Pilaf is a common dish in Central Asia, where the main ingredients for its preparation are rice, lamb and vegetables, onions and carrots, fried in fat. But the composition of the components can be changed and adjusted to suit your taste preferences. If you replace lamb with pork, then the pilaf will turn out to be more fragrant and tender.
There are many different recipes for cooking pilaf, but this recipe is original, as it has a special technology for cooking rice, which makes the taste rich and unique.
Ingredients:
- 400-450 g of round parboiled rice;
- 400-450 g of pork;
- 1 large onion;
- 1 large carrot;
- 100-110 ml of olive oil;
- aromatic herbs;
- ground black pepper and peppercorns;
- salt;
- hot water.
If you add pieces of sweet and sour apple during cooking, then pilaf will acquire an unusual aroma and will surprise everyone who tries it.
A couple of hours before cooking this dish, you need to rinse the rice and let the water drain. Then leave the rice to dry. This is the basic rule in the recipe for making pork pilaf. Rinse the meat well and dry it with a paper towel. Cut the pork into medium-sized chunks.
If the cook has enough time, then the pork can be marinated. So the meat will absorb all the aromas of herbs and thereby enrich the taste of pilaf. In order to marinate the meat, it must be sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then add aromatic herbs and peppercorns. Mix thoroughly, cover with cling film and refrigerate for 40-60 minutes.
While the meat is marinating, you need to prepare the vegetables. For this, carrots and onions should be cut into small cubes. Pour olive oil into the container in which your dish will be prepared, and wait until it is sufficiently warmed up. Put pieces of meat and fry until golden brown.
For cooking pilaf, a cauldron or a large cast-iron frying pan would be ideal, but if such dishes are not available, then a simple saucepan will do.
Then add chopped vegetables to the meat and fry for another 5-6 minutes. Then add rice to meat and vegetables and fry it until transparent. When the rice becomes transparent and slightly toasted, stick a head of peeled garlic into it and pour hot water over it so that the water covers the rice by 2 cm.
Add spices and salt to the rice, if desired, wait until the water boils. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce heat to low.
After 10-12 minutes, the water should evaporate and then you need to open the lid and mix the pilaf well, collect it in a slide and make depressions in it so that the steam can escape from it. After that, cover the dishes again, but not with a lid, but with a metal bowl.
The readiness of rice can be determined by its friability. If it turns out that the rice is still hard, then it must be removed from the heat, cover the dishes with a lid and wrap it in a blanket or towel and let it stand for a while. So the pilaf will reach the desired condition.
Then you need to remove the head of garlic from the pilaf. Put the pilaf on a large platter. It must be served hot, so it will be tastier and more aromatic.
This dish can be prepared both for lunch or dinner, and for a festive table.
