Uzbekistan has always been famous for its hospitality and delicious cuisine. The visiting card of the country is Uzbek plov. This hearty, and at the same time, light dish can be fed to a large number of people, so it is prepared for weddings, anniversaries and other holidays.
Uzbek pilaf (step-by-step recipe) - basic principles of cooking
The secret of this Uzbek pilau lies in the choice of quality ingredients, especially rice and the correct sequence of their laying.
So, for cooking pilaf, you will need: rice varieties devzira, carrots, onions, meat, preferably lamb, garlic, zira, barberry, vegetable oil and salt.
Carrots are peeled and cut into large strips. The more this vegetable is in the pilaf, the tastier it will turn out. Do not chop grated carrots for Korean salads. Thinly sliced vegetables simply dissolve in the rice during the cooking process, and this should not be allowed.
Onions are cleaned, washed and chopped into large rings or half rings. Thinly chopped onions fry faster, and then burn it easier. Burnt onions in the pilaf is not only not beautiful, but not tasty.
Now get some meat. Ideally, you should use lamb or beef, but if you prefer pork, you can cook it. The meat is washed, dried with paper napkins and cut into large enough pieces. If it is cut finely, it will break up into fibers, which is unacceptable for pilaf. The fat from the lamb is cut and minced in small pieces.
Pilaf can be cooked on a gas stove or campfire. Induction and electric cookers are not very suitable for this. Pilaf should be cooked on an open fire and only in a cast-iron cauldron. Pots are not suitable for this. We cook pilaf, not rice porridge.
An empty cauldron is thoroughly calcined over high heat. Put in it sliced mutton fat. As soon as the fat is melted, the cracklings are removed with a slotted spoon. Add refined vegetable oil and calcined. To determine that the oil is hot enough, they throw a ring of onions into it. If the oil began to hiss, spread the rest of the onions. Fry it, stirring regularly, until a pleasant golden color. Spread the meat in fried onion and fry it until cooked, constantly stirring. As soon as the meat is covered with an appetizing crust, add carrots. Continue to fry over moderate heat. Carrots should be soft. If you take a straw, it should bend, but not break.
In the kettle boil water. The contents of the cauldron poured boiling water. This will be the basis of pilaf - zirvak. It is prepared only in the sequence described above. Cauldron cover and cook for about forty minutes.
Rice is thoroughly washed, removing trash. From the heads of garlic remove the top leaves, trying to keep the head intact.
After forty minutes of boiling, garlic, cumin and barberry are put in the cauldron. At this stage, salt. The broth should be slightly salted, as part of the salt will absorb rice. Stir and cook another 20 minutes.
Handfuls spread in zirvak rice. 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 starts to boil rapidly and evaporate. Cover is not covered. Slightly move the rice with a skimmer to the middle so that the water evaporates faster. When the water in the holes stops gurgling, the rice is leveled, covered with a lid and the heat is reduced to a minimum. Prepare another 20 minutes. Take out the garlic and stir the pilaf from the bottom up.
Garlic assorted cloves. Uzbek pilaf (step-by-step recipe) is spread on a wide dish. Put chives on top.
Recipe 1. Uzbek pilaf: a step-by-step recipe with beef
Ingredients
half a kilo of beef;
garlic;
400 grams of long grain steamed rice;
salt;
350 g carrots;
freshly ground pepper;
250 g onions;
vegetable oil;
teaspoon barberry;
half a teaspoon of turmeric;
teaspoon jeera.
Method of preparation
1. Peel the bulbs. Cut the thin skin off the carrot. Wash vegetables thoroughly. Chop onions not too thin half rings. Put the carrots on the board, cut them in layers and chop them into strips. Do not use a grater for this. It should turn out bars of medium thickness.
2. Strip the beef from the veins and films. Rinse under a tap and dip with kitchen paper towels. Cut the meat into large enough pieces. Finely chopped meat in the cooking process breaks down into fibers. 3. Place a cast-iron cauldron on the stove, pour vegetable oil into it and turn on intense fire. Heat until light white smoke appears. Put onions in a cauldron and fry it, stirring from time to time, so that it does not burn.
4. Once the onion is golden, add pieces of beef to it. Continue cooking, stirring for 20 minutes. The meat should be covered with a delicious crust.
5. Now add the sliced carrot. Pepper and salt. Stir and fry for ten minutes. Do not forget to mix, so that the contents are not burnt. Add turmeric, barberry and cumin.
6. Boil water in the kettle. Fill the contents of the cauldron with boiling water. Water should completely cover the meat with vegetables. Twist the fire to moderate, cover the cauldron with a lid and roast for about forty minutes. The meat will become tender, and the zirvak will be filled with the aroma and taste of spices.
7. Wash rice thoroughly. Change the water until it becomes transparent. Flip the rice over a strainer to drain excess liquid. Put the washed rice into the cauldron in small portions. Smooth the skimmer. The level of broth should be two centimeters above rice. If it is not enough, you can add boiling water. At this stage, in no case do not mix. Cook on high heat until the liquid evaporates from the surface. Make a recess in the rice and place the garlic head peeled from the top leaves. Then simmer another 20 minutes at minimum heat under the lid.
8. Open the lid, remove the garlic, stir the pilaf from the bottom up. Put on a round flat dish and serve with fresh vegetables.
Recipe 2. Uzbek pilaf: a step-by-step recipe with pork
Ingredients
700 g of pork pulp;
pinch of dried tomatoes;
600 grams of rice;
salt;
150 ml of sunflower oil;
pinch of barberry;
two large onions;
a pinch of paprika;
two large carrots;
pinch of jeera;
pinch of turmeric.
Method of preparation
1. Wash rice thoroughly and remove litter. Then fill it with water and set aside. Wash the pork pulp, pat dry with kitchen paper towels and cut into large enough pieces.
2. Put the cast iron pot on an intense fire. Pour the sunflower oil into it. The amount of oil depends on the fat content of pork. The fatter the meat, the less oil will be needed. Heat the butter well. 3. Put the pork in the cauldron and fry until it is covered with an appetizing crust.
4. Peel the onions and carrots. Wash. Bulbs chop half rings of medium thickness. Carrot crumble large enough straws. Put onion to the meat and fry, stirring until it is browned. Then lay the carrots and cook for some time. Do not forget to constantly stir.
5. Boil water in the 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 another 20 minutes. This time is enough for the meat to become soft, and the ingredients are saturated with the flavors and tastes of each other.
6. Throw the rice on a strainer. When all the liquid is drained, put the cereal in a cauldron and smooth it. If the broth is not enough, you can add boiling water. Do not mix. Cook on high heat until the broth is evaporated from the surface of the rice. Make a small indentation and put the garlic in it, after removing the top leaves from it. Twist the heat to the minimum, cover and simmer for another half an hour.
7. Remove the garlic from the pilaf and disassemble it into teeth. Pilau stir skimmer from the bottom up. Put it on a beautiful, wide dish. Top with garlic cloves.
Uzbek pilaf (step-by-step recipe) - tips and tricks
Do not use frozen meat for cooking pilau. It must be exceptionally fresh.
Do not grind carrots in any way. The bars should be of medium thickness.
To make pilaf crumbly, rice should be washed until the water is clear.
Do not mix rice with vegetables and meat during cooking.
