Real pilaf is best cooked in a cauldron, in which both rice and meat will acquire an amazing taste and cook evenly. If you don’t have such utensils at hand, you will have to use a deep frying pan with a thick bottom and walls.

In addition to meat and rice, fried onions and carrots are added to pilaf. There should be a lot of such vegetables - they will give the dish the necessary sweetness, golden color and make it more beautiful. Spices you can use include garlic, ground black and red pepper, barberry, saffron, and cumin.

Pork pilaf

Ingredients:

• 600 g pork
• 1.5 cups rice
• 3 glasses of water
• 2 onions
• 2 carrots
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 5 cloves garlic
• pinch of saffron
• 1 tbsp. spoon of melted fat
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. spoon of barberry
• fresh herbs

How to cook pilaf with pork:

1. Onions and carrots should be peeled, the first cut into half rings, and the second into large strips.
2. Melt the fat in a cauldron (or deep thick-walled pan), add vegetable oil to it and warm it up a little. Place vegetables in a cauldron and fry them over medium heat until golden brown. When they are ready, they should be transferred to a plate using a slotted spoon.
3. Place pork cut into large pieces into a cauldron. The meat must be fried until almost done, stirring from time to time and making sure that it does not burn.
4. While the pork is browning, you need to make the rice. Place it in a bowl, add cold water and leave for 15–20 minutes. After this, wash thoroughly, changing the water at least 6 times - this will make it even more crumbly.
5. When the meat is almost ready, add salt and pepper to taste and stir. Then place the rice on top, spreading it in an even layer, and top it with fried carrots and onions. After this, stick the unpeeled garlic cloves into the rice, making a small cut on them. Season well with salt and sprinkle with barberries and saffron. And only after that fill everything with water.
6. The pilaf should be brought to a boil, then reduce the flame, cover with a lid and cook until the water has completely evaporated. When the latter becomes small, pierce the rice in 3-4 places with a fork. The cauldron with the finished pilaf should be wrapped in a blanket, leaving for about 20–30 minutes for the dish to finish cooking. Then mix the pilaf, place on plates and serve, sprinkled with herbs.

Secrets of the Oriental Mistress

You can also add dried fruits to pork pilaf - they will make the dish bright, beautiful and even more tasty. When preparing pilaf, a glass of a mixture of dried apricots, raisins and prunes must be steamed with boiling water, then washed and cut. Spread the dried fruit over the meat before sprinkling over the rice.

The history of the origin of pilaf dates back to approximately the second century BC. Pilaf means “boiled rice” in Persian. Around that moment, rice appeared in the fields of Central Asian countries and the countries of the Middle East. And it was from the moment the rice fields appeared that people began to prepare pilaf. There is a version that the roots of this wonderful dish lead to China. But the version did not find reliable sources, due to different techniques for preparing pilaf. There is also a version that this dish has Indian roots, but this source is not confirmed either, because Indian pilaf does not contain any type of meat; it is entirely vegetarian. But in the chronicles of Persia such a dish is indicated. Even at that time, the Persians enjoyed coloring pilaf with turmeric, giving the dish an original golden color. Closer to the 10th century, the dish was mentioned in the wonderful Arabian tale “1000 and 1 Night”. Scientists are inclined to believe that pilaf came to us from the countries of the Middle East, and then became widespread in Central Asian countries, and even became their national dish.

For the first time in Europe, some semblance of pilaf appeared in France, when representatives of the royal nobility, returning from a trip to the countries of the Middle East, in particular Turkey, told their cooks with great delight about such an amazing dish as pilaf. They, in turn, according to their masters, tried to bring this dish to life, but their attempts were in vain. The thing is that the cooks initially boiled the rice in milk, and first boiled the meat and then fried it, resulting in rice porridge with meat. The dish was quickly forgotten. And only in the 19th century did it appear in the form in which we know and love it. It was brought to France by civil engineers who were building the Suez Canal in those years.

