Uzbek pilaf, preparation recipe

The Uzbek pilaf is a high -calorie dish of oriental cuisine, which is always prepared on a grand scale for a large company. Many consider this a national dish masculine, perhaps because it was the representatives of the stronger sex that was originally preparing it. But times have changed, and female hands give him the same diverse taste, bring their zest.

In Uzbekistan, not a single event can do without the above dish. Joyful and sad events, according to customs, are held in large feasts with a huge Casan of a real Uzbek pilaf. And the collective process of preparation itself has already become traditional-festive for residents: all relatives gather and together take up the recipe for the preparation of Uzbek pilaf. Moreover, you can go to visit the guests all day, eat exclusively pilaf, and you will not get tired of it. The fact is that the main ingredients of pilaf in Uzbek are supplemented by individual recipes and the nuances of cooking. So to prepare Uzbek pilaf, if desired, can be more than 100 different recipes that are constantly changing and complemented.

The legend of pilaf

There is a legend about the origin of the name itself - "pilaf." As usual, there were no love and suffering. In the ancient world, the son of the Supreme Padishah fell in love with a poor girl, and the inability to marry her plunged him into depression. The young man stopped eating and fell into full decline. Father, fearing for his son’s health, invited the healer to cure him. For a long time, examining the young man, the healer realized that his illness is from love. He realized that only the presence of his beloved or high -calorie food can cure the son of Padishah. Palov Osh, so the healer called the dish, consisted of seven ingredients: onions, carrots, butter or fat, salt, meat, water and rice - was very satisfying, fat and calorie. Subsequently, the recipe for the preparation of Uzbek pilaf was supplemented by many ingredients for taste and aroma, such as: pepper, zira, barberry, peas and others.

Myths about the real Uzbek pilaf

1. The real Uzbek pilaf is prepared only in the cauldron.
   Moreover, the cauldron must be cast -iron and correctly installed over open fire, otherwise the Uzbek pilaf - and not pilaf at all. Of course, initially the pilaf was in Uzbek prepared in the cauldron, since it was an optimal convenient container, but this was by no means a panacea. And the issue of choosing dishes is limited only to its ability to keep heat, evenly distributed it and conveniently accommodate the entire volume of the future dish. Of course, the fire gives a piquant smoke to the dish and the ingredients evenly “languish”, but by no means indispensable.
2. The real Uzbek pilaf is only on fatty fat.
   This misconception has happened since in Uzbekistan it was elementary to buy fatty lard than adequate cotton or any other oil. Therefore, it was tastier and more affordable to prepare Uzbek pilaf on the fat in a fresh or re -sophisticated form. In modern recipes of pilaf, in general, the use of fatty oil is not recommended. It quickly freezes, very fat and heavy for the stomach, and can also interrupt the smells of spices that you add to the pilaf.
3. The recipe for the preparation of pilaf must necessarily begin with severe heating to the haze and it is cotton oil.
   Cotton oil is probably the most inappropriate oil for eating and cooking. It has a bitter taste and sourness, which only intensify after its heating. Its use also comes from the realities of the life of the ancient Uzbekistians. Due to the fact that the cotton culture was grown precisely in these areas - it was its oil that was quite accessible and widespread by the simple layman for cooking. In addition, a strong reding of any oils leads to a change in their chemical properties, and the release of adverse toxins, which we would also not want in the process of preparing the Uzbek pilaf.
4. Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron after laying rice is prepared strictly without mixing.
   With the strictest observance, you can often find recipes of Uzbek pilaf, which recommend not to mix the rice and not mix it with vegetables until fully readiness. It is believed that when mixing, heat is distributed unevenly, which will lead to its poor and untimely readiness. However, in the same Uzbek cuisine there are still a lot of rice dishes that are not easy to mix, but also require this. In these cases, rice is boiled evenly. So in the Uzbek pilaf, everything happens similarly. The fact is that “strict non -mixing” is rather a tribute to tradition than an exceptional necessity. Although indeed, if the preparation of the Uzbek pilaf occurs on an open fire, with a true and well -established cauldron, rice does not really require mixing. This situation changes exactly if you are preparing Uzbek pilaf at home on any kind of plate. Due to the large loss of heat, the real Uzbek pilaf is prepared exclusively without a lid, the rice must be mixed so that it gains sufficient and uniform temperature throughout the volume. If this is not done, then in certain places the rice will be digested, in some - it will be half -dry, and in some it will remain raw.

