I like to cook pilaf, so I’m happy to add these recipes to my repertoire. If you like it, cook it with pleasure.

INGREDIENTS

Medium grain rice “Italica” (“Mistral”) - 300 gr.

Armenian lavash - 2 pcs. (I have “Wheat roll for making rolls” 1.5 sheets)

Meat (chicken, lamb) - 500 gr.

Onion - 2 pcs. (medium size)

Butter - 70 gr.

Dried apricots - 100 gr.

Raisins - 50 gr.

Garlic - 3-4 cloves

A pinch of saffron

A pinch of turmeric

Spices for pilaf or a mixture of spices: salt, pepper, cumin, barberry, paprika

Vegetable oil for frying meat

_______ _________ _________

HOW TO COOK

Rinse the rice. Place in a saucepan in layers (1 cm thick), topped with thin slices of butter. Add salt (to taste), a pinch of saffron and turmeric. Pour water into the rice in a ratio of 1:2 and cook until tender.

Meanwhile, cut the meat into small pieces and fry until golden brown in vegetable oil.

Cut the onion into small cubes and add to the meat. Fry for 5-7 minutes.

Soak raisins and dried apricots in boiling water for 5 minutes. Then cut the dried apricots into small pieces. Add raisins, dried apricots and spices to the meat, stir. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Chop the garlic and add to the mixture removed from the heat. Mix.

Cut the pita bread into strips approximately 5 cm wide.

Melt the butter. Grease the cauldron (baking dish) with it. Place strips of pita bread in the shape of a fan (overlapping), while brushing them with melted butter. It is necessary to leave the hanging parts of the pita bread.

Place a layer of rice on the bottom. Then add a layer of meat. Alternately add all the rice and meat.

Cover the rice with the hanging parts of the pita bread and brush with oil. Cover the top of the cauldron with foil.

Bake in a preheated oven for 40-45 minutes at 160 degrees. 15-20 minutes before the end, remove the foil.

Place pilaf from the cauldron onto a dish. Cut the resulting “pilaf cake” into portions using a sharp knife!

Vegetarian Azerbaijani Shah-pilaf with dried fruits in lavash No. 1

The highlight of pilaf is that it is cooked with dried fruits, including raisins, but it is salty - and of course there is no meat in it at all! Plus, it's served very festively - baked in sheets of pita bread like a cake - it's not for nothing that it's a traditional wedding dish in its homeland. And here's how to prepare it - a step-by-step recipe with photos.

Ingredients

Basmati rice - 0.5 kg

Raisins - 150 gr

Dried apricots - 150 gr

Cherry plum/dogwood (or other dried fruit with a sour taste) - 150g

Walnut - 250 gr.

Carrots - 3 medium pieces

Butter - 1 pack 200 g

Thin lavash - 1-2 pack

Cooking instructions

The secret of proper Azerbaijani pilaf is properly cooked rice. Basmati is used for pilaf (the longer the grain, the better). The rice must be soaked for half an hour in plenty of cold water and then rinsed well under running cold water until the water becomes clear. After the rice is washed, pour 3 times more boiling water, add salt and cook for about 3-5 minutes. The rice should be cooked until al dente - so that the inside of the rice is uniform in color, but still tastes raw. Place the rice with all the excess liquid in a sieve/small colander and pour boiling water over it and leave to drain in the sieve. It is ready for further preparation of pilaf.

Wash the dried fruits, dry them and cut them into small pieces (of course, you don’t need to cut the raisins). Melt a third of a stick of butter in a frying pan and start sauteing the chopped dried fruits, after a few minutes add 2 tablespoons of sugar and a little salt to them so that they seem to caramelize a little (this will happen literally a few minutes after adding the sugar). Turn off the pan.

Cut the carrots into small cubes and sauté in vegetable oil until almost done. Add salt.

Break the walnut into pieces and fry a little in a dry frying pan.

Cut the pita bread into long strips about 5-6 cm wide. Melt the remaining butter. Now you can start shaping the pilaf itself.

In a deep form with a wide diameter (preferably a thick-bottomed cauldron or frying pan), lay out the strips of pita bread overlapping, greasing with oil. Let the remaining length of the pita bread hang down on the sides - we will cover the top of the pilaf with them. When the entire surface of the bottom and sides is covered with 2 layers of pita bread, it’s time to stop and start putting the ingredients inside.

