How to cook Pilaf in Uzbek?

Pilaf is one of the main dishes of Asian cuisine. I must say that it has been prepared for a rather long and difficult period. When cooking this pilaf, you need to know a few cooking techniques and secrets and consider many household items. As a result, each hostess prepares her pilaf, which is distinguished by its unique taste.

There are various techniques for preparing this fragrant food. I want to talk about the history of Uzbek national food. However, the art of cooking Uzbek pilaf is called palovaj.

Ideally, pilaf is cooked over an open fire in a large cast alloy-iron or aluminum bowl with a round bottom. Of course, going to “Pilaf” to nature as a “barbecue” is an interesting idea. However, one way or another, in most cases, pilaf is cooked in the kitchen on an electric or gas stove. It is difficult to keep dishes with a round bottom on a burner, but you can buy a special brazier, the bottom of which is round and flat on the outside. An important condition: the dishes must have a thick surface. Mutton or beef), 500 g carrots, 4-5 onion heads, 250 g bacon (you can give fat or oil), spices needed – salt, pepper, barberry, cumin (cumin).

The dishes are placed over high fire and heated to about 100 degrees. Temperature is naturally difficult to measure. But you can test it with a drop of water, for example. If the water is stagnant and evaporates immediately, you can spread the fat or oil.

If you cook on fat, it should be cut into small cubes, dipped, and the graves removed. Fat must be extra heated. To do this, it is cooked over medium heat until gray smoke appears (be sure to turn on the hood!). After that, the fire should be reduced, and the smoke will gradually brighten.

You need to add a pinch of salt to hot fat. If everything is done correctly, you will hear a characteristic crack. Instead of salt, you can cut the onion in half for a few seconds. This must be done so that the fat does not bite. In addition, thanks to this operation, harmful fatty substances are partially neutralized.

After that, the chopped onion in the rings is greased. In my opinion, this is one of the most critical moments in the preparation of pilaf. If this moment is “missed,” the pilaf will be bitter.

Once the onions have reached the required “condition,” spread the meatballs into cubes. When brown, add the carrots, cut them into strips. It is better to cut by hand. However, only an experienced cook can do it. So, for example, I grind carrots in a coarse grater. You can still cut it into cubes. The products are fried over medium heat until half cooked.

Then add water to the dish. It should lightly cover the whole content. What is currently in the boiler is called jirvak-gravy. You need to add salt and spices as soon as the zircon boils. Then reduce the fire and be patient. The gravy should boil for a long time and calmly. I usually stand for 20-25 minutes and move on to the next step.

The next step is moving the rice (finally!). The well-washed paddy is placed at an even level on top of the jirwak. You can’t mix anything! Then, carefully, fill the water so that the layers remain in place. The water should rise about 2 cm above the paddy level.

If the rice in the Azerbaijani pilaf is cooked separately and can be washed, this number will not work in the Uzbek pilaf. The amount of water needs to be calculated accurately so that the rice becomes loose.

After filling the rice with water, we open the burner until maximum. On such a high fire, the pilaf is cooked until all the moisture has evaporated. After that, the gas is reduced to a minimum, and the rice is collected in the middle of the boiler with a wooden spoon and forms a hill. The hill needs to be pierced in several places with the sharp edge of a wooden spoon.

Then cover the rice and leave it on the fire. This process lasts 20-25 minutes. When the pilaf is ready, it is well mixed. The meat is stacked on top while serving. The dish can be decorated with greens. Fresh vegetables are served as a side dish.

Important Note: 

When preparing the pilaf, it is very important to select the right firepower at each stage. If the pilaf is cooked at risk, the temperature is especially difficult to control. You need to add dry firewood, then reduce the heat by leaving only the coal.

For a pilaf recipe, it takes at least two and a half hours to cook according to all the rules. Of course, not every homemaker can afford that much. Therefore, all the steps are usually shortened:

• Neglect the fat transfer.
• Warm the sunflower oil.
• Leave the jirwak to boil for only 5 minutes.
• Completely forget about stewing.

However, the result is very different from the “right,” and not for the better.

A good pilaf can be a festive table, even a wedding decoration. Therefore, you can set aside time for the holidays and treat yourself and your loved ones with “real” pilaf.