Uzbek pilaf is known all over the world. And although in the originally traditional recipe, it is noted that the dish is prepared only from lamb in fat tail fat, today even in Uzbekistan do not mind experimenting and using other types of meat, for example, pork, in cooking.
Uzbek pilaf with pork - general principles of cooking
In order for you to get Uzbek pilaf, and not rice porridge with vegetables and meat, you should adhere to some general principles of cooking:
• Choose the right kind of rice: any non-sticky one, “Devzira” is best suited, steamed, regular round-grain or long-grain rice is best not to be used.
• Pork should not be lean, but fat is not an option. Look for the middle ground: meat with thin veins of fat.
• Cook not just in vegetable oil, but in a mixture of vegetable oil with other oils. It would be nice to add at least a little fat, ideally fat tail fat.
• Do not neglect spices; they give the dish the same oriental flavor. Use paprika - it colors the dish in a pleasant color, adding interesting sweet notes. Barberry - expressed in pleasant acidity, emphasizes the taste of rice. Chili - adds pungency, use with extreme caution. Herbs, greens - refreshes the dish, emphasizing its taste. Garlic, zira, turmeric - give characteristic aromas. As well as other spices.
• Do not rub carrots on a grater. Only thin strips. For a long time, but it’s right, and tasty, and beautiful.
• Cook strictly in thick-walled pots: cast-iron pans, ducklings, cauldrons. In ordinary pots, even if all the conditions and subtleties are met, cooking a real pilaf will not work.
1. Uzbek pilaf with pork
Ingredients:
• 650 grams of long grain rice;
• 650 grams of pork pulp;
• 300 grams of carrots;
• 650 grams of onions;
• 250 milliliters of sunflower oil;
• 650 milliliters of water;
• salt, zira, turmeric to taste.
Process:
1. The preparation of any pilaf begins with the fact that they prepare zirvak, which is a special sauce. To do this, cut the pork into small pieces, and then fry it over low heat in hot oil until a golden crust appears. Peel the onion and then cut it into thin rings.
2. Add finely chopped onion to the pork, frying it until transparent.
3. Carrots are also peeled, cut into strips and mixed with other ingredients, frying until soft.
4. Water is boiled and poured into a pan to the main components, salted and pepper. Gravy requires quenching under the lid for an hour.
5. The next stage is the laying of cereals. Rice is sorted, washed and poured with water, left to soak for an hour. After the set time, the water drains.
6. Infused rice is poured into an already prepared zirvak. Important: stirring the dish is allowed only after cooking pilaf.
7. To do this, leave the fire medium and wait for partial absorption of water, after which several holes are made in rice. Dilute pilaf on low heat for 20 minutes under the lid.
2. Uzbek pilaf with pork, onions and spices
Ingredients:
• 5 heads of onions;
• 1.5 kilograms of pork;
• 5 pieces of carrots;
• 2 heads of garlic;
• a tablespoon of dried barberry;
• 2 glasses of rice;
• 5 glasses of boiled water;
• 150 milliliters of sunflower oil;
• a tablespoon of salt;
• spices for pilaf.
Cooking method:
1. Pork is cut into pieces measuring 2 by 3 centimeters.
2. Then cut the onions and carrots.
3. Sunflower oil is heated in a cauldron. The fire is reduced to an average level.
4. Pork is placed in a cauldron and fried, stirring regularly. The readiness of pork at this stage determines that sunflower oil should be transparent.
5. Add onions and carrots, not forgetting to stir constantly. Fry them until cooked.
6. Add spices, barberry, salt, mix everything thoroughly. Reduce heat to a minimum by adding a head of garlic.
7. All fall asleep with washed and infused rice in water after 15-20 minutes. Do not interfere.
8. The most important thing is to pour boiled water on all the ingredients about a centimeter above the level of the components, leaving the fire to a minimum. Pilaf will be ready in half an hour.
9. Before serving, insist the dish and mix well.
3. Uzbek pilaf with pork in a slow cooker
Ingredients:
• 0.5 kilograms of lean pork;
• 2 heads of onions;
• 2 carrots;
• 2 measured cups of steamed rice;
• 2 measuring cups of plain water;
• half a measured cup of vegetable oil;
• head of garlic;
• salt and spices for pilaf.