The first layer is rice (no more than 1 cm thick), evenly distribute dried fruits on it. Drizzle a little melted butter over everything. Rice again, evenly distribute carrots and walnuts over it. Drizzle with a little oil. And so on until you run out of ingredients or the height of the frying pan - finish with rice.

Cover the top of the rice with strips of pita bread, tucking them in on the other side. Brush the top of the pita bread with the remaining oil.

Place the pan in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 20-30 minutes until the pita bread is golden brown.

After our vegetarian pilaf is “baked”, it must be turned out of the frying pan onto a festive dish and served. You can cut it in front of guests - it turns out very impressive!

Vegetarian Azerbaijani Shah-pilaf with dried fruits in lavash No. 2

Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes.

Preparation time: 1 hour 20 minutes.

Number of servings: 10 pcs.

Ingredients for the Shah-pilaf recipe:

Dry barberry 20 gWater 640 ml

Zira (Cumin) dry 1 tsp. Light raisins 20 g

Dark raisins 50 g Dry coriander 1 tsp.

Dried apricots 100 g Chicken drumstick 350 g

Turmeric 1 tsp. Thin lavash 1 pc.

Onions 2 pcs. Refined olive oil 2 tbsp. l.

Butter 70 g Ghee 40 g

Carrots 1 pc. Basmati rice 250 g

Salt 1 tsp. Dried dates 100 pcs.

Garlic 3 cloves

Cooking Shah-pilaf in lavash in Azerbaijani style

Lavash is a very popular ingredient for preparing snacks, salads, and baked goods. Today, lavash serves as a cauldron in which pilaf is prepared. The pilaf retains its juiciness, does not burn, and gets a crispy crust thanks to the lavash. Lavash is like a huge kazm around the whole pilaf. I am pleased to announce that the recipe for this pilaf in lavash was invented by the Azerbaijani chef Shah-Huseyn Kerimov.

Of course, I want to focus on the type of rice. Basmati rice should have a dense grain (the first time I took the rice it was small and thin - it was overcooked). A very diverse set of dried fruits enhances the taste and appearance of pilaf. Chicken meat should be taken from the thigh part, because... Breast meat does not provide juiciness. I used thin lavash. The result is a crispy top layer, like baked phyllo dough. Learn how to make phyllo dough recipe.

How to prepare a dish step by step with photos at home

1. To prepare pilaf, you need to take Armenian lavash, rice, chicken, carrots, onions, garlic, raisins, dried apricots, dates, raisins, barberries, cumin, turmeric, salt, coriander, water.

Azerbaijani pilaf is a popular national dish. True, local housewives most often prepare it on holidays. This dish even looks different from the pilaf that many people imagine it to be.

Azerbaijani pilaf with lamb

The main difference between Azerbaijani pilaf and other options is the original technology of its preparation. According to the rules, rice and filling must be made separately. Both parts are connected together only at the time of serving.

Currently, about 40 recipes for this dish are known. The most popular option is the one using lamb meat.

To prepare it you need the following components:

2 cups rice cereal;
35 grams of butter;
0.5 kilograms of fresh lamb;
salt;
1 onion;
pepper;
a little saffron (about 0.25 grams);
¼ teaspoon of cumin.

Pilaf is prepared in stages:

1. The day before, soak the rice in advance. After this, rinse the cereal well, put it in a saucepan, add water, add a little salt and cook until half cooked for about 6-7 minutes. Next, place the rice in a colander and allow all the water to drain.
2. Cook a whole piece of meat until cooked, be sure to add salt, a little pepper and onion to the pan. Cut the slightly cooled lamb into pieces randomly.
3. Pour boiling water (about 20 milliliters) into a glass of saffron and let it brew thoroughly.
4. To prevent the dish from sticking to the cauldron, local housewives use “kazmag”. It is usually placed at the bottom of the container. You can use regular thick dough or a piece of lavash as kazmag. This recipe uses fresh potatoes. It must be peeled and cut into slices no more than 5 millimeters thick.
5. Put the cauldron on fire.
6. Place oil on the bottom. It should warm up well.
7. Line the bottom with potato pieces and add salt. You can move the pieces a little so that they don’t stick right away.
8. Sprinkle some of the rice on top in a 1-centimeter layer.
9. Distribute pieces of meat on it.
10. Cover the food with the remaining rice and pour saffron infusion over it.
11. Simmer covered over low heat for 40 minutes. To prevent condensation from getting inside, it is better to wrap the lid with cloth.
12. Pour melted butter over the dish and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Rice is laid out first on the dish, and juicy, aromatic meat is poured on top of it.

