garlic
1 pod of hot pepper,
a handful of prunes,
spices for pilaf (zira, barberry is a must!), salt - to taste.
Cooking:
Rinse rice in several waters until completely transparent and soak in boiled cold water for a couple of hours. Cut the pork into pieces (cut the ribs). Onion cut into cubes, carrots into cubes. In a multicooker bowl, heat the vegetable oil in the “Baking” or “Frying” mode, put the meat or ribs, add a teaspoon of sugar and fry, stirring constantly, until the oil is transparent and the meat is light golden brown. Put the onion to the meat and fry it also until golden brown. Add carrots to meat and onions, fry until the oil is transparent and put spices and salt. Level the finished zirvak with a spoon, put the washed prunes, pour rice on top in an even layer (drain the water), stick the garlic cloves in the husk into the rice, put the pepper on top and pour boiling water to a height of 1-1.5 cm, pouring it over a spoon to rice is not mixed with vegetables. Close the lid, set the “Pilaf” mode (or another one suitable for time and temperature). After the end of the mode, remove the pepper, peel the garlic cloves, mix the pilaf in the bowl and let it stand in the “Heating” mode longer, if possible, up to two hours.
When choosing lamb, pay attention to its color: the meat should be a rich red color, and the fat should be white. If the fat is yellowish, the meat is old.
Ingredients:
500 g lamb,
2 multi-cups long grain rice
4 onion heads
3-4 carrots
50 ml vegetable oil,
a piece of fat tail fat (preferably, but not required),
1 head of garlic
1 tomato (optional)
2-3 tbsp dark raisins,
1 tsp barberry,
1 tsp zira,
salt, spices for pilaf - to taste.
Cooking:
Prepare the products: tail fat, if you decide to use it, cut into small cubes, meat into cubes, onion into rings or half rings, carrots, cut into cubes or large strips along the root crop (straw length 3-5 cm). Set the multicooker to the “Frying” mode (or similar), heat the vegetable oil in the bowl and put the pieces of fat tail fat. Fry them until light brown and remove with a slotted spoon. Put the onion in the bowl, fry until golden brown, then add the meat, stir and cook until the pieces turn white. Pour all the spices into the bowl, mix and fry everything for 10-15 minutes. Add carrots and peeled tomato, cut into pieces, simmer for another 5-7 minutes until the oil is transparent. Put raisins to the meat and vegetables, mix, add well-washed rice, insert a head of garlic into the center and carefully pour in boiling water so that it covers the food in the bowl to a height of 1 cm. "Krupa", "Porridge on the water", etc. After the signal about the end of the mode, do not open the lid, let it stand in the heating mode for 20-30 minutes. Before serving, remove the garlic, peel the cloves, and turn the pilaf onto a wide dish and serve immediately. Lamb fat freezes quickly, so drink lamb pilaf with hot unsweetened green tea or black tea with lemon (also without sugar, of course).
Bon appetit and new culinary discoveries!
Larisa Shuftaykina
In order not to waste time, turn on the multicooker. I have five automatic modes: rice, meat, vegetables, soup and stewing. I set the mode to "meat" and set the timer for 100 minutes. I pour sunflower oil into a bowl.
While the bowl of oil is heating up, I rinse the meat under cold water, and then cut into small pieces.
Then I peel the onion and cut it into half rings.
I cut the carrot into strips. To do this, at the beginning I divide it into three parts, then each is cut into slices, and then into straws.
We look and sometimes stir the meat, it is necessary that it is well fried and a golden crust forms. There is no need to rush, if the meat has not yet been fried properly, then we continue. Moreover, we still have something to do.
We take the garlic, put it in a bowl / cup and pour boiling water over it so that it is completely covered with water. Leave it like this for 10 minutes. We wash the rice under cold water, and then pour it with cold water and salt a little, stirring with a spoon.
The meat was well fried
add onion to it and mix.
Garlic can already be removed from boiling water and remove excess husk from it.
When the onion is as well fried as the meat,
add carrots.
And we mix.
As soon as the carrots are fried (you don’t need to fry until golden brown), you need to add water two fingers higher than the frying itself and throw the seasoning cumin (a pinch or two, to taste) and barberry, and also salt. And let it cook a little (do not close the lid).
When the water has almost boiled away, time should come to an end. Now set the rice mode, set the timer for 20 minutes, and continue cooking. Throw in three cloves of garlic.
Put rice on top, after draining the water.
All this is again filled with water, preferably boiling water. Just do it carefully so that the jet of water does not mix the fry with rice. The roast should stay on the bottom. This can be done with a tablespoon by directing a jet of water at it. Salt a little more, and you can also add a pinch of zira and barberry. In the process, it is necessary to collect rice from the edges to the center with a spoon, forming a semi-sphere.
Now let's wait until the water is almost boiled away, and about 6 minutes before the end, I close the lid. When the time is up, do not immediately open the lid, release the steam first by opening the special valve and wait for the steam to come out! Be careful!!!
Now open and mix, after taking out the garlic,
and let the pilaf breathe a little, about 5 minutes. Just during this time, excess oil, if any, will go down. Now let's put it on the table!
We spread it on a large plate / lyagan, garlic on top and you can delight your loved ones! Bon appetit!
Moreover, there is a wide variety of multicookers, so some modes may differ, as well as the cooking time. If you have a frying mode, then use it at the beginning. In the last stage, if you do not have a pressure cooker function, then more time may be needed, i.e. with the lid closed, it will be necessary to hold the pilaf for about 15 minutes, until the water boils completely!
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