Well, who of us will be able to imagine pilaf without friable rice, fragrant and juicy meat, oriental spices and amazing taste? That's right, nobody. It so happened that in the traditional recipe for real pilaf, it is necessary to use not seasonings for meat and black pepper, but ziru (cumin), dried barberry, saffron and much more.
From this article you will learn when to add cumin to pilaf, how to properly prepare the foods and how much to prepare the dish. In addition, you will find interesting sections about the very origin of zira, its beneficial properties and effects on our body. We also selected the simplest and most delicious options for cooking spicy, crumbly and nutritious pilaf.
What is seasoning zira?
Zira, or cumin, is a one-year-old herbaceous plant. In its appearance, it remotely resembles caraway seeds, so they are often confused. The seasoning itself has a rather pungent, even repulsive odor. The taste is different nutty note with a bitter aftertaste. The most vivid taste and aroma become during cooking, when the zira is fully revealed.
Central Asia is considered to be the birthplace of seasoning, but the most popular and in demand is zira in Iraq, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia. In addition, seasoning is widely known in Latin and North America, as well as in the Mediterranean countries.
Before moving on to the question of how many zirs are added to pilaf, we will consider its varieties.
In the world there are several varieties of zira (cumin):
- Persian
- kirmansky;
- Syrian
- Nabatean.
Kirmansky zira is a spice with a dark shade, the structure is quite small. The smell is quite pungent, not for everybody. The Persian variety has a yellow color, a pronounced aroma and medium-sized seeds.
It is customary to eat only zira seeds in food, and the stems and petals are removed, since they have a rather bitter taste.
The composition of zira (cumin)
The composition of zira contains:
- B vitamins;
- vitamin C;
- calcium;
- phosphorus;
- magnesium.
Now that you know what kind of seasoning it is, we can talk about its beneficial properties and what kind of zira to add to pilaf, for example, whole or ground.
Beneficial features
The main positive qualities of this product:
- improves metabolic processes;
- removes toxic substances from the body;
- enriches blood with oxygen;
- promotes the development of enzymes for faster and better digestion of food;
- positively affects the work of the heart;
- improves brain activity;
- relieves headaches and calms the nervous system;
- reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease;
- removes gases and actively fights against prolonged constipation.
Cumin (or Zira) is also known for its sexual desire-arousing abilities. Therefore, lovers often added this spice to each other's food.
Now we can move on to how much zira to add to pilaf, proportions and phased preparation of this dish.
Tasty and fragrant pilaf: recipe
Required Products:
- meat - one and a half kilograms;
- onions - 1 kg;
- carrot - 1 kg;
- good quality rice - 1.5 kg;
- garlic - a couple of heads;
- vegetable oil (preferably refined) - 400 grams;
- salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
- Zira - 2 tbsp. l .;
- barberry - 2 tbsp. l .;
- black pepper.
This amount of food is enough to feed 10 people to the dump.
Step-by-step process
First you need to do the following:
- We wash the meat under running water, dry it with paper towels and cut into arbitrary pieces.
- Peel the onion from the film and the top layer, and then chop it into small cubes.
- We clean, wash and grate carrots on a coarse grater.
- We wash the rice in cold water until the liquid becomes completely transparent.
- Pour the required amount of vegetable oil into a well-heated cauldron, wait a couple of minutes and pour the chopped onion.
- Fry it for several minutes, stirring occasionally with a spatula.
- Now add the carrots and simmer until tender.
- Pour the meat cut into pieces and fry it until a golden and appetizing crust is formed.
- When to add cumin and barberry to pilaf? As soon as the meat is ready, spices should be poured.
- Mix well and add rice.
- We level it with a slotted spoon and fill it with water, about 1.5 cm above the level of rice.
- We cover the cauldron with a lid, wrap it with a towel and give it time to boil for five minutes.
- Remove the lid, pierce the rice and put the heads of garlic.
- Cover again and simmer over low heat for about 15 minutes.
- Mix and simmer for five minutes.