How to cook with chicken

Using a similar technology, you can also prepare Azerbaijani pilaf with poultry meat.

You will need few ingredients for this:

Part of a chicken carcass (about 800 grams);
3 cups long grain rice;
2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil;
0.5 teaspoon dried saffron.

The whole process consists of several stages:

1. Soak the rice in cold salted water for 40 minutes.
2. Pour boiling water over the saffron.
3. Cut the carcass into portions.
4. Fry them on all sides over medium heat with olive oil.
5. Rinse the rice and add water again in a ratio of 1 liter to 1 glass.
6. Cook it until al dente, and then strain it in a colander.
7. Place rice on top of the fried chicken and pour saffron over it.
8. Simmer for 25 minutes over low heat, placing a towel under the lid.
9. Add butter. Continue simmering for about another half hour.
Traditionally, such pilaf is usually placed on a large oval-shaped plate. It looks very beautiful on the table.

With dried fruits and meat

Classic pilaf in Azerbaijan is a dish in which, in addition to rice and meat, they put a lot of onions and fruits. It tastes significantly different from other options. The meat becomes more tender and acquires an unusual fruity aroma, and the rice, in turn, acquires a delicate creamy taste.

The list of products you will need is quite large:

1 kilogram of lamb;
150 grams of butter;
7 onions;
4 potatoes;
100 grams of raisins and dried apricots;
1 bunch of cilantro and parsley;
2 cups long grain rice;
½ teaspoon each of dried thyme and turmeric;
salt;
pepper;
1 tablespoon sumac.

To prepare real Azerbaijani pilaf with dried fruits and meat, you need:

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly, then add water and cook al dente. This will take 10 minutes.
2. Place the cooked rice in a sieve and wash with cold water.
3. Peel the potatoes and cut into slices.
4. Place a little butter on the bottom of a deep saucepan and melt it.
5. Line the bottom with potato pieces.
6. Cover them with rice on top, pour the remaining oil and sprinkle with turmeric.
7. Place the pan in the oven, preheated to 180 degrees, for one hour.
8. Cut the meat into pieces. First fry them in a frying pan and then put them in a cauldron.
9. Add chopped onion into half rings, chopped herbs and spices.
10. Pour water over it all and simmer for 40 minutes.
11. Pour boiling water over dried fruits and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer the processed products into a cauldron and simmer everything over low heat for another half hour.
12. Add salt, a little pepper and turn off the heat. Let the meat stand in this position for about 15 minutes.
When serving, rice is first placed on a plate, and a complex filling is placed on top of it. You can put a couple of pieces of potatoes nearby.

Shah-pilaf in Azerbaijani style

For the most dear guests, local housewives prepare a special dish.

“Azerbaijani-style Shah-pilaf” is a dish prepared in the form of a dome with a crispy crust and a classic puff filling of meat, rice and dried fruits.

To make such a work of culinary art, you will need:

0.4 kilograms of long grain rice;
0.6 kilograms of lamb;
1 package of pita bread (2 sheets);
2 onions;
4 cloves of garlic;
70 grams of butter and the same amount of raisins;
100 grams of dried apricots;
spices (salt, cumin, paprika, pepper, barberry and turmeric).

