The key to delicious pilaf is the right cereal. The grain should absorb water and fats well, not stick together during the cooking process. Let's figure out which rice is better for making excellent pilaf.
What rice is better to cook pilaf
In supermarkets there is a large selection of different types of rice, among them there is sure to be one that will make a delicious pilaf. For the preparation of Uzbek pilaf, the best rice is "Devzira". It has a brown tint, covered with dust from rubbing the shell. From it, a brown scar remains on each grain of rice. The grain is transparent, small white blotches are allowed, when soaked, the rice becomes dull. When boiling, the volume of rice is almost doubled.
Rice "Basmati" is widely represented on the shelves of Russian stores by various manufacturers. This kind of rice is ideal for cooking Azerbaijani folding pilaf. The grains are long, translucent, the surface is smooth, without traces of the shell. If you look closely, you can see a fine mesh of cracks on the surface of the grain. The best among the varieties of Basmati is Sadri - it is grown in Iran, rarely found on our counters. The grain is long, transparent, with a creamy shade. There is absolutely no starch dust on the surface.
White long-grain Khorezm rice "Lazar" is good for pilaf. Longitudinal scars are visible on its surface, the grains are covered with starch powder. Starch is easily washed off when soaked in hot water. Rice cooks quickly and increases in volume.
The Spanish variety of rice "Bomba" is intended for making paella, but it also turns out wonderful pilaf. The grains are round, small, translucent, covered with starch powder; before cooking, they should be thoroughly rinsed in hot water. Rice is hard, elastic, does not boil over.
"Krasnodar" rice is also good for pilaf. In addition, it has huge advantages over other varieties: inexpensive; available, is in every store.
How to choose rice for pilaf by the type of grain processing
During the season there is a large selection of Asian rice varieties on the market, but it is still better to buy cereals in the store. But producers do not always indicate the type of rice, or it may simply not be the right kind. You can follow a simple path - buy rice marked "for pilaf", or you can choose the right product, focusing on the appearance of the cereal, since most manufacturers use transparent packaging through which you can and should examine the product.
White polished rice is widely represented. For Uzbek pilaf, round-grain varieties with large, whole translucent grain with a ribbed surface are suitable. Delicious folding pilaf is obtained from long-grain varieties. Small cereals with crushed grains found in it are best used for other purposes, for example, for cooking soups or cereals.
Ideal for steamed rice pilaf. It is processed in a special way; most of the vitamins and microelements are stored in it. Steamed grain has a small starch content, it does not stick together during cooking and pilaf from it always turns out to be crumbly.
Brown or brown rice contains more nutrients than polished white, but it takes longer to cook. It makes a crumbly tasty pilaf, just before cooking you need to soak the cereal for five to six hours.
To cook delicious pilaf, it is not enough to choose the best rice for pilaf, you need to prepare it correctly, wash off the starch from it, which gives the very unnecessary stickiness. And for each type of rice it is necessary to select the cooking temperature.
