There are about a thousand rice dishes on earth. Among the main ones are Spanish paella, sushi from Japan, and the famous oriental pilaf. But here we are, having tasted this divine dish, which is not in vain called the “king of Uzbek cuisine”, we want to reproduce it at home. And what do we get at the output? Ordinary Russian porridge with meat. How to cook pilaf so that rice does not stick together? This question is primarily asked by novice cooks. After all, the main feature of the dish is the friability of cereals.
Although there are about 50 varieties of pilaf in Uzbek cuisine, cooking all of them requires one set of dishes. As paella needs a wide and huge frying pan, so here we can not do without a cast-iron boiler with a round bottom. To this heavy dish relies a special ceramic lid - damper. It is these devices that create the optimal thermal balance, in which the grain does not dry out, but also gives off excess moisture. How to cook pilaf so that rice does not stick together in the conditions of simple European cuisine? Indeed, traditionally the dish is cooked on an open wood fire, where the heat comes from different directions. On a gas stove, heating goes only to the bottom of the pan. Therefore, you need to use a cast-iron pot or a thick-walled goose body. Instead of a lid, you can take a deep ceramic plate.
The second secret of how to cook pilaf so that the rice does not stick together is the cereal itself. In Central Asia, special varieties are used: devzira, bugdaygrunch and, of course, basmati. There is little starch in them - a sure guarantee that the groats will come out friable. When choosing the basis for pilaf, long-grain varieties of rice should be preferred. And to avoid those on the packaging of which are "for sushi" or "for puddings and casseroles."
But even after purchasing basmati, do not think that you will definitely get a friable dish. An equally important way to cook pilaf so that the rice does not stick together is to wash the grains. This should be done several times in cold or slightly warm water until the drained liquid becomes completely transparent. So we confidently get rid of starch, which turns pilaf into ordinary porridge.
The product tab is a rigorous canon. First, zirvak is made - the meat and vegetable base of the dish, and then cereal is added. Before you cook a simple pilaf, you should already have ready chopped onions, pieces of meat, carrots - in equal proportions by weight. Also stock up with zira, dried barberry, quince or raisins, garlic (you don’t need to peel it, just cut the ends off). Zirvak is made not just on heated vegetable oil or
fat tail fat, but on very calcined. A gray haze should appear above the cauldron when you put the first component there - the onion. Then there are meat slices that need to be mixed evenly until a crust forms, followed by carrots.
In the finished zirvak put salt, pepper, zira, barberry. Now comes the turn of rice. It is poured over the meat, but not stirred. All this is filled with water. So that the rice does not stick together, it should be boiling. And in order for the liquid to completely evaporate by the end of cooking, it must be poured so that it covers the cereal by 8-10 mm. In the process of preparing pilaf, you need to make a match in the rice layer with several holes and add boiling water. When the cereal reaches full readiness, turn off the fire, cover the cauldron with a plate and let the dish brew for 5-10 minutes.