What meat is best for pork pilaf? Uzbek pilaf: recipes and cooking secrets

In no case will we claim the title of classic pilaf with pork, since dishes with this meat will never be prepared in our homeland. So our version is purely Russian, but so that we don’t end up with porridge with meat, we will take some rules and principles of preparing real pilaf and transfer them to our dish. There will be two recipes: the first is extremely simple, in a frying pan, for a quick dinner, without much dancing with tambourines; the second will be more like its older brother, it will be cooked in a cauldron with more careful adherence to the basics. Both will be step by step and with photos.

The basics of cooking pilaf that we will need

However, first, let’s talk about the products and these very basics. It is clear that pilaf is a dish of meat with rice. Today we have pork.

Which part of the pork carcass (cut) is best to use for pilaf?

It is believed that for stewing (and in my opinion, pilaf is frying followed by stewing), a shoulder blade and ham are best suited. But of these, the ham is more expensive, the shoulder is much cheaper, and in its finished form it is not inferior to it in terms of taste.

How to choose rice for pilaf?

You need long grain rice. As a rule, it does not boil down into mush or stick together. Very often it is recommended to soak cereals for a short time in hot water. It is believed that this way it will turn out more crumbly. Based on this, you can successfully buy steamed rice and get good results without soaking.

What is zirvak?

This is a part of pilaf without grain. Those. ingredients such as meat, carrots, onions and everything else that is cooked in the first stage before the rice is put in.

What kind of cookware is suitable for cooking pilaf?

In everyday life at home, it is best to take thick-walled dishes: thick-bottomed frying pans, ceramic fireproof stewing pans, duck pots, etc. The fact that it takes a long time to warm up well, but once heated, keeps the heat well.

What spices are needed?

Ready-made sets of spices for pilaf are available for sale. They usually contain: cumin, barberry, hot pepper, turmeric (or saffron), dried onions and garlic. It is best to look for seasonings in the market by weight; they will be fresher and more aromatic than those packaged in factory packaging.

Pilaf with pork in a frying pan - recipe with photo

Ingredients:

pork shoulder – 400g;
rice – 350g;
carrots – 1 piece;
onion – 1 piece;
salt - to taste;
tomato paste – 1 tsp;
spices for pilaf;
vegetable oil – 0.5 cups.

How to cook pilaf with pork

First, let's prepare the products. Cut the meat into medium-sized pieces.
Carrots are usually cut into strips, but for simplicity and speed, we grate them on a coarse grater. There should be a lot of carrots. Finely chop the onion.
Pour vegetable oil into the frying pan. Despite the fact that pork is fatty meat, you will need a fair amount of oil. The rice will then absorb it well, become oily, and the pilaf will not be greasy. Warm it up well.
Add the meat and stir until all the pieces are coated with oil. Fry for 10-15 minutes until a crust forms, stirring occasionally.
Add carrots and onions. Mix everything well. Cook for about 5 minutes so that the vegetables also fry a little.
Add spices. Their number depends on your preferences. Some people like the aroma to be very subtle, others like it to be pronounced. The quantity also depends on the quality; you will need less fresh spices. So take a look for yourself. I usually put about 1 teaspoon.
Salt and add tomato paste.
Pour the rice into a cup in advance, one into which you can then pour water. Spread the rice on top of the zirvak in an even layer.
And fill it with hot water from the kettle (boil it a little in advance). The amount of water is determined by the volume of rice. Let’s say you had 1 glass of rice, which means there should be 2.5 times more water, i.e. 2.5 glasses.
Cover the pan tightly with a lid. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible level and leave to cook until all the water is absorbed and the rice is soft.
When we see that there is no more water on the rice, we taste it. If it is soft, the pilaf is ready. But pay attention, the top layer of rice can be, as the Italians say about pasta, “al dente”, i.e. slightly hard, while inside it will be completely soft. If you notice that there is still liquid left in the pan, close the lid and wait a little longer.
Usually pilaf is not stirred, but I like to do it this way: when it is ready, I turn on high heat and, heating it strongly, stir the contents of the pan for 1 minute.

That's it now! The dish is ready, you can call everyone to the table.

