Pilaf

Pilaf is an oriental groat (mostly rice) dish with meat (less often fish, vegetables and mushrooms). In Russia pilaf is made from rice, meat with the addition of vegetables and spices. There exist traditional Tatar and Crimean Tatar recipes of pilaf. In the rest of Russia the most popular are Azerbaijani or Uzbek versions of pilaf. Pilaf is traditionally cooked by men. In the East, pilaf is usually served in a large dish, around which a big company of guests gathers and eats it with hands. However, in modern cities pilaf has long been served a la carte and eaten with forks.

Ingredients

  • Rice - 1 kg
  • lamb - 1 kg
  • carrot - 1 kg
  • vegetable oil - 300 ml
  • small onions - 4 bulbs
  • small hot peppers - 2 pcs.
  • garlic – 2 bulbs
  • dried barberry - 1 tbsp.
  • cumin - 1 tbsp.
  • coriander seeds - 1 tsp.
  • salt – to taste

Preparation method (receipt)

Rinse rice with water several times. The last water after rinsing should be completely clear. Wash lamb and cut into cubes. Peel 3 onions and carrots. Slice onion into thin semi-circles, and the carrots - in 1 cm long strips. Peel garlic but do not divide into cloves. Warm up a large cooking pot (or another pan with a thick bottom and walls), pour in the oil and heat it until a light haze. Add the remaining onion and fry it until black. Take onion out of the pot. Prepare zirvak (the basis of pilaf). Fry onion until dark brown for 7 minutes, stirring. Add meat and fry to crust. Put carrots and fry for 3 minutes without stirring. Then mix everything and cook for 10 minutes, stirring gently. Rub cumin and coriander with fingers or a pounder and add to zirvak along with barberry and salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 7-10 minutes until the carrot is soft. Pour boiling water (2 cm high) into the pot. Put hot pepper. Slack the fire and simmer zirvak for 1 hour. Rinse rice once again and drain water. Put the rice on zirvak in an even layer, increase the fire to the maximum and pour hot- boiling water in the pot through a skimmer, so that it covers the rice with a layer of 3 cm. As soon as the water is absorbed, press the garlic bulbs into the rice, slack the fire to the medium and cook until rice is done. Slightly hit the rice with a skimmer. If the sound from the impact is dull, make a few punctures in rice to the very bottom using a stick. Level the surface out, cover the pot of pilaf first with a plate and then with a lid. Slack the fire to the minimum and leave for 30 minutes.


rice lamb carrot vegetable oil onions hot peppers garlic dried barberry cumin coriander seeds
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National dishes and recipes of Asian cuisine