Pilaf is a dish that everyone loves, without exception. Juicy, nourishing, aromatic. It looks great on the festive table, and it is prepared quite quickly and simply. But there are many subtleties, not knowing which to cook a really delicious pilaf will not work. Many housewives are faced with the fact that instead of friable it turns out sticky. Yes, rice porridge with meat is also not bad, but not at all what we would like. Therefore, the choice of ingredients must be approached very seriously. Today we’ll talk about which meat is better for pilaf.
Of your choice
Pilaf is very picky about rice and spices. Do not try to cook a tasty dish if you only have round-grain rice for porridge. It boils well, it makes a delicious milk porridge. But in this case, you need to keep the pictures intact. Therefore, try to choose long-grain, yellow rice. And don't forget the meat! Which is better for pilaf?
In this regard, the dish is quite democratic. Almost any meat you have in the refrigerator is suitable for this purpose. Sometimes even ... fish is used. But we should not forget that the taste of the finished dish will depend on the choice. Refuse the meat of young animals. It quickly crumbles into fibers and loses its taste.
Mutton
Traditionally, for the preparation of delicious pilaf, the meat of these animals is used. However, not everyone likes a specific smell. If you belong to this category of people, it is better not to experiment, but immediately replace it with beef or pork. It will turn out no less tasty, however, the result will be slightly different.
In general, the question of which meat is better for pilaf is ambiguous. It depends on what end result you want to get. But if you want to cook exactly that classic pilaf from Central Asia, then you must give preference to lamb. It is sold in almost every city, although the choice may be worse than in the case of the same beef or pork.
Which piece do you like
You can, of course, ask sellers in the market. But they have a slightly different task - to realize all the available meat. Therefore, you may not get what you need at all.
So, on the agenda - mutton pilaf. What meat is better to take? Abandon your hind leg - there are a lot of hard muscles. It is best to take ribs, shoulder blade or neck. A good taste will turn out if you add a few ribs and fat tail to the pilaf.
According to traditional recipes, the meat is cut into large pieces, approximately 150 g. First, the pieces are fried until brown. After that, water is added to the cauldron and stewed until soft. And only then can you fry the onions and carrots and lay the rice. It is recommended to fry meat at an oil temperature of 180 degrees. If the temperature is made higher, then it will be charred from above, and inside it will remain moist.
Recipe
You yourself decide which meat is better to make pilaf. In the meantime, let's look at the process of cooking a real Uzbek pilaf. First you need to prepare the ingredients:
- Rice - 1 part.
- Carrots, onions - 1 part each.
- Meat - 1 part.
- Oil - 0.3 parts.
- Water - 1 part.
What does "one piece" mean? You can choose a measure arbitrarily. But it’s very convenient to take a faceted glass of 300 g as such. Measure all products immediately so that you don’t have to return to this issue during the preparation process.
Rice should be soaked in cold water for 2 hours. After an hour, it needs to be washed, and then again pour cold water. So you wash away excess starch. Pour the cereal into a colander to glass the water. Excess liquid can spoil the entire dish, so you need to monitor this especially carefully.
Now you need to cook overcooking. To do this, we strongly heat the pan, pour the oil and also heat it almost to smoke. After that, fry the meat chopped into slices, then chopped onion rings and chopped carrots with straws. Focus on the willingness of vegetables. This is not so difficult, usually the housewives understand well when the carrots become soft.
Top you need to fall asleep rice. Do not mix anything. Add water, it needs exactly as much as rice. Be sure to pierce the handle of the spoon with five holes to the bottom. They lay cloves of garlic. And now the most important thing. We close the cauldron very tightly with a lid and reduce the fire to the very minimum. Content should gurgle a little. And do not open even for a second. Set the timer for 70 minutes and go about your business.
After the time has passed, stir the pilaf, close and leave for another hour.
Closed cover
Why is this so important? Is it really impossible to look in and check if the dish is burning? If you do everything according to the prescription, then do not worry. Nothing will burn. And a tight lid is needed here. When the temperature reaches 75 degrees, starch begins to form on the pilaf grains, which becomes the cause of the paste-like consistency of porridge. But when the temperature rises above 96 degrees, the starch breaks down and turns into glucose, which is absorbed into the grains. With the lid closed, the steam rises. It will cause the destruction of starch. As you can see, everything is very interconnected. Uzbeks cook pilaf in cauldrons at the stake. There the temperature is completely different, so nothing sticks together.
Pork
And we continue to consider which meat is better to cook pilaf. With lamb everything is clear, it is a classic, but it is not always at hand. Try making pork pilaf. The flavor of the dish is completely different, but this, again, is a matter of taste. It should be noted that this meat is a bit sweet. This will have to be compensated with the help of barberry and other spices.
