How to cook Uzbek pilaf step by step instructions. Uzbek pilaf with beef

The years spent in Uzbekistan left their mark on my taste preferences. I really love Uzbek cuisine And as promised, I continue to share with you my favorite recipes.
Today we will cook pilaf.

In order to cook delicious pilaf it doesn't take much time and effort.
First we need to cut the onion into half rings

Carrots cut into strips

Meat medium cubes

We're all set. Ideal proportions for a delicious pilaf 1:1:1 This is how it looks like

Pour oil into a cauldron. It needs to be well heated.

When the oil is hot, throw in 3 cloves of garlic.

Garlic must be thoroughly fried, then the oil will be saturated with the aroma of garlic and pilaf will only benefit from this.
This is the garlic we get from the oil.

Now we send the meat to the cauldron (do not reduce the gas, fry everything on the strongest fire)

Fry the meat, stirring occasionally until golden brown, when we fry the meat over high heat. It is covered with a crust on top, which keeps the juiciness of the meat inside.

When the meat is fried, add the onion.

Fry the onion well. The color of the pilaf will depend on how the onion is fried.

When the onion is fried, add the carrots.

Also fry carrots until golden brown.

Carrots are fried, pour water into a cauldron so that it covers the meat for 2 fingers.

Water is better to pour boiling water. Now you need to salt and add spices.

We have zira, cilantro (coriander), turmeric, paprika, barberry and salt.

Zervak ​​is almost ready, now we close the lid and let it stew. It all depends on how fast the meat cooks. Stew the meat until done.
In the meantime, take the rice and soak it in water. This is necessary so that the rice is subsequently steamed evenly and raw rice grains do not come across in the pilaf.
We also need to peel the head of garlic. We need to remove the top dirty scales from it. Cut out roots. This is how clean garlic should turn out

Of course, you can do without garlic, but I advise you to try this garlic. The taste is amazing.
When the meat is ready, we pour the rice into the cauldron, but before we do this, we lower the prepared garlic into the zervak.

now rice

Smooth out with a spatula. And pour boiling water. We pour boiling water on a spatula so that holes do not form in the rice and a zervak ​​(stewed meat with vegetables) does not float to the top

Pour about two fingers of water.

Now we are waiting for the water to boil. We do not reduce the gas!
When the water evaporates. We collect rice in a slide like this.

You see there is practically no liquid.
Now we make a hole at the top of the slide with a spoon. Insert the spoon all the way to the bottom of the cauldron. And twist the spoon a little, as if expanding the hole, but do not overdo it.
Cover with a clean plate.

We take the plate.

Now close the cauldron with a lid and mark for 20 minutes. That's how long it takes for the rice to cook.
After 20 minutes, open the cauldron and begin to stir the pilaf.

Do not rush to mix immediately from the bottom. Gradually remove layer by layer, gently shaking on a spatula.

In Uzbekistan, plov is served in a lyagan (large dish), but you can serve it in portions. A salad of cucumbers and tomatoes, pickled cucumbers or tomatoes is great for pilaf.
I hope you enjoy my recipe.
Don't forget to get the garlic.
Bon Appetit everyone!
P.S. It is better to use ordinary round-grain rice, but as you can see, long-grain rice turns out great. It's a matter of taste and food preferences.

Time for preparing: PT02H00M 2 hours

Approximate cost per serving: 250 rub.

The real Uzbek pilaf (Ferghana) is very tasty dish which will leave few indifferent. However, the skill of its preparation borders on high art. This article tells how to cook pilaf in Uzbek correctly.

Ingredients

The most ideal proportion, in which an excellent Uzbek pilaf is obtained: meat, rice and carrots - one to one. For cooking you will need the following products:

• Meat (preferably lamb) - 1kg. Most of the pulp and a few ribs.
• Rice (preferably dev-zira or basmati) - 1 kg.
• Carrots - 1 kg.
• Bulbs (medium) - 3-4 pcs.
• Hot peppers - 1-2 pcs. (if not available, red pepper can be substituted).
• Vegetable oil 250-300 g (refined). You can use tail fat.
• Seasonings: barberry (you can do without) and zira (better black Uzbek).
• Garlic - 2-3 heads.

