This national dish of Central Asia, the East and the Caucasus has long captivated Russian culinary experts. Many housewives try to discover the secrets of cooking pilaf, but this is not always possible and not for everyone. How to achieve that the rice turned out friable, and the meat is soft and delicate in taste? What are the right spices to choose for pilaf to make the dish fragrant and rich? Is it possible to cook pork pilaf in a cauldron on a stove, without leaving the country house from the cottage and not making a fire in the garden? What is the main secret of this fragrant, satisfying and incredibly tasty dish with meat? Let's look at these issues.
Pork
Of course, everyone knows that not a single resident of the Caucasus, Uzbekistan and other eastern countries will cook pilaf with pork in a cauldron. The chefs of these countries prefer to add completely different types of meat to the dish. However, it was pilaf with pork that “took root” in our country and became incredibly popular.
To cook it, try to choose slices of lean pork. Be sure the meat must be fresh, that is, we buy it only from a trusted manufacturer. Ribs or pulp are perfect for pilaf. The better the meat will be taken for the recipe, the richer, tastier, more satisfying is the pilaf.
Essential Ingredients
So, let's decide which products need to be prepared if you decide to master the recipe for pilaf from pork in a cauldron. First of all, meat. Pork will need about 500-600 grams. Secondly, fig. It is this component that is designed to absorb and then give in the cooked dish all the aroma of spices and herbs. Rice will need 400 g.
In order for pilaf to be more saturated in taste and beautiful in appearance, vegetables are present in the recipe. It will take two large carrots, two onions, a pair of bell peppers of different colors. Do not do without garlic. Experienced cooks are advised to stock up on two heads. One is placed in the center of the cauldron as a whole, and the second will be cut into a dish.
As for seasonings and spices, you can choose: salt, zira, ground red or black pepper, coriander, bay leaf, barberry, etc. In stores, ready-made sets of spices are often sold that are specially made for use in cooking pilaf .
How to cook fried pork pilaf in a cauldron on a stove
If you think that a perfect recipe requires a good piece of meat or a set of the right spices, then you are mistaken. The main, so to say, ingredient is a good cauldron pan. Thick walls and the bottom will not allow meat and other products to burn, and mixing the ingredients at the initial stage is much easier. In the right dishes, pilaf is perfect.
Stage 1. Preparation of vegetables
We start with vegetables. We clean the carrots, wash it and cut into large cubes. We also cut onions in large half rings. Pilaf does not tolerate finely chopped and pulverized chopped vegetables. We put the cauldron on the stove, light a fire and pour vegetable oil into the dishes. It should cover the bottom and protrude two fingers up. It is recommended to fry vegetables with the addition of salt, barberry, bay leaf and pepper.
Immediately, we note that pork pilaf cooked on a stove in a cauldron is a rather fat and satisfying dish. But if you get rid of oil and fatty meat, then such a dish can hardly be called a classic pilaf. For example, the Uzbeks add to the food, in addition to butter, also fat tail fat. Fat literally flows down when they eat pilaf. In this, as they say, is the whole salt, the whole chip of this dish.
Stage 2. Cooking meat
At the second stage of cooking pilaf from pork in a cauldron, meat is processed on a stove. It should not only get rid of the films, but also rinse well under the tap. Cutting pork into large sticks, spread it to vegetables. We recommend frying meat for about ten to fifteen minutes. Pork is not a chicken that will "get" in the process of cooking rice. Slices should already be well fried and cooked until rice is laid. We cut the garlic into small slices and throw it to the meat at the last stage of frying.
Stage 3. The subtleties of working with rice
When the meat is almost ready, we begin work with rice. To properly cook pork pilaf in a cauldron on the stove, you need to rinse the cereal in several waters. This is done as follows. Pour a glass of rice into a plate, pour water and mix. The water will become cloudy. We merge it and again fill the rice with a new portion of liquid. We interfere, merge. We do this until the water becomes clear. By removing gluten from the grains, you will end up with excellent crumbly pilaf. In addition, the washed product will better absorb all the aromas of spices.
Rice is laid out on the meat in an even layer, it is not recommended to mix it. Pour water from the calculation - one part of the bulk product and 1.5 parts of the liquid. Now the second head of garlic, which has already been peeled and is waiting in line, will go into action. We put the garlic in the center of the cauldron and close the dish with a lid.
Preparing pilaf with pork on a stove in a cauldron for about twenty minutes. In some recipes, it is recommended that you leave a strong fire for the first five minutes, then remove to a minimum. You can cook all the time allotted over low heat. The result will be identical.
Serve pilaf immediately. According to the traditional dish recipe, there is still time to go and "relax." This is about 20-30 minutes. Even if the rice did not have time to saturate well with aromas during cooking, in the allotted time of “rest” it will have time to catch up.
Stage 4. Proper serving of pilaf
Pilaf serving is one of the important points. Do not pick rice with a spoon, laying on plates. Pilaf is served in a completely different way. To begin with, you should prepare a large wide dish. It covers a cauldron instead of a lid and gently turns over. As a result, the rice is below, like a substrate. All the “beauty” - delicious fried meat, crispy slices of carrots, a passivated onion and fragrant garlic - is on top. It remains only to add a small touch in the form of chopped fresh herbs, and the dish is ready.
Secrets and Tips
- For cooking, it is better to choose strong, long-grain, non-starchy rice varieties.
- Carrots do not rub on a grater, but are cut in bars. Real Uzbek pilaf does not tolerate carrot slurry.
- Pilaf is not stirred during cooking!
- From meat it is better to give preference to pork, lamb or beef. Chicken, turkey or veal will not give the desired flavor to the dish.
- In addition to barberry and zira, you can put quince, dried apricots, raisins, dried garlic in pilaf.
- Vegetable oil is better to take aromatic. You can replace it with sesame or cotton.
- The ideal utensils are aluminum or cast iron cauldrons.
- Do not open the lid during cooking!
- The longer the pilaf “rests” (10, 20, 30 minutes), the tastier and more aromatic the dish will be.
- It is recommended to salt meat and vegetables, as well as add aromatic seasonings at the last stages of preparation, just before laying the rice.