They say that Tamerlane himself invented this dish. It is not known for certain where and when they began to cook it for the first time, but this happened even before the beginning of our era. There are countless recipes for making pilaf, because Uzbeks, Tajiks and Azerbaijanis consider it their national dish. It is customary to serve it on holidays and when a large family gathers at the hearth.
Ancient traditions and art of making pilaf
Pilaf began to be prepared simultaneously with the development of rice cultivation. Pilaf is not porridge with meat. There are many types of pilaf, and there may be no meat in it at all.
In order to get a real pilaf, it is not enough just to use the right set of products. The recipe for classic pilaf includes three obligatory culinary operations: reheating oil, cooking zirvak, laying rice and bringing the dish to readiness. Their correct implementation determines the taste, aroma and appearance of the resulting pilaf. The composition of the products for its preparation can be very different. Even rice in some recipes is partially replaced by wheat, peas or mashing. And the meat for pilaf can be used in a variety of ways. Including, as mentioned above, it may be absent altogether.
There is not even one required type of oil to get real pilaf. It is most often prepared with vegetable oils, but there are also recipes for a mixture of vegetable oil and animal fats.
Many people believe that cooking pilaf is an art that is inaccessible to mere mortals. It is also generally accepted that real pilaf cannot be cooked at home. Of course, a large cauldron gives the process a special charm, and the aroma of a dish cooked over an open fire creates a festive mood. However, it is not difficult to cook really tasty, rich and crumbly pilaf at home. You just need to follow the step by step recipe. For example, the one described by the Tajik poet Mikhail Mukhamedzhanov in his poem "The recipe for Tajik pilaf for friends." The first lines of the poetic recipe contain the words: "A stove for frying, a cast-iron cauldron, two or three bundles of firewood", but these important elements of the traditional process of cooking pilaf can be easily replaced with a stove and a thick-walled rooster.
You will need:
- A cauldron or duck with thick walls.
- Meat, carrots, rice, onions - in equal proportions. For 6 servings, it is enough to take a pound of the indicated products. According to this recipe, you can use any meat for pilaf: lamb, traditional for Muslim countries, dietary turkey or lean beef.
- Vegetable oil - sunflower or sesame.
- Garlic.
- For the marinade: onions, black pepper, salt, cumin. The amount of spices can be chosen to taste.
- If desired, you can add barberry, chickpeas, paprika, turmeric or saffron to pilaf.
Preparation of food
Rinse the rice well, it is important to ensure that the water becomes clear. Pour water over the washed rice and leave for three hours.
Chop the onion into thin circles. Cut the meat into large pieces, like for a shish kebab. Stir in meat, onion, ground black pepper, cumin and salt. Leave to marinate for two hours.
Oil transfer
Overheating the oil is a very important condition for the preparation of classic pilaf. As a result of overheating, suspended foreign particles and water trapped in it are removed from the oil. The oil becomes homogeneous and clean, which allows it to be used in the long process of cooking pilaf.
Place the rooster on the stove and heat well. Reduce the heat on the stove to medium or even slightly lower. Pour oil on the bottom of the rooster with a layer of one centimeter, if fatty lamb is taken for pilaf, or two centimeters, if the pilaf is with lean lamb or turkey. Make sure the oil warms up, but does not boil. After a couple of minutes, the oil will crackle and white smoke will appear above it, indicating the end of the heating process. You can also check the readiness of the oil by throwing a few grains of coarse salt into it, which bounces off the overheated oil with a bang. After overheating, the oil will not foul and darken. Pilaf cooked in this oil will be cleaner and more aromatic.
Cooking zirvak
Zirvak is the basis of pilaf. Tajiks and Uzbeks say that it can be considered a separate dish.
Set the fire under the duck with roasted oil at the level "above average". Pour chopped onion into the oil and fry until golden brown. Add ground black pepper and a little salt.
Remove the meat from the marinade, separate from the onion and carefully place in the rooster. Stir the meat several times so that it is fried on all sides. After roasting the meat, reduce the heat, cover the roaster with a lid and simmer the meat. The braising time depends on the type of meat used. If fresh young lamb is used in pilaf, then an hour is enough for stewing. The turkey is stewed faster, and the meat of an adult ram or beef takes longer.
Cut the carrots into strips or grate them on a coarse grater. At the end of the stewing period, pour carrots into the rooster on top of the meat in an even layer and cover with water so that the water completely covers it. Carrots will absorb water, so you need to fill it with a small margin.
Adding rice to pilaf
When the water boils, gently, without stirring the contents, put rice on the roaster with a slotted spoon so that it covers the meat and carrots with an even layer. Add water to the roaster so that its surface is one centimeter above the surface of the pilaf. Lightly salt the dish again without stirring. Put a head or two garlic in the roaster. Do not cover the roaster with a lid. Bring to a boil and cook for about half an hour to evaporate all the water.
Do not mix pilaf! When the rice absorbs the water and it leaves the surface, make vertical holes in the pilaf with a spoon and a fork, trying to move the rice grains apart, and not stir them by piercing them. Let the water evaporate through the holes made. By the time all the water has boiled away, the rice should be ready.
A little trick: if an insufficient amount of water was initially poured, and when it has boiled away, the rice has not yet had time to cook, you can carefully, making sure that the pilaf in the roaster is not mixed, add hot boiling water.
After finishing cooking the rice, stir the pilaf, cover with a tight lid, extinguish the fire and let the pilaf simmer for twenty to thirty minutes. Make sure that the duck with pilaf is covered tightly, without the slightest gap. You can cover the duck with pilaf with a thick clean towel. After languishing, the pilaf is ready.
Table setting with pilaf
Pilaf should be eaten hot, at a temperature of 60-70 degrees. Pilaf is served on the table in one large dish for several portions. In the Uzbek and Tajik traditions, pilaf is often eaten by hand, taking a handful of a delicious dish with three fingers.
Sometimes pilaf is not stirred before the end of cooking, but left to languish in layers. In this case, it is served on the table, putting separate layers on the dishes in the reverse order of the bookmark: rice, carrots and zirvak, meat.
There is also a custom to serve pilaf to each guest separately, placing portions on cakes specially prepared for this.
Pilaf is a very satisfying dish. Nutritional value of mutton pilaf is 150 kcal per 100 grams. Simple salads of fresh vegetables or simply chopped and beautifully arranged tomatoes, radishes, green onions and other greens are put on the table with pilaf. Pilaf goes well with salty vegetables or Korean salads.
It is advisable to put hot unsweetened green tea on the table for pilaf, which will help the body better cope with a large amount of fat. In addition, a bowl of real tea is the final chord that enhances the atmosphere of a real festive feast with friends or family.