Prepare pilaf step by step:

1. Place the washed rice in a cauldron mixed with thin pieces of butter. Sprinkle it with turmeric, salt, add water (1:2) and cook until tender.
2. Cut the meat into small pieces and lightly fry them in vegetable oil in a frying pan.
3. Add diced onions. Fry for another 6-7 minutes.
4. Pour boiling water over raisins and dried apricots for just 5 minutes. After this, they need to be squeezed out, crumbled randomly and added to the meat.
5. Add all the prepared spices here, mix and fry for a couple more minutes.
6. Add garlic cut into small pieces and immediately remove the pan from the heat.
7. Cut the pita bread into strips 5 centimeters wide.
8. Line the inside of the cauldron with them like a fan so that the pieces of strips hang out.
9. Place some rice on the bottom.
10. Cover it with a small amount of meat.
11. Continue adding layers. Until all the products are gone.
12. Cover the filling with the hanging ends of the pita bread.
13. Place the cauldron in the oven and bake for 40 minutes at 180 degrees.
After this, all you have to do is put the finished pilaf on a dish, cutting it into pieces like a cake.

Beef recipe

You can also prepare Azerbaijani pilaf with beef.

To do this, you can use the following set of ingredients:

600 grams of beef tenderloin;
1 thin pita bread;
2.5 cups rice;
2 onions;
120 grams of butter;
a pinch of ground cloves;
a little cinnamon.

Pilaf preparation technology:

1. Chop the peeled onion into cubes. Fry them in oil with the addition of cinnamon and cloves.
2. Roughly cut the meat into pieces. Fry them also in oil in another frying pan.
3. Place the processed meat into a saucepan.
4. Cover it with fragrant fried onions.
5. Pour water (750 milliliters) over the food, add salt and simmer until the meat is soft enough.
6. Cook the rice a little in salted water. Then it should be rinsed well and strained.
7. Line the inside of the cauldron with lavash.
8. Pour rice on top, pour oil over it and cook until done.
When serving, rice is first poured onto the dish in a heap, and then the meat is placed on it. The finished dish can be poured with the juice that remains after stewing.

Cooking with milk

Sometimes Azerbaijani pilaf is prepared with the addition of milk. This option will definitely appeal to those who don’t eat meat at all.

To work you will need:

0.5 cups rice (round grain);
250 milliliters of milk;
70 grams of butter;
400 milliliters of boiled water;
1 pita bread;
60 grams of raisins;
½ teaspoon of saffron tincture.

In this case, the cooking method will be different:

1. Pour milk and water into a saucepan and heat (but do not boil).
2. Add rice and salt there. Cook until the cereal is ready.
3. Then rinse the rice with hot water, strain and pour it onto a towel to dry for 15 minutes.
4. Soak raisins in boiling water.
5. Treat the inside of the cauldron with oil and cover with lavash.
6. Pour dried rice with raisins into it. Simmer the food covered over low heat for at least 30 minutes.
Pour hot oil mixed with saffron tincture over the finished pilaf in a plate.

Azerbaijani khan pilaf

“Khan-pilaf” is also found in Azerbaijani cuisine. This is one of the options for a popular dish. It is very reminiscent of “check pilaf”. True, instead of thin lavash, dough (“kazmag”) is used, which forms a crust and prevents the filling from burning.

For this recipe you will need:

400 grams of long grain rice;
For Kazmag:
0.5 kilograms of wheat flour;
150 milliliters of water;
220 grams of melted butter;
10 grams of table salt.

For filling:

0.5 kilograms of ground beef;
15 dates and the same amount of dried apricots;
20 chestnuts;
250 grams of onions;
1 handful of raisins (preferably raisins).

To prepare khan pilaf in Azerbaijani style, you need to follow these steps:

1. First make kazmag. To do this, collect all the products in one container and mix thoroughly. Roll out the finished dough into a layer 3 millimeters thick.
2. Coat the inside of a deep pan with oil. You can add some sesame seeds for flavor.
3. Line the pan with dough so that there are no gaps.
4. Combine the minced meat with chopped onion, add a little pepper, salt and mix.
5. Place the mixture in a frying pan and simmer for 45 minutes over medium heat, adding half a glass of water.
6. As soon as all the moisture has evaporated, add oil and start frying.
7. Add washed dried fruits and keep on low heat for no more than 10 minutes.
8. Now you can start assembling the pilaf. First, you need to pour rice into the bottom of the pan. The thickness of this standing should be no more than 3 centimeters.
9. Place a little fry on top of it.
10. Repeat layers several times. Rice should end up on top. It must be poured with oil and saffron tincture.
11. Add a little water (70-80 milliliters) and fold the edges of the dough. The result was a kind of pie.
12. Bake it for 2 hours in the oven at 160 degrees.
This dish looks very festive on the table. Cut it very carefully, since the pilaf inside still remains crumbly.

