How much water do you need per glass of rice for pilaf?

Pilaf is a traditional Caucasian dish. Its history goes back thousands of years. Today it is difficult to say where and when they first decided to mix such ingredients as rice, meat, carrots, onions and aromatic steppe spices. But the secret to cooking this pilaf is not only in the list of products.

It is believed that in the mountains the dish is cooked in the skin of a sheep, which is buried in the hot coals of a fire. The inhabitants of the steppes make it in huge cast-iron cauldrons over an open fire. Unfortunately, most Europeans are deprived of the opportunity to cook pilaf in such ways, but this is not a problem. To make the dish fragrant, crumbly, moderately fat and juicy, you need to know some secrets. For example, how much water is needed per glass of rice.

Why is it necessary to know the proportions?

A simple proportion of liquid and cereals ensures the correct texture of the dish. Rice will not stick together, but will not be too dry. Each seed, when properly cooked, is separated from each other, so pilaf is crumbly and appetizing. But the answer to the question, how much water is needed per glass of rice, is not so straightforward. It all depends on many factors that you should familiarize yourself with in more detail.

Rice variety

First of all, how much water is needed per glass of rice depends on the type of cereal. One variety is able to absorb more liquid, the other - less. But for pilaf it is better to take long-grain Italian rice. "Basmati" or "Jasmine" will not work, as they boil too quickly, and with prolonged cooking lose their shape. Today's varieties of wild and black rice should also be excluded, despite their benefits and excellent taste.

Ideal option is unpolished rice. For example, you can take Camolino. But in the homeland of pilaf, in Uzbekistan, this dish is prepared from a special variety - “Devzira”. It is distinguished by large grains having a pinkish tint. Although steamed is quite suitable as a budget option. It completely preserves its structure during cooking, but it needs to be cooked a little longer. The usual cooking method involves taking twice as much water as cereals. For pilaf, fluid is needed even more.

Steamed rice

It should be noted that steamed rice absorbs more moisture than, for example, round. But how do you know how much water you need? A glass of steamed rice to prepare a regular side dish requires two to two and a half glasses of liquid. For pilaf water will take more. It will take about three glasses. It is important to know that during the cooking of pilaf with steamed rice, you can not open the lid of the pan or cauldron until the dish is completely ready. This will require at least 30-40 minutes. But there are other nuances in the preparation of this oriental dish. For example, in order to know how much water you need per glass of rice, you should decide on the method of cooking pilaf.

Ways to cook pilaf

Two main methods for preparing pilaf are noted. These are Azerbaijani and Uzbek. The cooking method determines how much water is needed per glass of rice. Nevertheless, the consistency in any case will be approximately the same. With proper cooking, the rice grains are well separated from each other, and in the pilaf there is no excess liquid.

Azerbaijani pilaf

Azerbaijani pilaf has its own specifics of cooking, when compared with Uzbek. Vegetables and meat in this case are fried separately. They should acquire a golden hue, after which all the ingredients are mixed in a cauldron for cooking pilaf. Rice falls asleep on top. Remember how much water you need. To make a glass of rice is one thing, to cook pilaf is another. Vegetables and meat also absorb liquid during cooking, especially in the Azerbaijani recipe. Therefore, to add water, according to the recipe, you need even more. For example, two glasses of cereal, four and a half - water.

Uzbek pilaf

The technology for cooking Uzbek pilaf is somewhat different. For him, you need to take a large amount of fat. How to cook it? In vegetable oil, fat tail fat is heated , then the onion is fried. Meat, carrot is added to it. Everything is mixed and poured with a small amount of water. This is about a glass. The mixture is stewed for a while. From this we can conclude that less fluids are needed after falling asleep than for the first recipe. A glass of water will take one and a half to two glasses of water. It is necessary to ensure that the liquid covers the rice no more than two fingers.

Basic cooking rules

Knowing how much water is needed per glass of rice is not the only secret to making a legendary dish. There are several nuances that make pilaf exactly the way it should be: moderately fat, crumbly, having a golden hue and an incredibly rich aroma. Many housewives and professional cooks fail to achieve the desired effect. So what you need to know in order to cook on a regular stove such pilaf, which is obtained from the steppe and mountain peoples?

Secrets, without which it is impossible to cook a real pilaf

You should remember the basic rules of cooking:

1. Rice should be washed thoroughly 5-7 times. The water in which it is located should become completely transparent before you begin to drain it and fill the cereal in a cauldron.
2. Real pilaf is not mixed during cooking. Rice is neatly stacked on top of vegetables and meat, leveled. Mix all the ingredients immediately before serving.
3. The choice of dishes is important. For pilaf, it is better to use a cauldron or pan with thick cast-iron walls and a bottom. The lid should tightly cover the container. During cooking, its best not to open.
4. In order to find out how much water is needed per 1 cup of rice, you can simply gently pour the liquid on top of the cereal so that it covers the pilaf by 3 cm.
5. 5 minutes before the end of cooking, stick a few unpeeled garlic cloves into the grits.
6. After the cauldron is removed from the fire, it is better to wrap it for half an hour in a warm blanket. Then the rice will evaporate completely. Pilaf will have the desired consistency.

Spice

How much water is needed per glass of rice for pilaf, knowing is undoubtedly important. But there are other secrets. So, every oriental cook knows that spices are the basis of the dish. Ideal for pilaf:

• zira (cumin);
• hot pepper pods;
• garlic;
• black pepper.

It is better to take sea salt, as it fully reveals the taste of each of the ingredients. Subject to all the rules of preparation, the dish should turn out simply unsurpassed. It is prepared with the addition of different types of meat. It can be like lamb, pork, beef, chicken and even seafood.