Recipe for pilaf with pork in a cauldron

The cauldron should ideally be cast iron, but it is now very difficult to find one. Mostly aluminum ones on sale with or without non-stick coating. It is good to cook pilaf in such a container on the stove or over the grill (with a special grate for the cauldron).

Product composition:

pork ribs – 1.5 kg;
long grain rice – 0.5 kg;
onions – 5 pcs;
carrots – 3 pcs;
spices;
ground black pepper;
salt;
garlic – 1 head;
chili pepper – 1 pc.

How to cook pilaf with pork

Wash the ribs and cut them into separate pieces with the bone. If they are long, cut them in half. If there is lard, do not trim it.
Peel the onion and cut into half rings.
Cut the washed and peeled carrots into thin strips.
We will cook without oil. Therefore, first we put two pieces of pork into a heated cauldron and wait for the fat to render out. Then we rotate them there to lubricate the walls of the cauldron with the rendered fat and add a few more ribs.
Fry them on all sides.
Add the onion and fry until transparent.
Now you can add all the remaining meat.
Add spices.
Add carrots and fry the whole zirvak well.
Fill with hot water so that the rut covers all the pork and vegetables. Add a whole, unpeeled head of garlic and chili pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for 1.5 hours.
After this time, remove the garlic and pepper. Don’t throw away the garlic, it’s very tasty and you can eat it later with pilaf.
Rinse the rice several times with running water until the water becomes clear. We put it in a cauldron with a slotted spoon, level it, but under no circumstances mix it with meat. If necessary, add a little water to cover the rice. Close the lid again and cook for 20 minutes.
During this time, the rice will cook until half cooked. Using a slotted spoon, scoop it towards the center to form a mound. You can return the pepper and garlic to the cauldron. Stop heating, cover the lid and let the pilaf sit for about half an hour until the rice has absorbed all the water and becomes soft.

That's it! Your pilaf in the cauldron is ready!

Beef meat is not as common for preparing Uzbek pilaf as pork or lamb, but you can also make an appetizing and aromatic pilaf from it. In order for the meat to become soft and juicy, you need to know which parts of the carcass are best used for preparing pilaf. And it is recommended to choose those parts that contain a large amount of gelling substances - this could be the shoulder blade or the brisket.

And one more equally important feature of beef for pilaf is that the meat should be stewed for no more than three hours in total.

Uzbek pilaf made from beef - the best recipes

Recipe No. 1 – Homemade Uzbek pilaf with beef

The process of preparing this recipe is quite simple, so even inexperienced cooks can prepare it. It is very difficult to resist the aroma of this dish, since pilaf is truly a royal dish. Pilaf is a very satisfying, tasty and healthy dish. It can become both a decoration for a holiday table and an independent dish during a family dinner.

Products needed for cooking:

Beef five hundred grams;
Vegetable oil fifty ml;
Fifty grams of fat tail fat;
Carrots five hundred grams;
Five hundred grams of onion;
Rice three hundred grams;
Garlic six large cloves;
Spices – cumin, barberry, hops-suneli;
Pepper, salt.

Preparation

First of all, the base of the pilaf is always prepared - zirvak, which consists of carrots, onions and meat. Heat a cauldron on the fire and pour oil into it. Next, lower the onion into the cauldron, sauté it until golden brown, then finely chopped meat and fat tail fat. In about eight minutes, carrots. Zirva needs to be cooked for about thirty minutes, over medium heat. Fry it for fifteen minutes, stirring systematically, then close the cauldron with a lid and leave to simmer. Halfway through the cooking process, it is salted and peppered and spices are added.

Thoroughly washed rice is carefully poured onto the top of the zirvak without stirring. Pour in cold water, covering the rice. Cover the cauldron with a lid and cook until tender over low heat. About ten minutes before the pilaf is ready, garlic cloves are stuck into it.

In order for the taste of pilaf to become more intense, it must be wrapped and allowed to brew for one hour.

Recipe No. 2 – Uzbek-style pilaf with beef

No one can cook pilaf in Uzbek style better than the Uzbeks. Because this is their traditional and national dish. And if you follow some rules during cooking, you should end up with a real and tasty Uzbek-style pilaf, cooked in the best oriental traditions.