And what exactly to choose from pork? Which meat is better for pilaf? In this case, give preference to the back leg, shoulder, or neck. But the loin is not suitable for stewing, as it will lose its juices during the preparation process and it will turn out dry. The ribs will be very good. Do not forget that a layer of fat should be cut from meat, because excess fat will not benefit.
If pork was frozen, then the defrosting process should proceed at room temperature. Speeding up this process under a stream of warm water or in the microwave degrades the quality of the meat, so it’s better not to save time.
Beef
This is a favorite meat in almost every family. Fragrant, tasty, not too fat, perfect in stew. Beef is also good for pilaf. What meat is better to take? For stewing, shank, shoulder blade, brisket and drumstick are preferred. As in the case of lamb, it is better not to take the back leg. The meat here is fibrous, harsh. It is better to twist it into minced meat and add a little pork for tenderness.
Many people think that only veal is used for cooking. In fact, properly prepared and seasoned beef far surpasses veal in its taste. It takes at least 3 hours to extinguish it, only after that it will be possible to cook pilaf on the basis obtained. Otherwise, in the finished dish, the meat will be tough, and the stew aroma will not have time to open.
Ideal pilaf recipe
Of course, each mistress has his own. Someone is preparing a meal in a pan, others believe, and not without reason, that the best pilaf is in a cauldron. What meat to take for this, we have already discussed. There is no single answer to this question and it cannot be. But judging by the numerous reviews, according to this recipe, he always turns out to be successful and pleases the guests. Therefore, we write down another cooking option and try it in the very near future. You will need:
- Beef Meat - 900 g.
- Long grain rice - 2.5 cups.
- 3-4 onions and as many carrots.
- Olive oil - half a glass.
- Hot peppers - one pod green and red.
- Seasonings - 1 tsp each. zirs and turmeric.
It is best to take the scapular part of the carcass with white fat and not too dark meat. Let's prepare all the ingredients. This is the most time-consuming part.
- Carrots need to be cut into thin strips.
- Grind the onion in a cube.
- Dry the beef with a paper towel and cut into cubes.
- In a cauldron, heat the oil and fry the meat until golden brown.
- Add the onion and wait for it to fry.
- It is the turn of carrots. Stew it until tender. In the process add whole barberry and pepper.
When the vegetables are ready, fill the meat with water and remove the pepper. Now you need to simmer the contents of the cauldron (pot) until the meat is soft and the water evaporates. Adjust the amount of fluid. If the meat is already ready, but there is still water, then you need to increase the heat and evaporate it. Now pour the rice, add water in a 1: 2 ratio and close the lid, leaving a small hole. After 40 minutes, you will need to remove the lid and add garlic. If by this time the water has evaporated, then you can turn off the fire and mix the pilaf. After this, it is required to wrap and leave to evaporate for 20-30 minutes. Soon you will be able to enjoy the most delicious pilaf.
Poultry meat
Speaking about which meat is better to take for pilaf, one should not forget about chicken. But forget about factory chickens. You need a homemade chicken, big and fat. Depending on the size of the cauldron, half of the carcass can be cut. Here we will not allocate wings, legs and breast. Half the carcass must be cut into equal pieces and fry in a cauldron. After the pieces have a golden color, they are removed from the cauldron and fry the carrots and onions. Then lay back the meat and rice. This is necessary so that tender meat does not fall apart into fibers during the stewing process.
Alternatives
What kind of meat for pilaf do you want to use? Is there a piece of horse meat at home? Excellent. It will make a delicious pilaf. The only rule: it can not be fried, otherwise the meat will become inedible. Stew it well, then add to the fried onions and carrots. On this frying can be considered ready.
A tender rabbit can also become the basis for pilaf. But sweet meat is cooked very quickly, and it does not need to be fried at all. Therefore, first we cook the vegetables, then lay out the rabbit and add rice almost immediately. Even with spices, the taste is very delicate. Not everyone likes this option, but rabbit meat is considered dietary meat, unlike pork or lamb.
Instead of a conclusion
Pilaf is one of the most mysterious dishes. Many housewives are surprised, they say, like I’m doing everything as expected, but it turns out porridge with meat and carrots. Today we have revealed all the secrets. What meat to choose, in what order to lay products, proportions and time - everything plays a role. Try to cook it exactly according to the recipe - and the result will definitely please you.
A good pilaf is moderately fat, crumbly and bright. By the way, you can use not only rice. Pilaf is made with bulgur, lentils, peas and chickpeas, buckwheat. That is, with almost any cereal. The whole secret is that cereals are not boiled in water, but are steamed, absorbing all the aromas. And what meat is better to make pilaf, decide for yourself.