Pilaf is a fragrant oriental dish made from rice and meat or fish. There are recipes for vegetarian pilaf, where animal products are completely replaced by vegetables or fruits. How to cook a meat dish at home? What should be the ratio in pilaf of water and rice? The methods and nuances of cooking oriental dishes are given below.
What meat is suitable for cooking?
In order for pilaf to be tasty and aromatic, you need to use juicy and fresh meat. Beef, pork and lamb are foods often used in the preparation of pilaf. Chicken and rabbit are also not inferior in taste to the above types of meat. However, rabbit meat is added to pilaf less often than chicken meat, as rabbit meat is quite dry.
How to choose rice for pilaf
Groats should not be too small and transparent. For cooking, use long-grain white rice, since it is less boiled. If steamed rice is used in cooking, then it is necessary to follow the process of boiling pilaf, since such cereal is cooked faster and, therefore, can boil, turning pilaf into porridge with meat.
How to get loose pilaf at the exit?
The ratio in the pilaf of water and rice to obtain a friable dish is calculated as follows: the liquid should be much less than all the ingredients. For example, 600-700 ml are taken for 300 g of meat, 300 g of rice and 300 g of carrots. water, taking into account zirvak - broth, the basis of an oriental dish.
What is the ratio of water to rice in pilaf considered wrong? If the rice is put in 2 times more than the liquid is in the dish, then the pilaf will simply be either dry or undercooked. During cooking, it is important to remember that rice increases in size and absorbs moisture, so the correct ratio of liquid to cereal should be 2/1.
Pilaf in a slow cooker
The ratio of rice and water during cooking pilaf in a slow cooker is calculated in the same way as for cooking dishes in a cauldron. The secret of a successful pilaf is the proper observance of proportions. The main components in the dish should be equally divided.
Ingredients for pilaf in a slow cooker:
- beef or pork - 500 g;
- carrots - 6-7 pcs.;
- long-grain rice - 500 g;
- three onions;
- two heads of garlic;
- spices: salt, ginger, paprika, zira, black pepper - to taste;
- 1 liter of boiling water.
For crumbly pilaf, the ratio of water to rice when cooking in a slow cooker should be 2 to 1, otherwise the pilaf will be too dry, or instead of an oriental dish, you will get rice meat porridge.
The meat is washed, the film is removed from it. Carrots and onions are peeled. Sunflower oil is poured into the bowl of the device, and the "Frying" mode is activated. Chopped onions and carrots, cut into large cubes, are introduced into the heated oil. While the vegetables are fried, the meat is chopped into cubes, then placed in a multicooker bowl.
The ingredients are thoroughly mixed and cooked for another 5-10 minutes until a crust forms on pieces of meat. Rice is washed and set aside so that excess liquid is removed from it. Meat with vegetables is salted and poured with 0.5 l of boiling water. Spices are laid in the prepared zirvak, the bowl is closed with a lid. As soon as a little water is evaporated, rice is placed in the bowl and 0.5 l of hot water is also poured. Without stirring pilaf, garlic is laid in its middle. The heads can be slightly incised. Then the multicooker lid closes and the Plov program is set for 1-1.5 hours.
It is worth noting that the ratio of rice and water when cooking pilaf in a slow cooker looks like this: the liquid should cover the cereal with no more than 2 fingers.
Pilaf in a cauldron of chicken and pork
The dish, prepared from different types of meat, is not inferior in taste to pilaf cooked from beef or lamb.
Ingredients:
- chicken fillet and pork - 0.5 kg each (1 kg of meat);
- five onions;
- four heads of garlic;
- long grain rice - 1 kg;
- carrots - 1 kg;
- seasonings for pilaf: cumin, ginger, curry, turmeric, red hot pepper, salt - to taste.
The ratio in the pilaf of water and rice should be 2 to 1, since this type of cereal "loves" the liquid very much and quickly absorbs it. In addition, it is worth considering that zirvak for pilaf should be highly salted. When rice is added to the zirvak, it absorbs as much salt as needed.
The meat is washed, wiped with paper towels and diced. Husk is removed from the onion, then it is cut into large rings. The peel is peeled from the carrots, after which it is cut into small logs. Oil is poured into a preheated cauldron, vegetables are laid and lightly fried. Meat is added to the vegetables and stewed over low heat for 10-15 minutes, then 1 liter of water mixed with spices and salt is poured into the cauldron.
After boiling, the dish is stewed for another 10 minutes. Then rice, garlic are laid in it, a liter of boiling water is poured. The cauldron is covered, the pilaf is cooked for another hour and a half. It is important to remember that the ratio in the pilaf of water and rice should not be equal. Liquid is taken twice as much as cereals.