IMPORTANT!

In no case should you use prefabricated (factory) seasonings for pilaf from the store! They are for this dish unsuitable. The main spice here is zira.

Training

Before you properly cook Uzbek pilaf, you need to pay attention to the cauldron. It should be perfectly clean and free of carbon deposits. The meat is cut into cubes with a side of about 3 cm (except for the ribs). It cannot be washed. It is better to wipe with a dry towel if something is horrible. Carrots are cut into strips about 1 cm wide (without any combines and graters). The onion is cut into half rings or rings. Rice is washed several times to clear water, salted and soaked again. To cook Uzbek pilaf, you will need a slotted spoon with a rigid handle.

Zirvak

The cauldron needs to be heated as much as possible, and then pour refined oil into it. When it is well heated, you should throw a small onion into the container, fry it until dark brown, and then remove it. It will draw out everything negative from the oil and remove unnecessary odors. Then you can melt the fat tail fat (the roasts are removed from the cauldron). Then, at maximum heat (it is like this at almost all stages of cooking), the ribs are fried for 5-7 minutes and also removed. Next, the onion is fried until golden brown (the color of the pilaf depends on it) - it must give up most of the moisture. Then the meat is fried. The main thing is that it is fried at maximum heat, and not stewed. When the meat becomes rosy, carrots are laid and fried for about 15 minutes (you need to constantly stir). When the smell of pilaf comes out, it is ready. Next, you need to throw barberry and cumin into the cauldron (grind in the palms), pour boiling water over everything (to cover), throw pepper, whole heads of garlic (with peel), ribs and salt (it should taste slightly salty). This mixture is called zirvak. The fire is reduced, and the cauldron is left for 40 minutes.

Final stage

After the expiration of the fire, the fire is added to the maximum, and then the rice is carefully laid out and leveled (drain the water). This is the most important point. Next, you need to carefully pour boiling water over everything so that the liquid covers the rice for about a finger and a half (the main thing is not to overdo it). The water will boil quickly, and the oil will be at the top. Very soon the moment will come when the liquid boils away. Rice then should no longer crunch on the teeth. You can add a few tablespoons of water if needed. Before covering with a lid, you can sprinkle Uzbek pilaf with raisins (for an amateur). Next, the cauldron closes tightly. Inside, under the lid, you can put another large dish for tightness. The fire is reduced to the "absolute minimum". After 20 minutes, Uzbek pilaf can be served.

From this article we will learn how to cook Uzbek pilaf. There are many recipes for this dish. "Pilaf" is cooked in the Middle East and the Middle East. And in Uzbekistan itself, every city and even a small region has its own versions of this delicious and hearty meal. To begin with, consider how pilaf differs from other rice porridge. First, it should be crumbly. This is different from Spanish paella. But she, like a real Uzbek pilaf, is cooked in a cauldron. But Italian risotto is baked in the oven. And it doesn’t look like pilaf at all like sticky Russian rice porridge. The original recipe for this dish involves the use of only lamb, as well as tail fat. But over time, pilaf began to cook not only with other types of meat (and even fish), but also with different cereals: wheat, sorghum (dzhugara), peas, mung beans, corn. Kazan and open fire also ceased to be invariable conditions, giving way to a large frying pan with high walls.

Basics of cooking

Pilav is a very ancient dish. It's believed that original recipe appeared in India or the Middle East in the third century BC. And the classic recipe for Uzbek pilaf has become known since the sixteenth century. The principle of preparing this dish is quite simple. The plov consists of two parts. The first is called "zirvak". And the second is cereal. It seems that it could be easier? However, the success of the whole dish depends on the type of rice. You should not take round cereals, especially those intended for sushi. It has a lot of gluten, and pilaf will not come out crumbly. Much attention is also paid to the components of zirvak. In the Uzbek version of pilaf, meat must be calcined. Further, unlike other types of this dish, zirvak and rice are combined in a cauldron for further joint cooking. In general, in order to cook a real Uzbek pilaf, you need to have knowledge and experience. It is not for nothing that this version of the dish was included in the UNESCO list in 2016 as an intangible heritage of mankind.