- Once the rice is completely ready, add a little salt and pepper, mix and turn off the heat.
- We give the dish time to brew for ten minutes.
We spread the pilaf on plates and decorate with chopped parsley or dill.
The recipe for a real Uzbek pilaf
Ingredients:
- fat tail fat - 200 grams;
- lamb - 700 grams;
- rice - 1 kg;
- hatch - 5 pcs.;
- carrot - 2-3 pcs.;
- sunflower oil - 300 grams;
- garlic - a couple of heads;
- salt;
- Zira (cumin) - 1 tbsp. l .;
- barberry - 1 tbsp;
- water.
Thanks to barberry, the dish turns out with a slight acidity. When to add cumin to pilaf and how much? In many recipes, this spice is put only after the meat is cooked.
Step cooking
We divide the process into several basic steps:
- First, cut fat tail fat into large pieces and pour into a hot cauldron.
- Mix the slices and wait until the fat is completely flooded.
- The remaining cracklings are removed using a slotted spoon.
- Peel the onions and cut into thin rings.
- Pour the required amount of sunflower oil into the cauldron, add the onion rings and thoroughly fry the latter.
- Carrots should be peeled, washed and divided into small cubes.
- Add it to the bow, which has already acquired a golden hue.
- As soon as the carrot becomes soft, pour water into the cauldron and wait until it boils.
- We clean the lamb from the film, wash it well and cut into portioned pieces.
- Pour it to the carrots and onions.
- When to add cumin to pilaf? The proportions are as follows - 1 kg of rice: 1 tbsp. l seasonings. Sprinkle the dish with spices when the meat is browned and is completely ready.
- The longer the meat is stewed with vegetables, the tastier the pilaf will be.
- We wash the rice in water and pour it into the cauldron.
- Pour boiling water so that it covers the rice two centimeters.
- Increase the heat for several minutes so that the fat soaks the rice grains.
- As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat and add the garlic cloves.
- Cover the cauldron with a lid and simmer for about ten minutes.
- Then turn off the fire, wrap the cauldron in a blanket, let the pilaf come in for half an hour.
Now you know when zira is added to pilaf, and how to cook it.
Pilaf recipe with zira and barberry
The list of products that we will need during cooking:
- lamb flesh - kilogram;
- carrot - a kilogram;
- onions - a kilogram;
- coarse rice - a kilogram;
- garlic - 3 heads;
- salt;
- Zira - 1 tbsp. l .;
- barberry - 1 tbsp. l .;
- black ground pepper optional;
- water;
- sunflower oil - 350 grams.
This pilaf, of course, is best cooked at the stake or in a cauldron, but you can still cook on the stove. Even in this case, the finished dish is rather tender, juicy and nutritious. And the scent will drive any of us crazy!
Cooking method
Our actions are as follows:
- We quickly wash the meat under cold water so that it does not have time to absorb the liquid.
- Then we thoroughly dry it with paper towels and napkins.
- Cut the lamb flesh into large and uniform slices.
- We clean the carrots, wash them and shred them with a thin straw. Do not worry, just such a quantity of carrots is necessary for a fragrant and tasty Uzbek pilaf.
- We wash the rice several times and throw it in a colander so that the glass is excess liquid.
- We remove the husk and remove the top layer from the onions.
- Now cut it into thin half rings.
- Garlic gently peel and remove the tail and root. It is very important to do this carefully so that the head does not fall apart.
- When to add cumin to pilaf? Then, when the lamb is ready, but for now it can be crushed in a mortar with barberry.
- We put the container in which we will cook on the fire and pour in the sunflower oil.
- Pour the meat into it and fry until golden brown.
- Then add onions with carrots, mix and fry for 5-7 minutes.
- Pour in water and simmer the lamb until cooked.
- We put zira and barberry, pour the washed rice and add water so that it completely covers the cereal.
- Once the floors are half ready, add the heads of garlic to it.
- Stew for a few more minutes and remove the dish from the heat.
Well, you learned when to add zira to pilaf, what it is and what its beneficial properties are.