In order for pilaf to remain pilaf, and not porridge with meat and vegetables, it is very important to observe the cooking technology. One of the important points is choosing the right rice.
Those who want to cook an everyday dish, rice for pilaf should choose medium-graded varieties. Rice should be strong and almost transparent. Such varieties as Krasnodar, Thai or Jasmine are not suitable for pilaf - they are quite soft, so they boil very quickly. Basmati rice is very suitable for pilaf, especially if it is produced in Spain, Mexico or the United Arab Emirates.
When buying rice for pilaf in the store, choose transparent packaging. So you can well consider whether there are fragments among the grains of rice that quickly boil apart. You should not buy rice, in which there are a lot of yellow and opaque grains - this indicates its low quality. The ideal rice for pilaf has long elongated grains of the same size that look like frosted glass.
Determining which rice is needed for pilaf is quite simple. If you take a handful of rice and squeeze it hard, then it should not crumble. Experienced chefs buy rice for pilaf varieties Dastar-Saryk, Devzira and Lazar. The latter is also called azure, it is starchy Khorezm rice, which does not boil and does not increase in volume during cooking. Which rice is better for pilaf is a matter of taste, but experts advise to use Lazar for Khorezm, Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara pilaf.
Devzira is of different quality and grades. The grains of this rice have an elongated thick shape. Soft brick shades have a longitudinal strip of brown or red. Real Dev Zira is much heavier than other rice varieties. If you squeeze the seeds in a handful, they emit a crunch. Dastar-saryk is most often used for the preparation of Ferghana pilaf. This is a variety of fermented smoked rice, which has great hardness and a characteristic specific taste and smell. After washing, Dastar-saryk becomes
almost transparent and takes on a hue of dark amber. After collecting rice
stacked in unfrozen form for several years in the shade, while watering it
several times with water. The longer Dastar-Saryk lay, the better and tastier it becomes. Its volume increases up to seven times during the preparation of pilaf. It must be washed repeatedly in cold water, then soaked in salted water, and rinsed with warm water again before cooking.
Chungara rice variety is grown in the vicinity of Kokand. He has
completely white color and elongated shape. Chungara absorbs water perfectly
significantly increasing in volume. This rice variety absorbs little oil and fat,
therefore, dishes from it are light.
In shops you can find rice made in Iran, Burma or Vietnam. These varieties are not very suitable for cooking pilaf. For example, Burmese rice has a snow-white hue and absorbs water well, pilaf from it turns out to be fresh and tasteless. This rice must be washed many times, and when cooking, add twice as many vegetables, meat and spices. You can cook pilaf, similar to Uzbek, only by soaking Burmese rice several times for 3-4 hours in salted warm water.
The best for cooking pilaf is large oblong rice. You should never mix rice of different varieties or from different lots, even if it looks the same. Cooking results may turn out to be deplorable - some of the rice will be overcooked, and some will be damp. All pictures should be the same size and attractive in appearance. Sticky rice varieties are also not suitable for pilaf - they are better used for making milk porridges.