A Turkish proverb says: “There are as many types of pilaf as there are cities in the Muslim world.” Being the main national dish for the cuisines of most eastern countries (Uzbek, Armenian, Tajik, Turkish, Arab, etc.), it is prepared differently everywhere. For example, Azerbaijani pilaf is distinguished by a cooking technology completely different from others, according to which the cereal is cooked in a separate container and only then combined with the rest of the ingredients.

Shah-pilaf is not just rice with meat, but a real culinary masterpiece. The pride of Azerbaijani cuisine! The dish got its name for a reason. In eastern countries, the supreme ruler is called shah, and the shape of the shah-pilaf resembles his crown. The dish is usually prepared for ceremonial feasts and served to the most dear and respected guests.

The treat not only has an unusual name, but also looks completely different from traditional pilaf. Juicy and at the same time crumbly, saturated with the aromas of spices and meat juice, the rice is hidden inside the “gazmakh” - a crispy lavash crust. Pieces of meat literally melt in your mouth, and dried fruits leave an original sweet and sour aftertaste.

Rice for pilaf

In eastern countries, only one whose rice in pilaf turns out fluffy is considered a good cook. Even if the pilaf turns out delicious, but the rice is overcooked, the cook’s skill will be greatly questioned.

Experienced cooks know that perfect pilaf requires certain types of rice. For Shah pilaf in Azerbaijani style, ordinary cereals are not suitable; preference should be given to basmati rice. It absorbs liquid well, is saturated with the aroma of spices, meat and vegetables and does not stick together during the cooking process.

Extensive plantations of this rice are located in India and Pakistan, and these countries are its main suppliers. Literally translated from Hindi, the name “basmati” means “full of taste.” Long, slightly curved grains retain their appearance after prolonged simmering, and even after increasing 2-3 times, they do not boil into porridge. The cereal has an incomparable, incomparable, light nutty aroma that makes the taste of pilaf unforgettable.

How to cook rice for Azerbaijani pilaf with dried fruits and meat? Place a pan of water on the stove, bring it to a boil and add thoroughly washed and cleaned rice. Stir so that the grains do not stick together, reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 15 minutes, without bringing it to full readiness. The cereal should be both soft and not. The recommended proportions of water and rice are 1 liter per 250 g of cereal.

Cooking Shah Plov

Ingredients:

• Long grain rice - 400 g;
• Chicken breast - 700 g;
• Lavash - 2 pcs;
• Onion - 1 piece;
• Carrots - 1 piece;
• Dried apricots and raisins - 70 g each;
• Figs, dates, prunes - 6-8 pcs each;
• Garlic - 5 - 6 cloves;
• Spices for pilaf, salt - to taste;
• Butter.

You can experiment with dried fruits for Azerbaijani-style pilaf. Cherry plum fruits and pomegranate seeds will help make the taste more rich and slightly sour.

How to cook Azerbaijani pilaf:

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly using a fine sieve and soak in warm water for half an hour.
2. Boil water and cook rice with turmeric in it.
3. Wash the dried fruits, cut them into small pieces, put them in a bowl and add hot water to soften them a little.
4. Prepare an infusion of saffron, which will give the finished pilaf a more beautiful color and pleasant aroma. To do this, pour boiling water over 1-2 stigmas and cover with a lid and leave for 10-15 minutes.
5. Cut sheets of thin pita bread into strips approximately 5 cm wide.
6. Place the pan on the stove and pour in a little olive oil.
7. Wash the chicken breast and cut into small pieces.
8. Peel the carrots and cut into thin strips. Remove the skins from the onion and garlic, cut the onion into cubes and chop the garlic.
9. Without waiting for the oil to get very hot, add the onion and fry until beautifully golden brown.
10. Remove the onion and fry the chicken in the remaining oil, then add the carrots, return the onion and, after stirring, keep all the ingredients over medium heat for 5 minutes.
11. Drain excess water from dried fruits and place them in a frying pan with meat and vegetables. Add chopped garlic and remove the pan from the heat.
12. Melt the butter in a saucepan and brush the sides of the cauldron with it.
13. Following the original recipe for Azerbaijani pilaf, you need to line the dishes with strips of lavash so that their ends hang outward, and each strip overlaps the previous one. They need to completely cover the inner surface of the pan. Brush the pita bread with melted butter so that it gets a golden brown crust when baking.
14. Place 1/3 of the rice in a cauldron, level it, pour saffron infusion over it, and put govurma (gravy) on top. And so, layer by layer, alternate rice / saffron infusion, chicken / with dried fruits.
15. Pour melted butter over the top layer of rice and cover with the hanging ends of the pita bread, turning them clockwise. Trim off the excess.
16. Close the cauldron with a lid and place in an oven preheated to 150° C for 40 minutes, then increase the temperature to 180 C and hold for another 15-20 minutes.

