Vegetarianism in recent years has become quite common in the world, including in our country. However, not everyone knows that meat-free dishes can be not only healthy, but also varied and very tasty. The fact that all vegetarians eat exclusively vegetable salads and fruits is a huge misconception. And we will prove it by preparing a delicious vegetarian pilaf.
The basis of our pilaf will be the same as that of an ordinary pilaf - fig. You can take any long-grain, but it is better to use a mixture of brown and wild rice. Firstly, this way the dish will be even more healthy, and secondly, it will look very impressive. With other ingredients, you can dream up.
Mushrooms and rice are a perfect match
We will tell you how to cook pilaf at home according to two interesting recipes that will greatly diversify your menu. The first way is with mushrooms. Cut carrots and onions (if desired) into thin strips and fry in vegetable oil. A little later add straw pepper and chopped mushrooms to them. After two minutes, you can fill in washed rice. We fill all this beauty with boiling water for about two fingers, salt and pepper, put a leaf of laurel and a clove of garlic.
We close our vegetarian pilaf with a lid and leave to simmer over low heat for half an hour, maybe a little longer. You will get a very aromatic, beautiful and, no doubt, delicious dish. By the way, for cooking it is better to use a cauldron for pilaf, but a deep frying pan with thick walls is also suitable.
Dried fruits add exotic
A somewhat exotic vegetarian pilaf is obtained according to the second recipe. For him, we will not use mushrooms, but take dried apricots, raisins and pine nuts. First, soak our dried fruits, cut dried apricots with straws or cubes. Fry garlic with onions in olive oil, add dried apricots and rice. We mix the mixture for several minutes so that each rice is coated with oil. Add water or vegetable broth, simmer for about 15 minutes. Then add raisins, saffron and pine nuts. Cook another 5-7 minutes and turn off the heat. Vegetarian is bad with nuts and dried fruits.
You can take the ingredients for pilaf by eye, adding more of what you love, and vice versa, eliminating some unloved ingredients. By the way, instead of pine nuts, you can use cashews or walnuts - they will give the dish its own special zest.
Variations on the theme of pilaf ...
Some instead of nuts use chickpeas, a representative of the legume family. It, like rice, needs to be pre-soaked and cooked for about half an hour. He will supply your dish with much-needed vegetable protein and make it more satisfying.
As for pilaf with mushrooms, here everything is also exclusively in your power. Take those that you like: white, chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, champignons, or a mixture of several species. Experiment with spices. For example, cardamom, cumin, coriander, paprika are perfect for this recipe.
By the way, vegetarian pilaf can also be dietary. If you have such an invention as a slow cooker, then it is easy to do without oil at all. Just fill in all the pilaf components in turn, select the desired mode and give it a command to cook. While you will be busy with other household chores, this assistant will prepare you a healthy and tasty lunch. Enjoy your meal!