National dish of Uzbeks

The rice dish has taken root well in the countries of Central Asia, while the rice treat among these peoples has its own division depending on the purpose: for a wedding, the birth of a child, funeral pilaf. For an ordinary everyday lunch or dinner, pilaf is prepared by women, for any event - by men. To prepare for a special occasion, in countries such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan there are even special chefs for preparing pilaf, which are always in great demand on such an occasion. The Uzbek national dish consists of seven ingredients: onions, carrots, meat, fat, salt, water and, of course, rice. Today, pilaf has the same ingredients as many years and centuries ago, but they have been supplemented with spices and seasonings that have already become traditional, such as cumin, barberry, pepper and others. Ultimately, the taste of the finished pilaf is influenced by many details, ranging from the choice of meat, type of rice, type of carrots, temperature and cooking technology, “the hand of the cook” and many other factors.

There are countless options for preparing pilaf. At the same time, in the countries of the Middle East, pilaf is divided into: Central Asian and Iranian. Their main difference lies in the cooking technology, the duration of preparation of certain products, as well as the constituent components. Different peoples of Central Asia may use other cereals instead of rice, such as wheat, turmeric, chickpeas and others. Instead of meat, some peoples put fish, vegetables, game, etc. in pilaf. The Azerbaijani version of preparing pilaf has two main and three additional components. The main components include gara - meat, dairy, fruit components and cereals, mainly rice. Additional ingredients include spices (basil, cilantro, tarragon, mint, garlic and onion), kazmag and sherbet. Kazmag is a thin unleavened flatbread. Sherbet is made from sour fruits and berries, such as barberry, pomegranate, lemon, etc. There are also a great many variations in the preparation of Azerbaijani pilaf; one of the most original, perhaps, can be called cooking rice on a kazmag. Line the bottom of the cauldron with Kazmag and cook the rice until cooked. In Azerbaijani pilaf, all components are prepared separately and served separately, placed on a large plate without mixing. This dish is topped with herbs and served slightly warm. They prefer sherbet as a drink.

In the Central Asian version of preparing pilaf, its components are divided into zirvak, cereal part, various spices and spices, as well as carrots. By the way, the choice of carrots here is taken no less seriously than the choice of meat. These peoples take no less responsibility when choosing the type of rice, meat and cauldron in which this dish will be prepared, as well as oil and fat. This dish is consumed exclusively hot. The pilaf is served with hot tea, preferably green, and a variety of fresh vegetable salads and various pickles are also served. The Central Asian version of pilaf is prepared mainly by such nationalities as: Uzbeks, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, Turkmens.

Pork pilaf in Uzbek style in a cauldron

Increasingly in recent years, Uzbeks prefer pork instead of traditional lamb. The recipe for preparing Uzbek pilaf with pork in a cauldron is incredibly tasty and quite simple. To find out how to properly prepare such pilaf, we will use a traditional cauldron, as well as the necessary basic ingredients: zirvak, rice and spices.

To prepare delicious pork pilaf will be needed following ingredients :

Rice cereal 600 g;

Pork tenderloin 600 g;

Carrots 500 g;

Onion 700 g;

Sunflower or olive oil 200-250 ml;

Water 600-700 ml;

Zira, turmeric, barberry, coriander seeds;

Garlic;

Dried red pepper;

Salt;

To prepare an amazing, incredibly aromatic pilaf, the method of processing the products is extremely important. First you need to learn a few secrets. First, vegetables, meat and rice cereals must be thoroughly washed in cold water. Secondly, all the same ingredients must each undergo heat treatment in their own order. The oil should be well heated, the zirvak should be stewed for a long time, and the rice should be cooked well by literally steaming. Uzbeks have this rule at the heart of every recipe: the longer the zirvak is cooked, the tastier and more crumbly the pilaf with pork will be. It is better to combine two or three types of oil, for example: sesame, sunflower and cottonseed. There must be layers of fat in the meat pulp to give the finished dish a delicate aroma and taste.

If the pulp is lean, you can use fat, for example, lamb. It is also important to take into account the following factor: when preparing pork pilaf at home, you need to choose only durum rice grains and bring it to readiness by steaming. To do this, at the final stage of preparing the pilaf, cover it with a towel. The cauldron plays an important role in the result of preparing delicious pork pilaf. It must have thick walls and a corresponding thick bottom. It can be made of copper, cast iron or aluminum. During the cooking process, the dish should simmer, only in this way you will get the very desired pilaf that the Uzbek people are so proud of.