Preparation of Uzbek pilaf: note

• Before ready at home on the stove, the Uzbek pilaf is usually covered with a lid or put on “reprevation”, but before that you need to make sure that the moisture from the container completely evaporated. To do this, you need to collect rice in the form of a hill and make several holes in it to the bottom of the container in which cook. If the liquid that gathered in the holes, transparent - the rice can be covered. If you do not make a check, the rice will simply digest, and the pilaf prepared according to the Uzbek recipe will not work.
• Pay special attention to the proportions of oil and other products in the preparation of Uzbek pilaf at home. Due to the fact that different varieties of rice absorb fats and moisture in different ways, calculating the ratio by eye is not easy. But since it is always easier to remove excess oil than to make up for its original disadvantage, add a little more than normal. You will see, if there is too much overkill with fat, its remnants will protrude above the surface of the rice. Then remove him carefully as a slotted spoon.
• The Uzbek pilaf, prepared according to an excellent recipe, unsurpassed with heat, with the heat - and is not even bad on the second day. And in order to “refresh” a little, so to speak, its taste in the morning, you need the following: chop finely on 1-2 portions and fry in a pan along with a portion of yesterday's rice. Smuck everything under the lid a bit - and Uzbek rice, like newly prepared.

Recipe for the preparation of Uzbek pilaf with pork with a photo

We will prepare a step -by -step Uzbek pilaf at home with pork. We will prepare in the cauldron on wood, as befits Uzbek pilaf. Although the specifics of the preparation on the stove will be similar.

Ingredients:

1. Fat pork without bone - 1 kg.
2. Rice - 1 kg.
3. Carrots (you can make a mixture: yellow and red) - 1 kg.
4. Onions - 1 kg.
5. Peas - 400 g.
6. Barbaris - 100 g.
7. Raisins - 100 g.
8. Zira - 100 g.
9. Zirchava - 100 g.
10. Red pepper ground sweet - 50 g.
11. Red pepper ground - 50 g.
12. The ground seeds of cilantro - 50 g.
13. 2-3 heads of garlic (preferably young, but not fundamentally).
14. Black fragrant pepper - 50 g.
15. Salt to taste.
16. Sunflower oil for frying.

To supplement the Uzbek pilaf with pork:

1. Green pepper.
2. Fresh tomatoes.
3. Fresh greens.

Pre -preparations:

Peas and raisins at home will separately soak in boiling water half an hour before the preparation of Uzbek pilaf. We wash the rice 3-4 times, until the water becomes transparent, and soak it in cold salted water for an hour.

Cut the meat into large pieces. The meat for the Uzbek pilaf must be with fat and very fresh - we look at the photo. Do not pickle the meat pre -marin.

We make a fire, install and prepare correctly the cauldron.

After the cauldron warmed up enough and hesitated - pour sunflower oil. We do not regret.

We cut the onion large. For medium bulbs, enough in half. Do not be afraid that large pieces of the bulb will not aesthetically aesthetically caught during the meal. According to the recipe for cooking, when the Uzbek pilaf is ready, only a smell and a pleasant taste will remain from the bulbs.

Pour the onion into the oil and fry.

After the onion is slightly browned - we send meat to the cauldron.

When the meat was browned and the juice was allowed, add peas, previously draining water, fragrant pepper and barberry. We fry until all the liquid evaporates, and everything is browned.

Do not overexpose the meat so that it is not dry. Pour the Uzbek pilaf with boiled water, as in the photo, so that the meat is barely covered.

We throw spices: zira, red pepper, cilantro seeds, salt and garlic. We leave a little zira and red pepper - they will come in handy for us.

We cut the carrots by strip and add to the cauldron. Do not mix.

We will engage in rice: we drain the water and fall asleep everything into the cauldron over the carrots. Please note that according to the recipe of the Uzbek pilaf with pork, rice should be enough for it to form a fairly decent layer over meat and vegetables and occupies almost the entire cauldron. Therefore, the proportion of meat and rice is 1 to 1.

We fall asleep from above: so we stain our pilaf in its future chic color. Add raisins.

We fall asleep into our future Uzbek pilaf the remaining ground pepper and Zira. We like a little more to taste.

We wait until the rice swells precisely for a couple, stirring periodically. Pay attention, you need to neat carefully only the upper layer with rice, do not touch the bottom - with meat and carrots.

In the meantime, we bring beauty: cook onions, greens and cut tomatoes.

When the Uzbek pilaf at home is completely ready, you can serve. Bon appetit!

Uzbek pilaf: video