Ingredients for preparing this dish:

Beef meat one kilogram;
Onions seven hundred grams;
One kilogram of rice;
Carrots seven hundred grams;
Zira, barberry, thyme - only ten grams each;
One large head of garlic;
Salt and ground black pepper - at your discretion;
Vegetable oil fifty grams.

Cooking steps

If the meat on top is very fatty, then cut off almost all the fat, leaving only a small part. Place a cauldron on the fire, heat it up, pour oil into it. Fry the meat until golden brown; if there is not enough oil, add more. Remove the meat from the cauldron. Fry the onion in this oil until golden brown, put the meat back and add the carrots. Fry the zirvak with the lid open until the carrots have reduced in size by three times. Next, fill the zirvak with water one finger above the food, add all the spices, close the lid tightly and simmer over low heat for about two hours. If the water boils away, add more.

Salt the zirvak, pour rice into it, pour boiling water one finger above the rice, mix everything thoroughly and taste for salt. If necessary, add more salt. Simmer under a tightly closed lid until the rice is completely cooked. Ten minutes before it’s ready, take a head of garlic and stick it directly into the pilaf. As necessary, add water to the holes so as not to disrupt the integrity of the rice. After cooking, let the pilaf brew for about twenty-five minutes, and then stir it and serve.

Recipe No. 3 – Fergana pilaf with beef

Pilaf is a classic of the genre. Undoubtedly, in various parts of Asia, pilaf has its own taste characteristics, but Fergana pilaf is the limit of perfection. There are no specific rules in its preparation, since pilaf forgives improvisation, but the main ingredients do not.

Ingredients for preparing Fergana pilaf with beef:

Beef five hundred grams;
Three hundred grams of onion;
Rice five hundred grams;
Carrots three hundred grams;
Vegetable oil three hundred ml;
Spicy mixture thirty grams;
Salt, pepper to your taste.

Cooking steps

Thoroughly washed rice, soak for forty minutes. Heat the oil in a cauldron, put the onion in and fry it for seven minutes. Next, add the beef, pre-cut into small cubes, to the onion and fry for another twenty minutes. Add carrots cut into small strips and simmer for another ten minutes. Salt, pour in half a glass of water, bring to a boil, add all the spices, saffron, cumin, barberry, red pepper, and turmeric. And simmer with the lid tightly closed for two hours.

Then pour rice on top of the meat, fill it with hot water, simmer until the rice is completely cooked, not forgetting to add water from time to time. After you remove the pilaf from the heat, it must be left for another twenty minutes. And then serve it on the table.

Do not be afraid to mix zirvak with rice while preparing pilaf; in the classic version, it is customary to cook this dish over an open fire and in a cauldron. Since we cannot organize such conditions, the rice must be thoroughly mixed so that it is saturated with the taste of spices and meat.

Option No. 4 – Uzbek pilaf with beef

Ingredients:

Beef five hundred grams;
Four hundred grams of rice;
Vegetable oil one hundred ml;
Carrots three hundred grams;
Two hundred grams of onions;
Greens, cumin, barberry;
One hundred grams of chickpeas.

A few words about cumin; it is sold in stores under the name cumin. It is not grown in greenhouses, it grows only in the wild. Black cumin, which is hand-picked in the Pamir mountains, is especially good. It is also recommended to add a small amount of curry, saffron, and turmeric to pilaf. Over time, you yourself will begin to choose exactly the spice that you like more than the others.

The chickpeas must be thoroughly washed and soaked in warm water for three hours, then simmered over low heat until almost done. Place the cauldron on the fire, pour oil into it and heat it. Throw one peeled whole onion into a cauldron with hot oil; when it gets very dark, remove it and throw it away.

Cut the meat into large pieces and fry in oil until golden brown. Why in large pieces? Because the meat will not dry out too much and the inside will be soft and juicy. Add onion cut into half rings to the meat and fry.

