Uzbek pilaf: recipe. How to cook real Uzbek pilaf

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

In 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 dish. 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. The cauldron and open fire also ceased to be fixed conditions, giving way to a large frying pan with high walls.

Cooking basics

Pilaf is a very ancient dish. It is believed that the origin althe 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 as an intangible heritage of mankind in 2016.

Products for pilaf

As for rice, it would be ideal to use the Uzgen variety with red grains. 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, tail fat, in which meat, onions, special yellow carrots, garlic and cumin will be fried. Such a set of products is mandatory (basic). The Turks say: “There are as many pilaf recipes as there are cities inMuslim world. And as for Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Ferghana and many other settlements of the country have their own set of additional products for the dish. Barberry, saffron, dried fruits and even pumpkin are added to pilaf.

Things to remember when cooking

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, shavlya has very different taste qualities from pilaf. 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 rendered.

Uzbek pilaf: recipe in a cauldron

If you absolutely want to cook an authentic dish, 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 themselvesUzbeks 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. This will remove some more starch from 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, put the meat in the cauldron.

The 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 s alt than usual. Why? The rice will absorb the excess. We take the garlic. At this stage, lay a fresh pod of red pepper.

Combine zirvak and grits

Fireincrease 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.

How to cook Uzbek pilaf at home

And 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 idea? 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 top.