In the culinary art of many nations of the world, some of the ingredients or semi-finished products used in the further preparation of dishes are truly universal. That chopped meat - one of those. Moreover, not only juicy cutlets and cutlets of all ranks and stripes can be built from it, but also adapted for matchless handmade dumplings, mouth-watering cabbage rolls and casseroles, to be drafted into the ranks of fillings for ruddy pies and pies, and many other goodies.
Chopped meat is a suitable and even indispensable basis for many dishes, so it is important to know for sure how to cook it most correctly. We will deal with this later in the article. We hope that you will not waste your precious time in vain, following our experience.
Minced meat
In today's realities of modern kitchens, as a rule, equipped, if not with the latest technology, then, probably, with the help of familiar appliances, you can make minced meat in several proven ways:
- twist in a meat grinder;
- use blenders - stationary or submersible;
- try yourself in a manual method - with a pair of sharp knives.
Many, especially not too experienced home cooks, immediately prefer either of the first two, justifying their choice with the fact that, we are not in the Stone Age. And in general, in a meat grinder it will turn out faster and more uniformly. But we will not look for easy ways?
Minced meat: cooking and secrets
Why does an authentic cook choose the third way? When using chopping, the meat will come out juicier and tastier, since it is chopped, but not crumpled in its internal structure, as, for example, occurs in a meat grinder. And all its juices will remain inside small pieces. Of course, a blender does something similar, with one “but”: it sweeps the fabric almost into a paste. Do we need it?
By the way, minced meat can be prepared with a single knife. But if you use a pair, it will be three times faster (and it looks very impressive)! Knives should be as sharp as possible, intended for these purposes (that is, not rounded - by dining), and also - quite heavy. The process itself will require a heavy and durable (beech, oak) board, and under it you can lay a kitchen towel - for maximum stability on the table.
Minced meat recipe step by step
Next, proceed as follows:
- Before cooking minced meat, if necessary, separate the pulp from the chaff and rinse in running water. Then it should be dried to remove excess moisture. And if the piece is large, then we cut it in half or in three parts, since it will be much easier to operate with narrow stripes in the future.
- Cut each strip across the fiber into thinner slices. Putting them in a stack of three, we cut another into cubes, about 1 x 1 centimeter in size.
- Now that the preliminary work has come to the end, and on the board there is chopped into rough flesh, we proceed directly to the cutting, armed with sharp knives and working with two at once.
- By the way, movements can be slow too, it is important to act in a mode that is comfortable for you: speed will come with experience. With both knives, we try to collect the pieces closer to the center, so it will be easier to chop.
Size matters!
Regarding the size of the particles of minced meat: here individually, as someone likes to make bigger, someone smaller. The main thing is that it doesn’t turn out mushy and the meat does not let the internal juices out. And the optimal dimensions are achieved experimentally (from a millimeter to a half centimeter). In addition, for example, it is advised to use larger chopped meat for kebab. And for cutlets, a smaller one is also suitable. As soon as the consistency you need is reached, the handmade ground minced meat is ready.
Dishes
Chopped meat dishes are famous for their diversity and national flavor. Thanks to the method of preparation of the most basic ingredient, all of them are distinguished by increased juiciness and original taste:
- Beef Steaks. They are prepared from beef or veal minced meat. Also add a little interior fat (also beef). Ratio: about 1 to 7. Next, we’ll drive an egg into the mass, add a third of a glass of milk, seasoning to taste and salt. Knead and shape. We fry in the usual "cutlet" mode. If we want to get steaks with blood, then do not fry a little.
- For dumplings, you can also use minced meat. We make it from pork (1 part) and beef (3 parts). Add a little salt (1/10 part), onion, salt, a mixture of peppers. Knead and use as a filling.
- Lula kebab. In the classics we cook from sheep meat (3 parts). Add a lot of onions, also chopped (1 part), tail fat mutton (1 part). From spices we use cilantro, coriander, zira, a mixture of peppers and garlic. Knead the minced meat and form long kebabs, stringing them onto skewers.
Cutlets - to the studio!
Chopped meat cutlets are the fastest that you can cook without much straining. To the minced meat, add the egg, onion, crumbled with a knife, the flesh of white bread, soaked in milk, spices and peppers. Knead the minced meat. We form not too big cutlets. Knead in breading and fry on both sides in well-heated oil until tender (check for break: if the entrails are not pink, then the delicious second dish can already be turned off and served with a side dish of potatoes, rice, and a salad of fresh vegetables.
The secret: so that the cutlets are not stewed, namely fried, you need to preheat a large frying pan. Then on it almost bring to a boil lean oil for frying. And put each cutlet separately from the other so that their edges do not touch. Thus, they will be fried, not stewed. But, by the way, you can also make steam (better from minced poultry meat or mixed). They come out incredibly juicy due to the fact that the meat does not release its juice, but keeps it inside until the very end of the preparation of the dish and only at the time of eating the dish - it “opens” completely.