So, in order to prepare delicious pork pilaf, according to the recipe above, we will need to take the following steps. First, you need to thoroughly wash and peel vegetables such as onions and carrots. These are very important ingredients for pilaf, so you shouldn’t skimp or save on them. After the vegetables have been peeled, the onion should be cut into half rings, and two of them should be left whole; it is preferable not to grate the carrots, but to chop them into long, beautiful strips.

Even in a simple pork pilaf recipe, it is very important to carefully select carrots. It should be sweet medium grade. This will be one of the main keys to successful preparation of pilaf. Next we move on to the meat. To make the dish more rich, you can choose two or three types of meat, preferably without bones. So, wash the meat well in cold water, then wipe it dry and cut into small pieces. Let's start with rice.

The recipe for delicious pilaf with pork has been passed down from generation to generation and always involved a careful selection of rice cereals. Rice grains are chosen with a low level of starch, which remains strong during cooking, and the dish turns out crumbly. Uzbeks prefer locally produced varieties of rice, such as barakhat, oshpar, derviza and others. At the same time, leading chefs of Uzbek cuisine recommend abandoning Indian rice varieties, such as basmati or wild. After we have decided on the rice, wash it thoroughly and fill it with cold water for 20-25 minutes. This will allow the rice to absorb water.

While the rice is standing, let's start preparing zirvak, without which it is difficult to imagine Uzbek pilaf in principle, including with pork.

And now, finally, after much preparation of all the ingredients, we will proceed to the actual preparation of pork pilaf in a cauldron on the stove. To do this, put the cauldron on the fire and warm it up well. Then pour sunflower oil or a mixture of several types of oil into it and let it heat up well. You can add lamb fat to the butter. Once the oil is heated, we send two whole onions to it. If they are large enough, they should be cut in half, and the heat should be reduced to medium and continue cooking. As soon as the onion acquires a golden hue, add pork cut into medium pieces (you can add lamb to the pork) and reduce the heat to low.

While the pork and onions are roasting, you can enjoy crazy aromas in your kitchen. The pork should not be stirred often; let it lightly fry until crusty. After a golden crust has formed, the meat can be turned over to the other side. Simmer for another 10 minutes and remove it from the cauldron and put it in a convenient container.

After the appearance of a light, characteristic golden color, add chopped carrots to the onion.

Let the vegetables simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes. It is important not to miss the moment when the vegetables begin to stick; they should be constantly stirred so that they do not burn under any circumstances. As soon as you see that the vegetables are almost ready, you need to add a little water to them and leave them to simmer for about 5 minutes over low heat. In this case, it is better to cover the cauldron with a lid. After five minutes, pre-fried pork is added to the carrots and onions. Right now, these components, combined together, can be called zirvak. For a traditional zirvak, the only thing missing is herbs and spices.

Here you need to approach the choice of spices with all responsibility. It’s hard to imagine how you can cook pork pilaf in a cauldron without such fragrant herbs and spices as cumin and barberry. Therefore, first of all, we leave the choice to these spices. Then, following them, add coriander seeds and dried red pepper. To give the dish a special note and aroma, you can add quince, as well as traditional raisins, prunes and dried apricots. After adding spices and herbs, season the dish with salt to taste and then mix thoroughly. Now our zirvak is finally ready, and we can move on to the second part of our dish.

After preparing the zirvak, let's start with the rice. To do this, drain the water from under the rice and carefully and evenly spread it on top of the zirvak. After spreading the rice, it is important that the water barely covers it. If this is not observed, water should be added. Place a whole, unpeeled head of garlic in the center of the cauldron (you should peel only the top layer) and lightly press it into the rice. After all the manipulations done, cover the cauldron with a lid, reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer for about an hour and a half. The cooking time may increase slightly or, on the contrary, decrease, and this is directly proportional to the type of rice. After the specified time has passed, open the cauldron and carefully mix the resulting dish with a spatula. For the best effect, let the dish steep for another 20-30 minutes, covered. The pilaf turns out very juicy and aromatic. It is served with traditional green tea and vegetable salads.

