Who tasted the real oriental dish with slices of meat, rice and spices called Uzbek pilaf (or Uzbek plov, palov), he will not forget its taste and aroma ever.
Lamb pilaf is a king of the Uzbek national cuisine. Uzbek plov, the cooking method of which was invented in ancient times, can also be called a culinary masterpiece.
Here are some useful advices of how to cook Uzbek pilaf.
Rice is washed completely and sometimes soaked in water. In the hot cauldron the fat of sheep's tail or vegetable oil is much warmed up, until a white fume; and then cooking of zirvak - bases of Uzbek pilaf rice recipe starts. First, in the boiling fat onion is fried, then pieces of meat are put. For Uzbek pilaf, depending on the recipe options, one can use mutton and goat meat, and beef. Meat is fried, stirring with a skimmer, until browned, then the carrots is laid, it is lightly fried, then water is poured into the cauldron and zirvak is stewed on low heat. Ready zirvak, seasoned with salt, red pepper or chilli, zira seeds (local relish) and dried berries of barberry, should be clearly and give a sense of the whole gamut of taste of fried mixture of onion, meat and carrots.
Finally, a decisive moment in cooking the real Uzbek plov – laying of rice, comes
The best rice for Uzbek pilaf is devzira - ancient local variety of rice, created by centuries of folk selection. From historical records it is known that in the X - XI centuries, in the era of the Samanids in the court feasts pilaf from devzira rice was used. This rice is cultivated in the Fergana Valley, mainly on private land of farmers, since it is considered to be unproductive fodder and unfit for cultivation on large plantations. However, low yields of devzira offset by choice quality of Uzbek pilaf. Its oblong ribbed grains of pink color have high water-absorbing properties. They contain less starch, but superior to other varieties in the number of vitamin B2 and choline.
Also another local breed of rice - kbugdayguruch is good for cooking Uzbek pilaf. Before laying in pilaf, these large white beans with pearl shade should be soaked in warm salt water.
Rice is laid on meat and carrot and is filled with water so that the level of water is at the height of "the first joint of the index finger" of pilaff cook.
In real Uzbek pilav rice should be crumbly, its grains should be soft and do not stick to each other. To bring pilaff to readiness, rice is knobbed in the middle of the cauldron and the cauldron is covered with a special ceramic lid or large deep dish and fire is minimally reduced. The experienced chef determines the readiness of pilaff, hitting the skimmer on the boiler wall. If the moisture of the rice is not fully evaporated he hears hissing, when the dish is ready - there is a dull sound. Uzbek palov is served on the table in lagans - large ceramic or porcelain dishes. Pieces of meat are laid on rice, and all is sprinkled with fresh chopped herbs. In ancient times, on weddings Uzbek pilaf was served to each guest separately on cakes (Uzbek flat bread).