In the East, everyone knows how to cook pilaf. But to prepare the best dish on a special day, masters are still invited. Because creating a festive pilaf is always a kind of sacrament, it is akin to art. But we don’t pretend to be a sculptor; we would like to learn how to fire pots. Therefore, we tell you how to cook a completely normal pilaf, which does not look like porridge and everything in it is balanced and balanced. What subtleties do you need to know so that it does not stick together and is light and crumbly, like the cooks in Central Asia?

Why does pilaf turn out viscous, like porridge?

Pilaf does not tolerate fuss. Therefore, if you have little time or are not in the mood, then it is better not to take it on. The secrets of preparing this dish are complex only at first glance, and if you know the physics and chemistry of the process, then everything will work out, if not immediately, then after several attempts.


Taste, aroma and color depend on the frying of the onions, the color and amount of carrots, and the oil in which we fry the vegetables. But only the right rice determines stickiness or crumbliness to a greater extent.

For the dish to be successful, it is important to meet certain conditions when purchasing rice:

• choose non-starchy rice - the one intended for risotto will not work, because it was originally intended to be sticky and viscous;
• you need to rinse the cereal well;
• Soak the rice before adding.

An important condition: it is better to undercook than to overcook. Prolonged heat treatment will make the pilaf look like mush porridge, this applies to both rice and carrots.

Therefore, you need to pour in water very carefully, it is better to add it in portions and add as needed, rather than pour in more than it should be and evaporate the liquid.

Now let's learn more about what happens to rice during the cooking process.

Why does rice stick together?

There are about 120 types of pilaf in Uzbekistan, as experts in Uzbek cuisine say. As a rule, each large city boasts its own recipe. The Fergana Valley, surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges, is very suitable for rice cultivation. And depending on how rice took root in a particular area, the culture of preparing this main dish was formed.

Whatever the local recipe, Uzbek pilaf should always be light so that when shoveled it will fly off the slotted spoon and not clump into a heavy piece.

It cannot be viscous if it is not a muffin. The rice in it should be crumbly and a little sticky at the same time. Why sticky? Because Uzbeks traditionally eat it with their hands or, in extreme cases, with a spoon. And with your hands you can only take what sticks together. How to strike a balance so that the rice is both crumbly and a little sticky?


Rice in Uzbekistan grows completely differently, and therefore, historically, recipes were invented in different areas, selecting cooking technology for their own variety. And this technology was based on the ability of cereal to absorb water and oil. And, of course, the starchiness of the variety was taken into account. The less starch in rice, the more correct and crumbly the food comes out.


The right choice of rice is a prerequisite for good pilaf. Many are prepared from Krasnodar steamed or plain round. It turns out quite tasty. But if you’re going to cook it as it should be, then it’s better to look for the dev-jeera variety on the market.

This pollen-brown rice with a reddish furrow is ideal for pilaf.

It may contain pebbles, debris, and be dusty, but after you sort it out, wash it and soak it well, the taste will be incomparable, so the result is worth the search.


Why does the rice in pilaf stick together so much that it becomes sticky? Because it contains quite a lot of starch, which, when heated, begins to bind the grains of rice together like a paste. Of course, you can’t wash out all the starch, and there’s no need to. It is enough to rinse the cereal well to remove surface dust, and then soak it.


This is the third important point. Having washed off the surface dirt and removed the debris, you immerse the rice in water to wash away as much as possible the powder or starch flour that covers the rice. Now let's talk in detail about how this is done.

How to cook pilaf so that the rice does not stick together

What to do - the pilaf turned out like porridge? How to fix the matter?
Alas, there is no way, all that remains is to eat it as it came out, and learn simple rules for the future. The reasons that the pilaf began to stick together were due to improper preparation of the products.

But if you see that there is too much water, it still remains at the bottom of the cauldron, and the rice is already completely cooked, do not keep it on the fire any longer, turn it off. Cover with a lid and wait.

The water should be absorbed. If there is too much water, then nothing can be done - evaporate it. The rice will still be delicious, and your efforts will not be in vain. Cook real pilaf next time.

Secrets of preparing crumbly pilaf

Proper rinsing involves using warm water. “I rinse and fill it with tap water. Is it correct?" - inexperienced housewives often ask.

If the water is clean, without chlorine or rust, then you can use warm tap water.

If the water is of poor quality, then it is better to heat up normal drinking water and rinse in it. By the way, you can wash rice in cold water, but it is better to remove dirt and dust in warm water.

Soak

Washed rice needs to be soaked. The water temperature is approximately 60 degrees. By periodically lifting the rice in the water with your hands, you cause turbidity that needs to be drained. In this way, you wash away unnecessary starch until there is no cloudy impurity left in the water.