Original recipe for pork pilaf in a frying pan

But what to do if you don’t have a cauldron at hand? In this case, you can use a frying pan and cook pork pilaf in it.

To prepare pilaf with pork in a frying pan, we offer the following recipe.

We will need:

Rice cereal 500-600 g;

Pork tenderloin 400-450 g;

Onions 2-3 heads;

Carrots 3-4 pcs;

Tomato paste 50-60 g;

Garlic 50-70 gr;

Vegetable oil 50 ml;

Salt, pepper 1-2 pinch;

Zira, barberry.

We will start preparing it by washing the rice. We rinse it thoroughly under running water, then fill it with water, preferably hot, and let the rice steam for about half an hour. Next, clean and wash the vegetables well. We cut the onion finely into cubes, and cut the carrots either into thin cubes or into three strips on a grater. Place a frying pan on the stove and heat it up. After the frying pan has been heated, pour sunflower oil into it and heat it. Then add onion to it and fry until golden brown. Then carrots are added to the onion.

Simmer the carrots for about 7 minutes, but do not forget to stir the vegetables so that they do not burn. In the meantime, let's do the meat. The meat must first be washed and then cut into fairly large pieces. After the vegetables have stewed and acquired a beautiful golden color, add the meat to them. Simmer it until cooked and acquires a characteristic crust. Then add tomato paste to the meat, salt and pepper, add spices and seasonings to taste.

We send steamed rice to the meat and fill our dish with hot water, add garlic. Then set the temperature to low, cover with a lid and continue to simmer until done, stirring occasionally so that the pilaf does not burn. It will take about 20-30 more minutes to cook the rice. After the dish is cooked, leave it under the closed lid for another 10 minutes so that the dish steams and acquires the rich aromas of all the spices and herbs.

With such pilaf, no one in your family will remain indifferent. Here is a simple recipe for delicious pork pilaf that you can use to diversify your everyday family dishes. This recipe for pilaf, not in a traditional Uzbek cauldron, but in a frying pan, is often used in European countries.

Cooking pilaf with pork in a pan

Many housewives are also concerned with the question: how to cook pork pilaf in a pan? And we also have an answer to this question. The recipe for cooking pilaf in a pan is extremely simple and does not have any intricacies, everything is quite simple. To prepare this pilaf, we need a pan with a thick bottom and a non-stick coating.

To prepare this wonderful and aromatic dish we will need:

Pork meat 0.8 kg;

Rice cereal 0.5 kg;

Carrots 0.4 kg;

Onion 0.4 kg;

Garlic 3-4 cloves;

Salt and pepper to taste;

Zira, turmeric, barberry a pinch;

Sunflower oil 50-70 ml.

So, first we clean and wash the vegetables. Then cut the onion into medium cubes and the carrots into half rings. For this recipe, take lean pork, wash it, remove unnecessary veins and cut into small pieces. Next, put the pan on the fire, pour vegetable oil into it and heat it.

Then add the pork to the oil and fry thoroughly over high heat. As soon as the meat begins to release its juice, we add chopped vegetables to it and season with spices. Simmer the ingredients over medium heat with the lid closed. As soon as the vegetables have become soft, add rice to them.

Salt, pepper, add garlic, add water (you can use meat broth) so that it lightly covers the rice. Cover with a lid, reduce heat and cook until all the water has evaporated. At the same time, do not forget to stir constantly so that the dish does not burn. After preparing such a fragrant and rich dish, we can eat it immediately, or we can let it brew for 10-15 minutes.

It is difficult today to imagine at least one family, be it European or Asian, whose menu at least once did not include such a wonderful and delicious dish as pilaf. This dish deserves a special place on the table of certain nationalities of the world, and the most interesting thing is that, despite the fact that this dish is in their diet almost every day, they never get tired of it.

And the reason lies in the fact that there are such a huge number of varieties of pilaf and each has its own flavor, both in the ingredients and in the cooking technology, that it can be cooked almost every day and it will not be repeated for quite a long time.

From this you can conclude that there are a huge number of recipes for preparing pilaf, but how to cook pilaf with pork is, of course, up to you.