Cooking method:
1. The first stage is the preparation of vegetables. Onions are cut into small cubes, carrots - in strips.
2. Pork meat is cut against fibers in small pieces.
3. Add vegetable oil to the bowl of the multicooker, which is salted and seasoned with spices. Then add meat, onions, pork. All ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
4. Measure 2 cups of rice with a measuring cup. It is washed, spread on the meat in the capacity of the multicooker.
5. Gently pour 2 measured glasses of water, add a pinch of salt and spices.
6. Put garlic in the middle of the laid out ingredients.
7. The dish is cooked for an hour in the "Pilaf" mode.
4. Uzbek pilaf with pork and ribs
Ingredients:
• 200 grams of pork fillet;
• 200 grams of smoked ribs;
• 120 grams of rice;
• medium onions;
• one medium-sized carrot;
• spices: zira, paprika, red pepper, turmeric, dried barberry and dried tomato.
Cooking method:
1. First, the rice is washed and soaked.
2. The next stage - meat, onions, carrots - all components are washed, cleaned and cut.
3. The ribs are separated by bones.
4. The cauldron is calcined with vegetable oil and scraps of pork fat. All ingredients used are removed and thrown away.
5. Put the pork into the cauldron and fry it.
6. Then add onion to it, fry until tender.
7. Add carrots and ribs. All components are stirred for five minutes.
8. After that, pour all the seasonings used, pour boiled water, and salt. The ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Reduce the fire and cook for 20 minutes. According to this scheme, zirvak is prepared.
9. At the next stage, rice is added on top, water is poured. Cook for half an hour until cooked.
5. Uzbek pilaf with pork, tangerine and raisins
Ingredients:
• 500 grams of pork;
• a glass of rice;
• one onion;
• one carrot;
• one mandarin;
• 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil;
• a handful of raisins;
• salt and pepper.
Cooking method:
1. Before cooking, check the availability of all necessary products, after which they begin the culinary process.
2. Carrots are rubbed on a medium grater or cut with the thinnest straws, chopped onions.
3. Pork is cut into small squares, mixed with salt, left aside for 10 minutes.
4. Pour 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil into a slow cooker, add onions and carrots. Prepared in the "frying" mode until the ingredients are soft.
5. Add the fried vegetables to the meat. Prepare it for half an hour until half ready.
6. Pour spices, salt, pepper. Semi-prepared meat is fried for another two minutes.
7. Pour a glass of rice into the slow cooker, pour in water, add raisins. Cooking is further conducted in the "pilaf" mode.
8. Fresh chopped mandarin is added to the finished rice, giving the dish an unusual sweet touch and excellent aroma.
6. Uzbek pilaf with pork, mushrooms and vegetables
Ingredients:
• 300 grams of pork;
• 200 grams of mushrooms;
• one Korean carrot;
• rice;
• Bell pepper;
• tomatoes;
• vegetable oil;
• onions, dill, parsley, salt, black and red pepper.
Cooking method:
1. The meat is fried in pre-heated butter in a skillet.
2. Then pour a little boiled water to it, add tomato paste and leave it to stew.
3. At this time, cut tomatoes, onions, sweet peppers, carrots - all thin straws or half rings. All ingredients are mixed with meat, stewed.
4. Wash the rice and gently spread it on the meat.
5. Add spices, salt.
6. Lay pre-processed, thoroughly washed, chopped mushrooms.
7. All extinguish to a ready state.
8. Five minutes before cooking, garlic is squeezed into the dish.
9. At the end add finely chopped greens.
Uzbek pilaf with pork - tricks and tips
• The oil must be calcined so that both vegetables and meat immediately seize, keeping all of their juice inside under the crust formed.
• Pork goes well with any mushrooms. An added pinch of dried mushrooms or 100-200 grams of fresh will give the dish new taste and an incomparable aroma.
• Never pour rice with cold water, just boiling water.
• It is best to use various spices for cooking, but if you don’t have the whole set, then you can safely take a universal seasoning for pilaf.
• Despite the traditionalness of the dish, you can safely bring something new into it, this will not make the pilaf taste worse: put onions and carrots in zirvak and other vegetables: tomatoes, bell peppers, asparagus beans. The main thing is that they, like the rest of the ingredients, are well fried before laying the rice.
• When preparing pilaf in a slow cooker, be sure to first fry the meat with vegetables and only then put all the ingredients in a bowl. So the dish will turn out tastier.
• Do not rush to mix the prepared pilaf, it needs to be infused for at least 20 minutes, only after that the rice is mixed with zirvak.