Products for pilaf

As for rice, the use of the Uzgen variety with red grains would be ideal. It is also called Dev-zira. Basmati would also be a good option. White Chinese long grain Jasmine is acceptable, as is a mixture of wild Parbloid and steamed. Now consider the products for zirvak - the main part of the Uzbek pilaf. This is lamb fat tail fat, in which meat, onions, special yellow carrots, garlic and zira will be fried. Such a set of products is mandatory (basic). The Turks say: "There are as many pilaf recipes as there are cities in the Muslim world." And as for Uzbekistan, there is a set of additional products for the dish in Bukhara, Fergana and many other settlements of the country. Barberry, saffron, dried fruits and even pumpkin are added to pilaf.

Things to remember when preparing

In Uzbekistan, there is a dish similar to pilaf - shavlya. It consists of the same products - rice, meat, carrots, fats. But their proportion is slightly different. And the sequence of bookmarking products is different. As a result, shawl has very different from pilaf taste qualities. This is a fatter and less crumbly dish. Shavlya is jokingly called clumsily cooked or unsuccessful Uzbek pilaf. So that you don’t get this particular dish instead of the desired one, you need to strictly adhere to the sequence of laying the products and, most importantly, the proportions. It is important not to overdo it with fat. But if it is not enough, the dish may burn. A kilogram of lamb requires the same amount of carrots and 200 grams of rice. And exactly 350 grams of fat is melted.

Uzbek pilaf: recipe in a cauldron

If you absolutely want to cook an authentic dish, and not a dish adapted to the conditions of a city apartment, you must be the owner of two things. The first is a thick-walled large cauldron, preferably cast iron. It goes without saying that an open fire or barbecue should be attached to it. Therefore, the most delicious pilaf is prepared outside the home. You should also have fat tail fat on hand. At this point, the Uzbeks themselves often deviate from the rule. Fat tail fat is too heavy for the stomach, interrupts the aroma of spices and adds unnecessary fat to the dish. Therefore, authentic Uzbek pilaf is often cooked in cottonseed oil. But when heated, it starts to taste bitter. Therefore, it is most appropriate to make pilaf in olive or unrefined sunflower oil. You should start cooking the dish with rice. We wash it several times until the liquid becomes completely transparent. If you don't have Dev-zira or Basmati, leave the rice in the last water. So some more starch will leave the grains.

Cooking zirvak

The Uzbek classic pilaf recipe recommends starting the process by heating the cauldron and calcining the oil. But this is on the condition that all products for zirvak are already prepared. But washing the lamb, removing the fat and cutting the flesh into cubes is not a matter of five minutes. In addition, you need to peel three onions and chop them into half rings. A whole kilogram of carrots - not young, juicy, but old, dry - cut into thick strips. And you also need to remove the top, dirty husk from two heads of garlic, but do not peel them completely and do not separate them into cloves. When all the ingredients for zirvak are prepared, you can put the cauldron on a large flame. When it warms up, we lower the fat tail fat cut into pieces there. When it is completely melted, we pick up the greaves with a slotted spoon. If we use vegetable oil, just wait for the appearance of a bluish haze. I put the onion in the husk. When it gives up all the juice and turns black, we catch it and throw it away. Now add chopped onion. Fry until golden brown. Carefully, so as not to burn yourself, lay the meat in the cauldron.

