Those who are familiar with the cuisine of Central Asia will forever retain these culinary adventures in their memory. They will tell their friends about the incredibly diverse, vibrant and fragrant local dishes. Their names alone seem to melt in your mouth - shish-kebab, manti, samsa ... But the king of all this splendor, of course, is a real Uzbek pilaf. It is he who excites our sense of smell and taste buds. It is especially appreciated for cooking in the bosom of nature - there the meat is tastier and the appetite is stronger.
Later in the article you will learn how to cook Uzbek pilaf at the stake, with all the smallest details. And even if until now you have never made pilaf in such conditions, you will be able to cook this chic dish yourself, thanks to these small culinary wisdom.
Classic oriental dish
Such a pilaf is always prepared for a large company or family. In Central Asia, it is customary to eat it with your hands directly from a common cauldron and drink it with green tea. Only those who once participated in such a celebration of life in the lap of nature can understand this pleasure.
It is the Uzbek pilaf in the cauldron at the stake - the legendary dish that will not turn out so masterpiece if you cook it on the stove. Do you want the thrill, barbaric grandeur and stunning riot of aromas? Then you should definitely cook Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron at the stake with your family or friends.
So, what exactly is needed to decorate a picnic with a decent pilaf? Not so much, but with the nuances it is still worth getting acquainted.
Tableware
First of all, you need to take care of a real cast-iron cauldron - no other dishes are suitable for a recipe for Uzbek pilaf at the stake. It should be quite large (accommodate at least 10 liters), have a thick-walled and rounded bottom.
Such a boiler is not so easy to find, but the efforts are worth it. The cost of such pleasure is about 1 thousand rubles. Such dishes will serve you faithfully for many years, so we can say that this is one of the most justified purchases.
Choose meat
The classic, of course, involves the use of lamb. However, in Russia you rarely find good lamb, so it is better to replace it with beef. To cook Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron at the stake, you will need a piece of fresh veal and a half kilograms. It needs to be cut into large pieces.
Spice
When choosing ingredients for pilaf in the market, do not forget to go to the counter with spices. We will need two of the most important components - barberry and zira. Zira, in fact, gives pilaf aroma, familiar from childhood, and barberry - sourness, which completes a harmonious culinary symphony. We turn to the vegetables.
Vegetable preparation
Cooking Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron at the stake is a fairly quick process, so preparation for it should take place in advance.
In addition to meat, we will need:
- 1 kilogram of carrots;
- 1 kilogram of large onions;
- 1 kilogram of rice.
Cutting carrots is the most tedious task in the recipe for Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron at the stake.
Ideally, you should get even straws. To do this, first cut the large carrots into pieces of 5-6 centimeters. Then we cut the bars into plates half a centimeter thick, and only then we cut this pack of plates along. So the straw is ready.
Next, peel the onion, cut it into half rings. And remember: there are never too many onions in pilaf!
Fry meat and vegetables
We make fire. The first 20 minutes of cooking, it should be just raging!
So, the cauldron is already standing on a fierce fire. Pour into it about 100 grams of vegetable oil. The oil should be very hot, after which you can send meat to the cauldron.
Caution! Beware of splashing oil. The meat should be fried until golden brown.
As soon as it reaches the desired condition, feel free to dip onions and carrots into the cauldron. It is very important to watch the cauldron, periodically stirring the roast. Remember that the fire must be strong. When the vegetables are well cooked, you need to add two heads of unpeeled garlic to them - it will give a pleasant aroma to your pilaf.
Next, pour the water into the fry. At first about one liter, but, if necessary, you can add more. After boiling, we proceed to refuel the pilaf. Add salt to the seething dish - don’t be stingy, because rice steals salt great!
Next, we send half of our spices to the broth. The remains will be used at the final stage of cooking Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron at the stake.
We use the remains of spices at the finish of cooking pilaf.
What about rice?
It would seem, what difficulties can the choice of rice cause? But, as true connoisseurs of oriental cuisine say, legends can be made about good pilaf. And a real Uzbek pilaf will be obtained only from the Dev Zra variety. This rice has a dark brown color and a nondescript appearance. By the way, it is quite expensive, unlike plain white rice.
Good rice dev zra can be found on the market at a cost of 250 rubles per kilogram. However, you should not be so wasteful if you are a beginner. For Uzbek pilaf at the stake, inexpensive varieties can also be used for the first time. And if you are a guru of good deeds, then you can safely buy brown rice.
But in principle, as the culinary experts say, any high-quality variety of steamed or polished rice is suitable for Uzbek pilaf. By the way, steamed rice will guarantee that your pilaf does not turn into sticky rice porridge. Therefore, you can buy cereals for 50-70 rubles, and at the same time do not lose valuable taste of pilaf. Contrary to all legends, rice does not need to be pre-soaked, because this action should be applied only to very hard varieties.
Cooking Uzbek pilaf in a cauldron at the stake: finish line
Let us return to our cauldron, in which a strongly salted mixture of fried meat, spices, onions and several garlic heads actively seethes. Next we have to reduce the fire. To do this, we dig out part of the coals or put a cauldron higher, for example, on a frying grate. Then pour rice and add water.
Pour rice directly onto vegetables and meat, and in no case should you mix it! From the very moment you poured rice into the cauldron, all movements with a slotted spoon should become insinuating and accurate - rough stirring will only ruin the dish. After you poured rice into the cauldron, you need to measure the right amount of water. And when you flatten the rice with a slotted spoon, cover it with water for about two fingers, no more.
Be sure to follow the cauldron - after 6-7 minutes, the rice will be exposed, and you will need to cover it with water again. After the second such procedure, we proceed to the following steps: pour the rest of the spices into the cauldron and carefully “cut off” the top layer of rice with a slotted spoon and turn it over.
A little more, and the pilaf will be ready! But to get a uniformly cooked dish, you will have to try a little more.
Making the finishing touches
So we came to the moment when everything around you smelled of the spicy aroma of rice and meat from the cauldron ... There is no water in the cauldron, but the rice is still not so soft, would you like it? Well, let's start the construction of the "mound"! To do this, you need to carefully rake the rice from the edges to the center, building a rice hill. Gradually, we raise the rice up and thereby immerse the hard, not yet ready rice in the depths of the "mound", where humidity and maximum temperature are preserved. Step by step, and now you are lifting from the bottom of the cauldron not only finished rice, but also meat with fried vegetables.
Here, in general, and all the tricks of making high-quality Uzbek pilaf. Of course, in nature it is much easier to cook kebabs, but if you get a hand, then such a pilaf will be cooked quite quickly. A couple of times - and you are in ace pilaf. In fact, at first it is worth experimenting at home, in the kitchen, and then show off your culinary abilities to friends. For example, to get good at chopping carrots is already worth a lot.
By the way, one such pilaf from 1 kilogram of rice can satisfy the hunger of 7-8 friends, and the fame of your culinary skills will spread throughout the district. There are not so many indifferent to this dish, so this is an ideal option for lunch in hiking conditions. Enjoy your meal!