Carrots for pilaf must be cut into fairly large strips, or rather into cubes. Although, you can grate it on a coarse grater, but then as a result, the carrots become too steamed, soft and the pilaf turns out more viscous, similar to rice porridge.

Cut the onion into large half rings.


It is better to take pork with fat for preparing pilaf; cut the meat into medium pieces.


Now that all the ingredients are prepared, you can begin the main preparation of the pilaf. It’s better to cook it in a thick-walled saucepan or cauldron (in my case, it’s a cauldron).

Some people initially pour vegetable oil into the cauldron and drop the meat into it. But, I do it a little differently. I put the meat in a cauldron, put it on high heat and fry the meat, rendering the existing fat from it, and only then pour in the vegetable oil. The meat should be fried until golden brown.


Add half rings of chopped onion to the fried meat. Continue frying for 3 minutes.


Next, add the chopped carrots and fry again for 5 minutes.


The time has come for all the spices, add them to the cauldron, add salt and mix.


Now we place a whole head of garlic in the very center, peeled from all layers of husk except the last one. Place a few peeled cloves of garlic around the edges and add a bay leaf.


Pour hot water into the cauldron - 600 ml (I measured all proportions), and simmer over low heat (with the contents slightly bubbling) for 20 minutes. We need to cook real zirvak for pilaf.


After 20 minutes, remove the whole head of garlic from the cauldron and lay out the steamed rice, which must first be rinsed well in several waters. Place the garlic back into the middle of the rice.


Pour a little more hot water into the cauldron, so that it covers the contents by 3 cm. Pour in the water carefully so that a funnel does not form and the lower layers of pilaf (meat, vegetables) do not float to the surface. To do this, hold a slotted spoon over the cauldron and pour water onto it so that dispersion occurs.

Turn up the heat so that the water begins to boil slightly. Then the oil and fat from the bottom, under the influence of the boiling water, will rush upward and envelop all the grains of rice. When there is practically no liquid left on the surface, cover the dish with a lid and let it simmer over low heat for about 40 minutes.


The rice at the edges cooks much faster than in the middle, so after about 30 minutes, carefully collect the rice from the edges to the middle, forming a mound. In the formed slide we make a depression, all the way to the bottom, hot air will come out through it and all the uncooked rice will be cooked. There are still 10 minutes left and the pilaf will be ready. In fact, look at the readiness of the rice, it may take a little longer.


That's all, delicious steamed rice pilaf with pork is ready. Place it in one large dish, sprinkle with chopped herbs, add fresh vegetables and serve. Enjoy your meal!

Be honest: do you know how to cook pilaf? Delicious, crumbly, with aromatic spices? Everyone in my family likes it without exception, and I always cook pilaf with pork in a pan when I don’t have enough time to come up with something more original.

My recipe is very simple and uncomplicated, and will appeal to both novice housewives who do not know how to prepare it correctly, and “advanced” cooks.

Subtleties of cooking: choosing the “right rice”

It is necessarily prepared from long-grain basmati rice, with a low gluten level. Only with this kind of rice will you get crumbly homemade pilaf “rice to grain”, and round rice, which is used for making risotto, sushi, and milk porridge, is not suitable. I invite you to my kitchen, where I will tell you in detail and with photos how to prepare pork pilaf so that it turns out tastier than in an oriental restaurant.

Required Ingredients

• 500 gr. pork pulp
• 300 gr. rice
• 800 ml. water
• 1 carrot
• 2 small onions
• 2 tbsp. spices for pilaf

Cooking steps

First of all, let's prepare the ingredients for our dish. Peel and cut the carrots and onions: the onions into cubes and the carrots into half rings.

Also, don't forget about spices. To prepare pilaf, I used a mixture with the following composition in equal proportions: sweet pepper, turmeric, cumin, barberry, tomato, zhambil. But you can use spices to suit your taste.

Process of preparing and cooking meat

In my humble opinion, pork with “fat” is best suited for preparing pilaf; it is thanks to fat that it turns out juicy and tasty. Therefore, when you buy meat, take the neck, shoulder, or back. Cut the pork into pieces approximately 2*2 cm.

