Pilaf is considered one of the main dishes in Uzbek cuisine. It should be noted that it is long and difficult to cook it. To cook a real Uzbek pilaf from lamb, you need to take into account a large number of nuances, as well as know some of the subtleties. As a result, each housewife prepares a special pilaf, which has its own unique taste. There are various ways to prepare this delicious and fragrant dish.
Ideally, the Uzbek mutton pilaf is made on an open fire in a cast iron or aluminum cauldron with a round and thick bottom. Of course, going out of town “on pilaf” as “on barbecue” is a good idea. But in most cases, pilaf is done at home on an electric or gas stove. A cauldron with a round bottom is difficult to put on the burner. But you can buy a special roasting pan in which the bottom is flat and round inside. The main condition: the dishes should have a thick bottom.
How to cook lamb pilaf ? To do this, you need 0.5 kg of lamb, 1 kg of rice, 0.5 kg of carrots, 5 onions, 250 grams of fat (you can use oil). And also spices - salt, barberry, pepper, zira.
The dishes need to be heated to 100 degrees. Temperature is, of course, difficult to measure. But you can, for example, check it with a drop of water. If the water evaporates quickly, then you can spread fat or oil. If you are going to cook lamb pilaf in fat, then you need to cut it into small cubes, melt and remove the greaves. The fat will need to be boiled until a grayish smoke appears (do not forget about the hood!). After which the fire should be reduced, and the smoke will gradually begin to lighten. Then toss a pinch of salt into the hot fat. If you do everything right, you will hear a characteristic crack. Also, instead of salt, you can put half of the onion for 10-15 seconds. This is done so that the fat does not bite. In addition, harmful substances are neutralized in fat.
Then, onion, cut into rings, is thrown into the fat. Now comes one of the crucial moments in cooking. The thing is that you need not to miss the moment when the onion becomes reddish, crunchy and does not have time to burn. If you miss this moment, pilaf will be bitter. As soon as the onion reaches the desired "condition", the meat is laid out, diced. When the meat is well fried, carrots cut into strips are added. It is better to rub it by hand, but it is possible on a coarse grater. Products must be fried until half cooked over medium heat.
After that, pour water into the dishes, which should slightly cover the entire contents. Once the gravy boils, add salt and spices. Then reduce the heat and be patient. Gravy should be left to boil for 25-30 minutes.
Finally, the moment has come for putting the rice. Rice, thoroughly washed, is laid evenly over the gravy. Do not mix anything! Then gently fill the water, the "layers" should remain in place. Water should be just above the level of rice by about 2 centimeters. After this, you need to set the burner to maximum. And at such a high heat, pilaf is cooked until all the water has evaporated. Then you need to reduce gas to a minimum and collect rice with a wooden spoon, forming a hill. The "hill" must be pierced in several places with the other end of a wooden spoon. Next, cover the rice for 20-25 minutes. When the mutton pilaf is cooked, you need to mix it well. The meat is placed on top when serving. As a side dish, you can use salads from fresh vegetables.
When cooking this dish, it is important to choose the right amount of fire on the burner. When pilaf is cooked at the stake, it is very difficult to regulate the temperature.
Lamb pilaf, prepared according to all the rules, is done for two and a half hours. Not every housewife can allocate so much time. Usually all stages are shortened. However, the results are very different, and for the worse.