There must be mutton in a real Uzbek pilaf. For him, carrots are not rubbed on a coarse grater, but cut into thick strips. Like onions, they put a lot of it in the dish. Certain seasonings are required. If you want to taste real Fergana pilaf, cook it according to the recipe presented.
Many Uzbek meat dishes suggest taking lamb, Fergana pilaf is no exception. After all, this animal is bred everywhere in the countryside of the country. If you have a low-fat piece of meat, add fat tail fat to it in a 1: 5 ratio. Here are the ingredients you'll need to make a hearty meal:
- 1.5 kg of lamb, if it is low in fat, then for 1.25 kg of meat, take 250 g of fat tail fat;
- 1 kg of carrots;
- 0.7 kg of onions;
- 2 heads of garlic;
- 1 tbsp. dried barberry, cumin, crushed coriander seeds;
- 1.5 kg of rice;
- 300 ml of vegetable oil;
- 1 small pod of dried hot pepper;
- 2 bunches of cilantro and dill;
- salt.
Sort the rice, pour it into a saucepan, fill it with water, grind it between your palms, drain the water. Do this at least 8 times, the last water should remain clear.
Rinse the lamb, cut into large enough 4x4 cm cubes. Peel the onion, cut it into thin half rings. Peeled carrots - 1 cm thick straws. Remove only the top husk from the garlic, do not divide the head itself into slices.
Take a cauldron, pour oil into it, let it ignite on fire. If you use bacon, cut it into 2x2 cm squares, put half of it in a dry hot cauldron, fry until greaves, remove them with a slotted spoon. They are not needed for the dish, you can eat fried bacon with black bread. Further, the dish is prepared in the same way, vegetable oil is poured into the cauldron, in the original it is cottonseed.
Put the onion very carefully into the hot fat, fry it until dark golden brown. After that, send the meat there, let it cook in a cauldron for 7 minutes. Stir the ingredients occasionally to ensure they are evenly browned. Then lay out the rest of the fat tail fat and carrots. Cook for 4 minutes without stirring.
Further, in this frying, which in Uzbekistan is called zervak, add seasonings, add salt. Simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.
Flip the ingredients occasionally during this step, but be careful not to break the carrot strips.
Pour boiling water into the cauldron, it should cover the contents by 2 cm. Let the ingredients boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for an hour.
Rinse the rice again before placing it in the meat, discard it in a colander to glass the water. Place it on top of the meat dressing.
When you put the rice on the zervak, do not stir the contents of the cauldron, this is how pilaf is made in Fergana.
Pour boiling water over the rice, it should cover the cereal with a layer of 3 cm. Set the fire to maximum. As soon as the cereal absorbs 3 cm of water that was above it, make the heat small, press 2 heads of garlic and pepper into the rice. Cook for about 25 more minutes. During this time, 3-4 times, make a few punctures with a wooden stick to the bottom of the cauldron so that steam escapes through them.
Smooth the surface of the pilaf with a spoon, put a flat plate on the rice, cover the cauldron with a lid. Leave the dish to infuse and soak for 30 minutes. Then it can be gently mixed and served. Take out the garlic, put pilaf on a plate for each, put 2-3 slices of stewed garlic on top. Sprinkle each serving with medium-chopped fresh cilantro and dill.