What gives pilaf such a beautiful golden color? Someone suggests that it is carrots. But this is a mistake; real Uzbek pilaf must be prepared with yellow carrots, not orange. And that’s why carrots have nothing to do with it. Well-fried onions give the pilaf a beautiful golden color. Since onions, with their sharpness and bitterness, contain a large amount of sugar, which during frying caramelizes and acquires a brownish-golden color, an unusual aroma and a sweetish taste. It is recommended to use onions.

While the meat is stewing, wash the rice thoroughly. Pour one teaspoon of cumin into the zirvak. Next, lower the chickpeas into the cauldron. Mix everything thoroughly and add salt to taste.

Then pour the remaining carrots, along with the carrots, under the rice; it is recommended to put a few cloves of garlic, which must first be peeled and rinsed thoroughly in water. Add rice and smooth it out carefully. Pour enough water into the rice to cover the rice with one finger. Wait until it boils, taste for salt. If there is not enough salt, add salt until all the water has boiled away.

As soon as the rice absorbs the water, reduce the heat, tightly close the cauldron with a lid and do not look for about twenty-five minutes.

Prepare a large dish. Place the pilaf in a heap on it and garnish with herbs. That's it, the dish is ready.

Recipe No. 5 – Uzbek pilaf with beef

Not everyone can afford to buy lamb tail to make original pilaf, but everyone has vegetable oil at home, so don’t despair.

Ingredients that we will need to prepare pilaf:

Five hundred grams of fatty beef;
Five carrots;
Sunflower oil one hundred ml;
Two onions;
Salt;
Garlic four medium cloves;
Zira ten grams;
Raisins fifty grams;
Turmeric ten grams;
Boiled water one liter.

You will also need a cast iron cauldron, three to five liters, if you don’t have a cauldron, then you can take a large pan.

Cooking process

Take the beef and cut it into equal pieces. Place the cauldron on the stove and pour oil into it. When the oil is hot, add all the meat into it and fry until golden brown. In order for the meat to be fried well, the fire must be very strong, and the cauldron should not be covered with a lid, so that the water that is formed during the frying process evaporates.

While the meat is frying, peel and cut the onion into half rings, or as you like. When the meat is fried, salt it and place onions on top. Reduce heat to medium and fry onion and meat for five minutes. After this time, mix everything thoroughly and leave the lid of the cauldron slightly moved so that the unnecessary liquid evaporates.

At the same time, bring the water to boil. Pour rice, turmeric and remaining salt into a deep plate, mix everything thoroughly and pour four glasses of boiling water. Let it sit for a while. The rice should be steamed and larger.

After the carrots are fried, place raisins, cumin and rice on top. Gently smooth the rice and add the remaining boiled water. Cover the cauldron with a lid and bring to a boil. Next, reduce the heat to medium. After ten minutes, mix the rice thoroughly without touching the layer of carrots. Make a hole in the rice to the bottom of the cauldron. You also need to stuff a couple of cloves of garlic into the rice. After all the liquid has boiled away, stir the rice, close the cauldron tightly with a lid, remove from heat and remove to steep for twenty minutes.

How to serve pilaf correctly?

First, place the rice on the dish, put raisins and carrots on it, and put pieces of juicy meat on top. For beauty, you can decorate freshly chopped herbs.

If you don't have a cauldron, a large saucepan will also work. You need to do the same thing, only the onions and meat must first be fried in a frying pan in order to get a golden brown crust on the meat. And only then put all the ingredients immediately into the pan, and always in the same sequence, first carrots, then raisins, then cumin, and finally rice.

It is the most valuable food product. It represents the muscles of butchered slaughter and wild edible animals. It also includes connective and partially nervous tissue.

Meat has a complex chemical composition; All components are necessary for nutrition, normal metabolism and human health. Meat contains from 14 to 16.1% proteins, potassium salts, calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, etc. Meat is rich in microelements, B vitamins, PP, etc.

In human nutrition, meat is the main source of complete protein. Muscle tissue - the main part of meat - contains 73-75% moisture, 18-21% proteins, up to 3% extractives, about 1% minerals and 1 to 3% fats.

