Pilaf is one of the favorite dishes in Russia and some neighboring countries. However, for those who care about their figure, it is useful to know that the calorie content of this dish can vary significantly depending on the ingredients used.
Pilaf is a popular meat and rice dish. Nevertheless, in the world there are a huge number of options for pilaf recipes.
Pilaf recipe
The classic recipe for real pilaf involves the use of several main ingredients in the process of its preparation: rice, meat, vegetable oil, carrots, onions and salt. However, this list, depending on the taste preferences of the cook and the people to whom the finished dish is intended, can vary significantly.
So, a popular way to diversify the traditional taste of pilaf is to add various spices during the preparation process. The most common recommendation in authentic recipes is to add to the dish such seasonings as hot red pepper, caraway seeds, which are often called cumin or cumin, and barberry, which gives the dish a unique aroma and characteristic slight sourness. In addition, you can find recipes that contain black pepper, saffron, turmeric, paprika and other spice options.
At the same time, not only additional, but also the main ingredients can vary during the cooking process. So, the most common options for cooking pilaf with pork and with beef, however, some recipe authors suggest adding chicken, lamb or even squid and shrimp to this dish as the main meat component.
Calorie pilaf with pork and beef
For those who follow the figure, it is useful to keep in mind that the use of various ingredients can significantly change not only the taste, but also the calorie content of pilaf. This difference is most clearly noticeable in the example of the most popular cooking options for this dish - pork-based and beef-based.
It is generally known that pork is a meat with a higher fat content than beef, so it has a higher calorie content. This property is fully manifested in the process of cooking pilaf. Thus, the calorie content of pilaf prepared using lean beef averages about 220 kilocalories per 100 grams. At the same time, when using more fatty varieties of this meat, the calorie content per 100 grams can increase to 230-240 kilocalories.
As for pilaf with pork, even when using meat without visible fat, the average calorie content of such a dish will already be about 280 kilocalories per 100 grams. If the meat contains visible inclusions of lard, or you specifically add pieces of it, the calorie content of such a dish can already reach 300 kilocalories for every 100 grams.
