Almost every nation has its own "secret" recipe for making pilaf. Of the variety of options for this dish, pilaf with dried fruits can be distinguished into a separate category. It is cooked with meat, and there is also a lean option suitable for vegetarians.
So, for the preparation of sweet pilaf, you will need the following products:
- rice - 400-500 g;
- dried fruits: prunes, dried apricots, raisins 200 g each;
- garlic - 4-6 cloves;
- 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
- 100 g of butter;
- spices for pilaf to taste;
- salt to taste.
For those people who, for some reason, do not eat butter, it is recommended to replace it with any vegetable oil.
It is worth noting that there are many ways to prepare pilaf from dried fruits. Some housewives cook rice separately, and when it is ready, mix it with prunes, raisins, dried apricots pre-soaked in boiling water. The resulting mass is seasoned with butter and sprinkled with seasonings. This option for cooking pilaf, of course, is quick, but it is better to cook according to a different scheme.
Experienced housewives recommend cooking sweet pilaf as follows. Rice must be rinsed under running water, allow excess liquid to drain. Add vegetable oil to the cauldron and put rice there. Fry a little. Then add dried fruits there. They should first be steamed in hot water, drained, cut if necessary.
Mix dried fruits and rice thoroughly, add water to cover the mixture. You need to cook over low heat until the rice is cooked. When the pilaf is ready, it must be seasoned with butter, garlic for piquancy, and spices to taste.
The most suitable spices for sweet pilaf are saffron, barberry and turmeric.
The recipe described above is considered one of the simplest and most traditional options for making pilaf with dried fruits. You can cook this dish not only with dried apricots, raisins and prunes, but also with the addition of apple and pumpkin. These products go well together and in tandem add a spicy flavor to the pilaf.
To prepare such a dish, you will need the following ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. round rice;
- 4 tbsp. water;
- 400 g pumpkin;
- 3 large apples;
- 150 g of raisins;
- 100 g of dried apricots;
- 0.5 tsp salt;
- 4-5 st. l. Sahara;
- 4 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
- 1 tsp. cinnamon, paprika, ginger, black pepper;
- for those who like it sharper, you can add black pepper and chili to taste.
To prepare pilaf, the rice must be rinsed under running water, and then filled with cold liquid and left for 30 minutes. The pumpkin must be washed, peeled and seeds removed and cut into large cubes. Heat the vegetable oil in a cauldron and put the prepared vegetable there, simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain the rice from the rice, rinse under running water again and pour the cereal into the cauldron to the pumpkin. Stir everything and make the fire stronger so that the excess liquid evaporates. When this happens, the gas is reduced, the rice is fried a little. Then the mixture of cereals and pumpkin is sprinkled with spices and salt, mixed. Now you need to add apples to the cauldron. Prepare the fruits in advance: wash, remove the seeds and core, if desired, peel, cut into large pieces and pour into a cauldron, mix.
Now it's the turn of dried fruits. Rinse the raisins, and also chop the dried apricots into small pieces. Pour everything over the rice. Add sugar to the resulting mixture to taste. The main thing is not to overdo it, otherwise the dish will turn out to be too cloying.
When all the ingredients are in the cauldron, you need to pour 4 glasses of water there. Then, for a couple of minutes, make the fire as strong as possible so that the cereal absorbs water faster. Stir the pilaf so that the apples and pumpkin are under the rice. After that, you can reduce the heat. Cook the dish for 25-30 minutes under the lid.
This pilaf can be served both hot and warm. If the dish is not sweet enough, then it should be flavored with liquid honey. And if pilaf, on the contrary, seems cloying, then sprinkle with lemon juice to contrast the taste. This dish will surely please both adults and children.
