There are two options for cooking pilaf: Central Asian and Iranian, and many variations. The basis of all recipes is the grain portion, in most cases it is rice. And it is important to learn how to cook pilaf so that the rice is crumbly.
How to deal with paste and make rice crumbly
The secret of friable rice is to have as little paste as possible on its surface. This indicator depends on the type of cereal. To cook delicious Uzbek pilaf, you need to take Fergana varieties of devzira or chungara, which are distinguished by their special taste. A description of the varieties can be found at
Starch does not swell well in cold water, so soak rice (1 kg) in salted hot (80˚C) water for 30 minutes, or add saffron or turmeric for color. If the cereal is very starchy, drain the cooled water and pour hot water over the rice again to remove all the starch.
Recipe for Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron
It is advisable to cook homemade pilaf in a cauldron over high heat. While the rice is soaking, cook the zirvak. Heat melted lamb fat (200 g) and vegetable oil (50-80 g) to 180 ˚C. Put pieces of meat (1, 3-1, 5 kg) in fat, fry for 15-20 minutes, add onion (500g), cut into half rings to the meat, fry it constantly stirring. Dip white carrots (300 g), chopped into large strips, into a cauldron, and fry for 5 minutes, followed by orange carrots, it will give color to the rice. The fat should be saturated with the taste and aroma of vegetables and give this taste to the cereals.
Add to the zirvak: salt, black pepper, cumin or caraway seeds, dried barberry to taste, pour a glass of water and simmer, without closing the lid, for 35-45 minutes. Take a head of garlic, wash and without peeling, put it on the meat. Fill in the prepared rice and fill it with hot water in such an amount that it covers the rice by 3-4 cm. Cook the pilaf without closing the lid until the water evaporates. Then make a funnel in the rice, pour in half a glass of water, carefully lift the bottom rice up, close the cauldron with a lid, reduce the heat to a minimum, soak for 10-15 minutes.
To cook delicious pilaf, it is important to withstand high, 95˚ and higher temperatures throughout the entire cooking process. In the traditional preparation of pilaf, the cauldron is not closed until the water evaporates, but we saw that the zirvak became thick, a paste formed, the only way to correct the situation and cook crumbly rice is to raise its temperature. To do this, you can cover the dishes with a lid, then the cereal will heat up from above and the paste will collapse.