"Soul of pilaf"

Uzbeks call these poetic phrases not mutton, but carrots. It is she who determines the taste of the dish. If you do not have special yellow carrots, take the usual, orange, but it should be autumn, that is, dry. We spread the straws on top of the browned meat and fry, without touching, for three minutes. Then stir and cook for another 10 minutes. Now it's time for the spices. The recipe for Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron requires the mandatory use of a tablespoon of zira, known to us as cumin. All other spices are up to you. You can add a pinch of saffron and coriander seeds to the cumin or add a tablespoon of dry barberry. If you want to cook a delicious Uzbek pilaf with dried fruits (prunes, dried apricots, raisins), then they also need to be added to the cauldron at this stage. But they should first be steamed with boiling water, dried and fried in a pan. Pour boiling water so that the liquid is above the zirvak by a centimeter and a half. We spread the heads of garlic and a pod of pepper in the center of the cauldron. If the latter is not dry, but fresh, you need to lay it later. Reduce heat to low and simmer for forty minutes. Add more salt than usual. Why? The rice will absorb the excess. We take the garlic. At this stage, we lay a fresh pod of red pepper.

We combine zirvak and cereals

We increase the fire to the maximum. We carefully strain the rice and send it to the cauldron. Pour a liter (preferably a little less, you can add water later) boiling water. We are waiting for it to boil. Reduce fire to medium. When the water is absorbed, we return the garlic to its place, in the middle of the cauldron. When the rice is ready, we make punctures with a stick along the entire depth of the Uzbek pilaf. This will allow the liquid from the lower layers to come to the surface and evaporate. After that, cover the cauldron with a plate, and on top of it - with a lid. Reduce the heat to a minimum and simmer for another half an hour.

But what if you want to cook a delicious dish in a city apartment, but you don’t have a cauldron? Is it really necessary to abandon this venture? Not at all. A cauldron can be successfully replaced by a duckling. It also retains heat well and distributes it over the entire surface. And making a fire either more or less is more convenient with a gas stove than with an open fire. True, the smell of smoke will no longer be. But if you know how to cook Uzbek pilaf correctly, then the flavor of the dish will be unsurpassed anyway. The only thing to consider when cooking a dish in a duck bowl is that the contents must be stirred after the last addition of boiling water. Otherwise, the rice will burn on the bottom and remain damp on the top.

To prepare Uzbek pilaf you will need:

Lamb - 1 kg;
- rice durum varieties long grain - 1 kg;
- fat - 200 g;
- onion - 4-5 pcs.;
- garlic - 2 heads;
- carrots - 5 pcs.;
- vegetable oil - 250 ml;
- salt, zira, barberry, saffron, peppercorns - to taste.

1. Cut the meat into small pieces. Chop the salo into squares. Chop the onion into half rings. Cut the carrot into thin long strips. Rinse rice several times in a deep bowl, and then pour boiling water for thirty to forty minutes.
2. Put the cauldron on fire. Wait for it to warm up well. Pour in vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, fry the cubes of lard on it and take them out.
3. Place onion in hot oil and fry until golden brown. Transfer the chopped lamb to the cauldron. The color of the dish depends on how well the meat is fried. After eight to ten minutes, when the meat is browned, lay out the chopped carrots. Fry the carrots for 7-8 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. As soon as the carrots become soft and lightly fried, pour water into the cauldron so that it is two to three centimeters above the level of the carrots. Add salt, saffron, barberry, peppercorns, cumin, garlic. Before pouring the zira, chop it with your hands. Bring liquid to a boil.
5. Leave the meat with carrots to fry for twenty minutes over high heat. When the meat is almost ready, you can lay out the rice. Spread the rice in an even layer. It is more convenient to do it by hand. Then gently level the layer of rice with a slotted spoon. In no case do not mix the pilaf.
6. Pour water into the cauldron. In order not to disturb the uniformity of the rice layer, direct the jet of water at the skimmer held above the pilaf. The water level should again be two to three centimeters higher than the rice level. Bring to a boil. When the liquid begins to evaporate, gradually reduce the heat under the cauldron.
7. When the liquid in the pilaf has completely evaporated, collect the rice with a slide with a slotted spoon. With the back of the knife, make small holes in the pile of rice all the way to the bottom of the cauldron to release steam. Five or six holes are enough. Reduce the heat to a minimum, cover the pot tightly with a lid. Leave the pilaf to cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes until the rice is ready. Before serving pilaf, without opening the lid, cover the cauldron with a towel and let it brew for five minutes.
8. Uzbek pilaf serve with a salad made from chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions. You can also offer pickled cabbage to your guests. Pilaf is usually served with hot green tea.