Next we need a saucepan, but not a simple one, but with a thick bottom. Ideally, a pilaf pan should have a non-stick coating, but stainless steel is also suitable. Pour vegetable oil into the pan, heat the oil at maximum heat, and add all the prepared meat.

Stir the meat vigorously in the pan with a spatula so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan and cooks evenly.

Fry the pork over maximum heat without a lid until golden brown.

Add onions, carrots and all the spices to the fried meat. Thoroughly mix the pork with spices and vegetables, cover with a lid and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer everything under the lid until the vegetables become soft.

Pour water into the pan, stir, cover with a lid and bring to a boil.

Today we will prepare one of the most ancient and famous dishes - pilaf with pork. Below I will try to describe how to cook it correctly, and most importantly, deliciously.

Pilaf is a dish made of rice (although other cereal products can be used) with meat. This dish is very ancient, its origin can hardly be reliably established. It is assumed that pilaf began to be prepared in India and the Middle East in the 2nd - 3rd centuries BC. The recipe for its preparation was constantly improved and changed, but the basis always remained the same.

Pilaf always consists of two parts - “zirvak” or “gara” and the cereal component of the pilaf. In turn, “zirvak” is combined from various components - it can be meat or fish, fruits or dried fruits, vegetables and game. The cereal part of pilaf usually consists of rice, but wheat, peas, corn and mung bean are often used.

The most popular recipes for preparing pilaf are rice pilaf with or pork. Is there a significant difference? Of course have. If you want to make a fattier pilaf, then you definitely need to use pork. I will describe the recipe for its preparation below.

Pork pilaf recipe

by Maxim Frolov Published: April 22, 2014

• Exit: 8 persons
• Preparation: 15 minutes
• Cooking: 50 minutes
• Total: 1 hour 5 minutes

Today we will prepare one of the most ancient and famous dishes - pilaf...

Ingredients

• 700 gr.
• 800 gr.
• 3 pcs.
• 3 pcs.
• 3 pcs. heads
• 1 tbsp.
• 1/2 tbsp.
• 1 tbsp.
• 1 tbsp.
• 1/2 tbsp.

Instructions

1. We'll start by preparing all the necessary ingredients. Rinse the pork under cold water, peel the onions and carrots. We do not clean the garlic completely - we just remove the top layer, after which we also wash it.
2. We will cook pilaf in a thick-walled large pan - a cauldron is best suited for this purpose. I didn't have a cauldron, so I had to use a regular saucepan. Pour half a glass of vegetable or olive oil into it and heat it over high heat.
   
   
3. While the oil is heating up, start chopping the onions. It should be cut into small half rings.
   
   
4. After the oil sizzles, put the chopped onion in the pan and fry it until golden brown.
   
   
5. Now cut the meat into small cubes, then add it to the pan with the onions and fry for another 3 - 4 minutes.
   
   
6. Now comes the turn of spices - add ground cumin, turmeric and ground black pepper to the meat.
   
   
7. The next step is to pour 2 cups of water into the pan, cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes.
   
   
8. After twenty minutes, add grated carrots to the pan, then simmer for another 10 minutes.
   
   
9. From this moment on, the most important thing is not to cover or stir the dish, then you will get it the way real pilaf should be.
   
   
10. Rinse the rice with cold water (several times if necessary) and pour it into the pan, distributing it evenly over the surface of the dish. But under no circumstances mix!
    
    
11. Carefully pour water into the pan so that it is a couple of centimeters above the rice. Add salt - I used half a tablespoon and it turned out pretty good.
    
    
12. Cook until the rice has absorbed almost all the water, then stick the heads of garlic into the pilaf and use a spoon to make several small holes - this is necessary so that all unnecessary moisture evaporates from the dish.
    
    
13. Now cover the pilaf with a lid and cook until the rice is completely cooked - this will take 20 - 25 minutes. Just don’t overcook the rice, otherwise it will turn out mushy and very soft. After the required time has passed, we take out the heads of garlic - we will no longer need them and mix the pilaf with a wooden spoon. The dish is recommended to be served hot. Bon appetit!