Royal Azerbaijani Shah-pilaf with dried fruits is served hot to the table, cutting the pita bread into equal sectors immediately before the start of the meal. A light vegetable salad of fresh tomatoes, onions and herbs will perfectly complement this treat.

Carefully passed down from generation to generation, the secrets of national Azerbaijani cuisine have been preserved to this day. And although each region of the country has its own type of Azerbaijani shah pilaf, it is still possible to identify general principles of preparation.

To give the rice a pleasant yellowish tint, add saffron infusion before cooking. You can replace this expensive spice with more inexpensive turmeric by adding a pinch to the water in which the cereal will be cooked.

In Azerbaijan, Shah pilaf is mainly made with chicken and turns out to be low-fat and very juicy. In principle, instead of poultry, you can take young lamb or veal. The choice depends on personal preference, the main thing is that the product is fresh.

The best utensil for preparing any pilaf is a cauldron, but in this case any thick-walled round saucepan, cast-iron frying pan or baking dish without a handle that can be placed in a hot oven will do. You can prepare Azerbaijani-style pilaf with meat in a multicooker using the “Pilaf” or “Baking” mode. To achieve a beautiful golden brown crust, 40 minutes after the start of cooking, the treat should be turned over and left for another 20 minutes.

This recipe for Azerbaijani pilaf is easy to adapt to the requirements of the Lenten table, and it will definitely be appreciated by those with a sweet tooth. By removing meat, onions and carrots from the ingredients, and adding honey or sugar syrup, you can make sweet pilaf in Azerbaijani style.

15.03.2018

Do you want to surprise your loved ones and guests with an original dish? Then cook pilaf in pita bread in the oven. It will amaze not only with its unusual presentation and appetizing appearance - its taste is beyond praise!

How to properly prepare pilaf “Padishakh”?

This dish has a unique aroma and amazing taste. It consists of bread flatbread - thin Armenian lavash. That is why some housewives call this dish “Armenian pilaf in lavash,” but this is a component of Azerbaijani cuisine. Its recipe was invented by the Azerbaijani culinary specialist Shah-Huseyn Kerimov.

Preparing the dish will take time - at least an hour and a half for preparation and the heat treatment process itself will take 1 hour and 10 minutes. But the result is worth it! You will get a real culinary masterpiece that will decorate any holiday table.

Ingredients:

• thin lavash sheets (ready);
• long grain rice - 4 cups;
• melted butter - 300 g;
• lamb (pulp without bone) - 1 kg;
• onion - 400 g;
• turmeric powder, saffron - one pinch each;
• dried apricots, cherry plum, barberry, raisins, chestnuts - 150 g each;
• salt;
• water - 5 liters.

On a note! The number of pita sheets depends on the size of the flatbread. If you take a long rectangular one, you will need about 5-6 sheets. If you use a round one (about the size of a dessert plate), then the number of sheets will need to be increased two to three times.

Preparation:

1. Soak the rice in cold water and salt (1 tablespoon per liter of liquid) for a couple of hours.
   
2. Brew a pinch of saffron with 50 ml of boiling water. The spice should steep for 20 minutes, then strain the water.
   
3. Cut the pita bread into strips up to 5 cm in size. Their length should be twice the height of the mold.
   
4. Wash the meat, cut into medium pieces (about 3 x 3 cm), fry in vegetable oil.
   
5. Cut the onion into half rings. Fry it until golden brown.
   
6. Place fried onions into the meat. Add raisins and barberries. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes over low heat.
7. Boil water in a saucepan and add salt.
8. Drain the water where the rice was infused. Rinse it at least 7 times.
9. Place rice in boiling water. Cook without bringing it to readiness.
   