The main proteins in this tissue (about 60%) are myosin and tropomyosin. The respiratory muscle pigment, myoglobin, is responsible for the dark red color of freshly cut meat. In air it quickly transforms, which is accompanied by a change in color to light red. There is less of this protein in young meat. Therefore, the meat of young animals is lighter.

Connective tissue proteins are mainly represented by collagen and elastin.

There are the following types of connective tissue: connective tissue itself, bone and cartilage. The first of them is divided into unformed (loose and dense) and formed. Loose tissue - subcutaneous tissue, etc., dense - the connective base of the skin, formed tissue - tendons, ligaments, etc. On average, the connective tissue proper in meat is from 10 to 13%, depending on its type.

In connective tissue there is 57-73% moisture, from 7 to 30% collagen, from 2 to 32% elastin, albumins and globulins together from 0.2 to 5.5%, fats - from 1 to 3% and minerals - from 0 .5 to 0.7%.

Collagen and elastin are incomplete proteins. The former turns into gelatin when heated and hardens when cooled. Elastin does not soften even after prolonged cooking. Therefore, meat with a high content of connective tissue is used to prepare jellied dishes and jelly. For pilaf, meat with a relatively low content of this tissue is chosen. Meat from the neck and lower extremities and containing cartilaginous tendons is not at all suitable for pilaf.

In contrast to the connective and cartilaginous tissue itself, bone tissue makes up the skeleton of the animal and is, as it were, the frame of the body. It contains a large amount of calcium salts and collagen. The proportion of bones in the carcass ranges from 8 to 32% and depends on the type of animal. In the carcass of small cattle they range from 8 to 17%, large cattle - up to 32%.

Bone tissue contains from 48 to 72% mineral and up to 38% organic substances. The bones also contain calcium phosphate (84-85%), calcium carbonate (9-10%), magnesium phosphate (2-3%) and other mineral salts (up to 3%). Bones also contain fats. It is advisable to put approximately 20% of the bones of the total amount of muscle tissue in pilaf. When fried in oil, they give the pilaf a beautiful, appetizing appearance. Suitable bones with meat from the upper part of the knee joint (tubular), shoulder blades, vertebrae, ribs (lamellar), etc. are suitable for this purpose.

Another type of connective tissue is adipose tissue. It consists of fat cells. Adipose tissue develops between muscles, under the skin, between internal organs (kidneys, intestines, stomach, heart, etc.). In fat-tailed sheep, this tissue is especially developed in the tail part (fat tail). With the predominance of saturated fatty acids in this tissue, the fat is hard and has a high melting point. The more unsaturated acids, the softer it is.

Fat deposited near the kidneys and other internal organs is usually called visceral fat. It is less suitable for pilaf, since its melting point is lower. When frying and boiling, it dissolves greatly, unnecessarily increasing the fat content of the pilaf.

Very good pilaf is obtained from meat in which the fat tissue is interspersed in layers with the muscle tissue. This is clearly visible in the cross-section of the legs and back parts of the carcass. This meat has an attractive appearance - “marbling”.

Thanks to fatty tissues, the calorie content of the prepared dish increases and the taste of the food improves. Fat tail fat is especially good for pilaf.

Fat contains salts of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, magnesium, sulfur and chlorine. These minerals in meat of different varieties and types range from 0.8 to 1%.

When cooking meat, many extractive substances pass into the broth or gravy of pilaf (zirvak). Therefore, stewing meat after frying, i.e. preparing zirvak, has important technological significance in increasing the taste of pilaf. The longer and slower the meat is stewed in the zirvak, the tastier the pilaf. The following types of meat are used for pilaf.

Mutton. For pilaf, lamb meat and tail are better. Sheep meat is less tasty, especially when nursing lambs.

Lamb has a dark red color with distinct white fatty layers. Muscle tissue is developed satisfactorily. The spinous processes of the vertebrae in the dorsal part and withers protrude sharply. Subcutaneous fat covers the carcass with a thin layer on the back and lower back. In a well-fed ram, the bones are not noticeable.

The best meat is considered to be fat-tailed meat, for example, Gissar stall-fed sheep. The meat of short- and long-tailed sheep has poorer taste.