"Pilaf Summit": pilaf recipe from Vasily Emelianenko!

It is good and joyful to gather with friends and family at a common table. Chat, laugh, talk enough with people close and dear to the heart. And for pleasant conversations, it is simply necessary to treat yourself to delicious homemade dishes.

But, expecting guests, you always have to cook a lot. Admit it, it often happens like this: you stand all day at a hot stove, conjuring over hot, building complex sandwiches and canapes, slicing a bunch of variety of salads, and in the end, by the festive moment, there is no longer any strength to smile and play the role of a hospitable hostess. Familiar?

But when you are going to invite guests, it is not at all necessary to plan a lot of different dishes. Sometimes it is better to serve only one dish on the table, but such that all loved ones gasp with delight after tasting it, and in the end they would be full, satisfied and happy. The well-known pilaf is such a signature dish. One is enough for a full feast.

Therefore, on the next warm and sunny day, call everyone to the dacha. Stock up on rice, meat, patience and good mood. We will carefully and thoughtfully conjure over a dish that will surely delight your guests.

The most correct recipe - classic with lamb. And here there are many subtleties and tricks. So let's get started:

How to cook real Uzbek pilaf

What do we know about real pilaf? Perhaps everyone knows only that cooking it is a whole art that requires considerable skill, training and experience. However, he, like others complex dishes, has its own secrets and subtleties of cooking, which ensure the transformation of rice, meat and vegetables into a delicious and unique dish.

First of all, check if you have the necessary utensils. Today it is no secret to anyone that they cook it in a cauldron - a pot with thick walls. A cauldron can be either cast iron or thick aluminum. The main thing is to get a container with a larger volume, you will not lose. Just don't take the duck. Cooking utensils must be round and with a convex bottom.

Now let's talk about the necessary products:

• Prepare about half a kilo of lamb. Yes, the traditional Uzbek pilaf is prepared only from it. Lamb should be fatty, so when buying from the market, take a mutton ham. Although the shoulder blade is also suitable, but this part of the meat is leaner.

Instead of lamb, you can take beef or pork, but this will no longer be a classic option.

• Now we need a pound of rice. Naturally, long-grain, the higher its grade, the better.
• Half a kilo of onions
• Half a kilo of carrots
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• Ground spices. They will also need a lot, about 5 teaspoons. It's a mix of black ground pepper, paprika, zira. You can also take barberry.
• Fat for frying. It should be noted here that for classic dish only fat tail is used - mutton fat. But since this product is a rare guest in our kitchen, we will replace it sunflower oil. You will need a lot of oil - not less than a glass. If, nevertheless, you are determined to get a fat tail, then it will take much less - 70-80 grams.

If you want to enhance the bright and unique taste of pilaf, be sure to add zira. It perfectly emphasizes the aroma of lamb, and in the absence of it, even imitates its taste (therefore, you can go for a trick and take beef instead of lamb, but be sure to use zira).

And a few more words about rice. We only need long grain, ideally Jasmine or Basmati varieties. Round is suitable exclusively for cereals, casseroles and sushi. It must be rinsed very well with cold water, it should become clean and transparent. Usually you have to change the water 7-8 times. All cooking secrets crumbly rice I wrote in the last article, be sure to read.

Be sure to try before cooking. raw carrots- we need only sweet, if it is bitter, it will spoil the taste of the whole dish.

Step by step cooking recipe:

There are 3 key cooking steps that you need to focus on and these steps need to be done correctly.

Preparing butter or tail fat

At the first stage, we will deal with the overheating of fat. Yes, such a seemingly banal action must be performed very accurately. This is the foundation for preparing the right pilaf.

We put the pot on the stove. First of all, it needs to be warmed up properly, so take your time.

Here our cauldron is warm enough. Pour oil into it, pour necessarily on the walls of the pot.

Attention: now the fire under the dishes should be small! It is important here that the oil warms up well, but in no case boils.

Remember an important point: if the oil is overheated, then the products that we then put in it will be stewed. And our goal is to ensure that meat, onions and carrots are fried without fail.