10. Drain the water. Pour boiling water over the rice. Put in it a piece of butter, saffron, turmeric, diluted in 2 tablespoons. spoons of boiling water.
11. It's time to turn on the oven! It should heat up to 180°.
12. Take a baking dish, pan or cauldron. Brush the sides well with melted butter.
13. Line the bottom and all the walls of the mold with pieces of pita bread, leaving no gaps. Place them overlapping one another so that they lie in two layers. Grease the space between them with oil. The edges of the pita bread should hang over the sides of the dish.
    


14. Place dried apricots and raisins on top of it.
15. Spread a layer of lamb on top.
16. Cover the meat with another layer of rice, then add dried fruits.
17. Alternate these ingredients, but always end with rice.
18. Start sealing the pilaf. Fold all the free edges of the pita bread one by one onto the pilaf, “wrapping” it. Brush the top of the product with melted butter.
    
19. Place the pilaf in a preheated oven. He must spend one hour there.
20. Turn the finished shah-ash onto a beautiful plate and cut with a sharp knife.

On a note! The royal dish - Shah's pilaf in pita bread - is definitely not eaten alone, so the amount of ingredients in the recipe is indicated for a large company. If there are few eaters, you can reduce the weight of the components.

Shah-ash for beginners: a simplified recipe

This complex multi-component dish cannot be made quickly. . But the recipe can be slightly modified. If you are interested in the question of how to cook pilaf in pita bread from more familiar ingredients, we advise you to deviate a little from the classic recipe and use an adapted version.

Ingredients:

• Armenian lavash - 4-5 pieces;
• Basmati rice (it does not require so long soaking) - 1 kg;
• veal or chicken meat from thighs (breast is not suitable) - 800 g;
• olive oil - 3 tablespoons. spoons;
• butter - 1 pack (about 50 grams will be used for coating the mold, the rest for pilaf and pouring pita bread);
• carrots - 2 pieces;
• onions - 5 pieces;
• garlic - 4 cloves;
• dried fruits - raisins, pitted dates, dried apricots (100 g each);
• salt;
• water, turmeric.

Preparation:

On a note! If the pilaf in pita bread in the oven is cooked correctly, the rice will be crumbly. This is how it differs from a pie with rice filling.

Rinse the rice and cover with water overnight, rinse in the morning, boil for 3 minutes, place in a sieve. You can boil it in a slow cooker in the “Grains” mode.

Dried fruits - raisins, prunes, dates, dried apricots, dried berries, wash, cut large ones into small pieces. Place in a bowl, stir and pour boiling water over it.

Cut the lamb flesh (I used chicken fillet) into small pieces.

Fry the prepared meat in vegetable oil, pour more of it than usual so that the finished pilaf is not dry. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly. When the pieces of meat are lightly fried, add the chopped onion and fry for a couple of minutes. Cut the carrots into cubes and add to the pan, fry everything together for another 2 minutes. Add your favorite spices to suit your taste.

Add dried fruits, salt, cook, stirring for a couple more minutes.

Mix the rice with the contents of the pan. Taste it and add salt, pepper and other spices if necessary. Remove the pan from the heat and add the finely chopped garlic.

Cut thick, thin pita bread (4-5 sheets) along the longest side into strips approximately 5 cm wide. The length of the strips should be enough to cover the pilaf from above. Brush each strip with softened butter.

Pour in the pilaf, compact it a little and cover it on top with strips of pita bread. Additionally, you can “strengthen” the bottom and sides with pieces of pita bread.

Grease the top sheets of lavash with the remaining butter. Turn on the “Baking” mode and cook the pilaf for 1 hour. After the pilaf is cooked, let it stand in the bowl for 5 minutes so that the pita bread dries out and turn it over onto a wide dish. Make sure that the lavash crust is well dried and browned, otherwise the pilaf on the dish will not hold its shape.