For pilaf, the meat of Karakul lambs, slaughtered to remove the sore throat, is also used. It is considered dietary because it is very tender, with poorly developed muscle tissue, pale red in color without fatty layers.

When preparing pilaf, it is not recommended to chop such meat finely; add it in portions of 100-150 g each. It does not need to be fried in oil until brown, and when cooking in a zirvak, it should not be allowed to boil for a long time and violently. Otherwise, the meat breaks up into separate bundles of thin fibers, which spoils the appearance of the finished dish.

Goat meat. In appearance, it is pink-red meat with white fatty layers; Often there are visible fluffs of fur stuck on it, which must be carefully removed.

Pilaf is prepared with goat meat very rarely: when there is no substitute and especially for the sick.

Beef. This meat is distinguished by the age of the animal: cow meat, young meat and veal. Beef means the meat of 3-4 year old cows and oxen. It is red, sometimes dark red, with fatty lobules of a yellowish tint.

The bones are large and massive. Muscle tissue is highly developed; the spinous processes of the vertebrae and the ischial tuberosities do not protrude sharply in the carcass. Subcutaneous fat covers the carcass up to the eighth rib. There are deposits of fatty layers in small areas of the neck, shoulder blade, and thigh.

To prepare pilaf, beef is cut into small pieces, about the size of a walnut, along with the rib bones, without separating them from the meat, but cutting them into pieces approximately the size of a matchbox. Fatty beef is also used for pilaf with minced meat (pilaf with meatballs, cabbage rolls, etc.).

Young meat is obtained from 1-2 year old bulls and heifers. It is red in color with white fatty lobules; the muscles are developed satisfactorily. The spinous processes of the dorsal and lumbar vertebrae protrude slightly. Fat layers are present only at the base of the tail and on the upper part, on the inside of the thighs.

For pilaf, young meat is widely used in cut pieces and in the form of minced meat.

Veal refers to meat from heifers aged from one month to one year. It is pale red in color, without fatty lobules; the muscles are very tender; the bones are not large; the hips have depressions; the spinous processes of the vertebrae and the ischial tuberosities protrude clearly. A special dietary pilaf is prepared with veal for the sick, the elderly and children. It is recommended to fry and cook moderately, cutting into portions.

Horse meat. In appearance, it is dark red in color with yellow fatty deposits, mainly on the internal organs (intestines, stomach, kidneys, heart), the inside of the ribs and on the brisket.

The bones are very large; tubular - massive, rib - wide. Muscle tissue is highly developed.

At home, horse meat is almost never used to prepare pilaf, but for large meals it is cooked quite often. It needs to be fried longer and stewed in zirvak. A special sausage (kazy) is prepared from fresh horse meat. It is considered a delicacy and is used to prepare pilaf both at home and for wedding treats.

Meat of all the above types varies in fatness (above average, average and below average) depending on the fattening of the animal, time of slaughter, breed, etc.

Uzbek pilaf also uses meat from poultry (chicken, goose, duck and turkey) and game (partridge, quail, pheasant, etc.). This meat is boiled whole carcasses or portioned pieces, but is first marinated in a mixture of salt, spices, grape vinegar and chopped onions to remove the specific smell.

Meat, as a high-quality food product, was important in human development. “Hunting and fishing involve a transition from the exclusive consumption of plant foods to the consumption of meat along with it, and this marks a new important step towards the transformation of man.

Meat food contained in almost finished form the most important substances that the body needs for its metabolism; it shortened the process of digestion and with it the duration of other vegetative (i.e., corresponding to the phenomena of plant life) processes in the body and thereby saved more time, matter and energy for the active manifestation of animal life, in the proper sense of the word. And the more the developing man moved away from the plant kingdom, the more he also rose above the animals...

Since the habit of eating meat along with plant foods greatly contributed to the increase in physical strength and independence of the developing person. But the most significant impact of meat food was on the brain, which thanks to it received in much larger quantities than before those substances that are necessary for its nutrition and development, which gave it the opportunity to improve more quickly and completely from generation to generation.

Meat also has healing properties. In folk medicine, the method of treating patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system with meat juice with the addition of bee honey has long been known. This method received scientific justification in the 10th century in the works of Ibn Sina.