So, we heat the oil on a small fire. Don't go anywhere, stay tuned. When the oil starts to crackle and emit a whitish smoke, it's time to move on to the second stage.

For those who decide to cook according to all the rules on a fat tail (it must first be cut into pieces), the recommendations remain the same. The main thing is, when the fat tail is overheated and white smoke goes out, immediately take out the greaves.

Cooking zirvak for pilaf

The second stage of preparation includes the preparation of zirvak. What is zirvak? This is a special “pillow” of fried meat, onions and carrots, on which rice will subsequently be cooked. Zirvak must also be correct.

So, cut the lamb into equal pieces of any size, the main thing is not to be very small.

Now increase the fire under the cauldron to quite strong. Send lamb to the bottom of the pot. Let it fry until light brown.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.

Be sure to dry the peeled onion with a towel so that not a drop of moisture remains on it! Cut into half rings.

Send the onion to the meat, let it fry for now.

Here you will have to work hard with carrots - it should be cut into long and neat sticks. Not thick, about 0.3 cm. You can’t use a coarse grater, otherwise the carrots will release too much juice and will be stewed instead of frying.

In the meantime, our onion has acquired a slightly golden color, so let's add carrots to the cauldron. Stir gently and continue to fry for another 5 minutes.

Salt our zirvak well, it should even be slightly salted. Later, when we put rice in the cauldron, it will no longer be possible to add salt to the dish, so try to calculate everything correctly.

Add prepared spices.

The second stage of cooking pilaf has come to an end.

The third stage - preparing friable rice

Now we have smoothly moved on to the third stage of cooking - cooking rice. A feature of this stage is that the rice will be steamed. In pilaf, rice must be necessarily friable, and steam serves this purpose. How is rice cooked over steam here? Very simple: rice is cooked over zirvak. It is precisely the correctly made “pillow” for rice - zirvak - that provides friability to the future dish.

So, very carefully spread the washed rice on top of the zirvak. Smooth the top gently with a spoon. Be careful not to mix rice with zirvak.

At this point, you should already have a boiled kettle ready.

The following steps will require you to be extremely careful and focused.

Place a flat saucer on top of the rice. Now very carefully pour boiling water on the saucer. When the water covers the rice by one to one and a half centimeters, stop. Instead of a saucer, water can be poured onto a wooden spatula or spoon.

Very, very carefully remove the saucer from the cauldron, proceeding in such a way that in no case touch the layer of rice and do not disturb it.

Why are such complex steps necessary? Our task is to keep all layers of pilaf unchanged and not mixed, and rice well packed. If you pour water without the participation of a saucer, there is a high risk that it will wash the rice a little and the tightness of the layers will be broken, and then the dish will not turn out as intended.

We continue to cook on a fairly strong fire. Do not cover with a lid! Do not interfere with anything!

When the water has completely boiled away and the rice visually looks ready, arm yourself with a spoon with a long thin handle. Now, very carefully, with the handle of a spoon, poke a few holes from the surface of the rice all the way to the bottom through all the layers. Pour carefully into these holes. hot water. You don't need to pour a lot, just a little. Gently poke the garlic cloves cut in half lengthwise over the top.

Close the cauldron with a lid and immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible. Let the pilaf rest for about 20 minutes more. After turning off the fire, do not open the lid for another 10-15 minutes, the dish should finally reach.

Tip: the lid, under which rice is cooked at the final stage, should be very tight, literally without the slightest gap. If the lid of your cauldron does not cover it so well, replace it with a suitable flat dish.

So your real Uzbek pilaf is ready! We guarantee that if you are not too lazy and regularly follow all the recommendations, your guests will be completely delighted with it.

Spread ready meal from a cauldron onto a tray or a large plate in layers arranged in the reverse order compared to how they were prepared: first - rice, and on top of it is zirvak, topped with pieces of juicy roasted meat.

Well, be sure to serve it with fresh pita bread, cucumber and tomato salad and hot green tea.

I hope my recipe will help you please your family and friends. Write, I will be glad to reviews and comments!