In the “Treatise on Heart Medicines,” speaking about the medicinal properties of meat for heart patients, Ibn Sina also gives the technology for preparing medicine from meat juice, and in the “Canon of Medical Science” the nutritional value and medicinal properties of meat are described in detail: “Meat is a food that strengthens body, and it turns into blood faster than any other food...”

Rice

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

You can try cooking pilaf with other types of rice, but preferably not too starchy. And in any case, the rice must be rinsed well before adding (until the water becomes clear). This will wash away starch dust and prevent the pilaf from sticking together. Chefs also advise soaking it in cold water for an hour or more.

By the way, you can use wheat, chickpeas, corn and mung bean instead in pilaf. But this is a slightly different story.

Meat

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

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

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

Vegetables

There are two main vegetables in pilaf: onions and carrots. Onions can be used. It’s more difficult with carrots: in Central Asia, pilaf is often prepared with yellow carrots, but in its absence, regular orange ones will do.

The main rule is not to be shallow. The onion is cut into rings or half rings, the carrots into large cubes about 5 mm thick. If you finely chop vegetables and meat, you will no longer get pilaf, but rice porridge.

Oil

To prepare pilaf, either odorless vegetable oil, or animal lard (tail fat), or both types together are used. At home, the easiest way is to use refined sunflower oil.

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

Spices

There is ample room for experimentation here. And yet we can distinguish more or less traditional seasonings:

garlic (slightly peeled and put in whole heads);
hot red pepper (put in whole pod);
cumin;
barberry;
ground black or red pepper.

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

Other Ingredients

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

Which dishes to choose

Cauldron, cauldron and cauldron again. With thick walls. In it, the meat does not stick, and the rice cooks evenly and remains crumbly. It is best to use a cast iron cauldron (especially if you are cooking pilaf over a fire), but an aluminum one will also work.

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

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

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

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

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

Fry the onion until golden brown so that the finished broth gives color to the rice.

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

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

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After the zirvak is prepared, rice is added. It is better to do this with a slotted spoon to distribute the rice evenly. You can flavor it with a couple of pinches of cumin on top for flavor.

The rice is drowned in the broth (if necessary, add more hot water through a slotted spoon so that it slightly covers the dish) and simmer uncovered until the water is completely absorbed (about 20 minutes). Then the fire is turned off (if the pilaf is being cooked over a fire, then by this point the wood should just be smoldering), the cauldron is covered with a lid and the rice is left to steam for about 15–20 minutes.
After adding the rice, the cauldron is immediately closed with a lid and the contents are simmered for about half an hour on minimal heat, and then about another 10 minutes without fire.

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

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

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

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Rice

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

By the way, you can use wheat, chickpeas, corn and mung bean instead in pilaf. But this is a slightly different story.

Meat

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

Vegetables

Oil

To prepare pilaf, either odorless vegetable oil, or animal lard (tail fat), or both types together are used. At home, the easiest way is to use refined sunflower oil.

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

Spices

There is ample room for experimentation here. And yet we can distinguish more or less traditional seasonings:

garlic (slightly peeled and put in whole heads);
hot red pepper (put in whole pod);
cumin;
barberry;
ground black or red pepper.

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

Other Ingredients

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

Which dishes to choose

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

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

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

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

Fry the onion until golden brown so that the finished broth gives color to the rice.

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

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After the zirvak is prepared, rice is added. It is better to do this with a slotted spoon to distribute the rice evenly. You can flavor it with a couple of pinches of cumin on top for flavor.

The rice is drowned in the broth (if necessary, add more hot water through a slotted spoon so that it slightly covers the dish) and simmer uncovered until the water is completely absorbed (about 20 minutes). Then the fire is turned off (if the pilaf is being cooked over a fire, then by this point the wood should just be smoldering), the cauldron is covered with a lid and the rice is left to steam for about 15–20 minutes.
After adding the rice, the cauldron is immediately closed with a lid and the contents are simmered for about half an hour on minimal heat, and then about another 10 minutes without fire.

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

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

tveda.ru

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