Under no circumstances should you rub soaked and whitened rice with your hands. It is fragile, you will simply break it, which will lead to boiling and stickiness.

Another tip: don’t pour in a lot of water at once, no “pair of fingers over the rice”! Because everyone’s fingers are different, and the width of the cauldron too, as well as the density with which the rice lies in the cauldron may vary. Therefore, pour so much so that the oil and water only slightly protrude on top of the slightly compacted rice with a slotted spoon. It's better to add it later if necessary.


You need to take solid rice. But if the variety is soft, it will be sufficiently saturated with water when soaked; all that remains is to cook it a little. For example, it is better to undercook a variety such as Avangard a little rather than overcook it, and then leave it under the lid so that the pilaf can reach it.

Rice is a true gift from God. This unique grain feeds several billion people on Earth and is their staple food. In terms of production, rice is in third place among grains - after corn and wheat.

About the benefits of rice

The benefits of rice are undoubted and have long been proven - it contains more than 80% of easily digestible complex carbohydrates and is completely free of gluten (this is the strongest allergen among proteins). That is why rice is the only porridge that people with diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and metabolic disorders can eat in unlimited quantities. And note, in Asian countries where rice is the main food product, there are 7-8 times fewer obese people than in countries where wheat bread is the main staple.

Varieties and types

There are many varieties of rice in the world. Allotted for today 20 botanical species, 155 varieties and about 8,000 agricultural varieties. But we only need qualifications based on the shape and size of the grain: round, medium-grain and long-grain. And also how the rice is processed: from us you can buy unrefined (unpolished, brown, wild) rice, polished and steamed.

The most useful is brown, but it is expensive (4-5 times the usual one), and not everyone knows how to cook it correctly. Unpeeled rice always turns out crumbly, but in order to get polished types for a side dish or pilaf, like Asian cooks, you need to know some secrets.

One of the chefs of the Uzbek restaurant shared them. Anwar claims that even from the cheapest rice (natural, of course, not Chinese plastic), you can make a delicious crumbly porridge. Here are his tips.

How to cook fluffy rice

What do you need:

• 1 cup rice
• 2 glasses of water
• 50 g butter
• 1 tsp salt

Preparation:

Anvar separately noted that for rice and buckwheat, it is an ironclad rule that you need to take exactly twice as much water for cooking as dry grain.

Step 1: Rinse

A mandatory step, you need to rinse until the water becomes completely clear. You need to fill the grain with water, stir it with your hand several times, drain the water completely and fill it with clean water. For high-quality rice, 3-4 times are enough, but for cheaper rice, you will have to wash it up to 10 times.

Step 2: Soaking

Soaking time - at least 2 hours, up to 12 (evening-morning, morning-evening).

Step 3: Rinse again

The water in which the rice was soaked must be drained, and the grain must be washed again 2-3 times. The grain will be one and a half times larger than its original volume.

Step 4. Cooking

It is preferable to cook rice in a container with thick walls or at least a bottom. Pour the prepared grain with water and cook over high heat for 3 minutes. At the end, add salt and oil, stir, turn off the heat.

Step 5: Ripening

Cover the porridge with a lid and leave for 30 minutes - then it will reach its own condition.

That's all! You will have the perfect rice side dish, fluffy, juicy and incredibly tasty. While adding salt and oil, you can also add a pinch of curry or turmeric - this way we will get real yellow rice, which is so popular in Thailand and India.

Pilaf is a fairly simple and beloved dish of Uzbek cuisine. There are many options for preparing it. Every housewife should know how to prepare crumbly pilaf and learn how to do it, because only this is considered “real.” Classic pilaf is prepared with rice and lamb in a cauldron, but it is possible to avoid cooking “mess” in our realities.

Secrets of preparing crumbly pilaf

Real pilaf should be aromatic, tasty and crumbly. These parameters are influenced by the following factors:

• rice variety;
• type of meat;
• temperature conditions during cooking pilaf.

What rice is ideal for pilaf?

Rice is the basis of pilaf. Knowing which grain is better, you will know how to prepare crumbly pilaf. Short-grain and long-grain varieties are suitable for it: Devzira, Basmati, Jasmine.

Steamed types can also be used. Their only difference from classic rice grains is their less rich taste. Don't pay attention to the cost of cereal. Durum rice at low prices is just as good for pilaf as the elite types.

How to properly process rice?

In addition to the type of grains, the method of processing them is also of great importance. For pilaf, rice is prepared as follows:

1. Sort and rinse thoroughly until the water flowing from the grains becomes completely transparent.
2. The rice is poured with plenty of warm water.
3. In the process of preparing pilaf, rice is placed on the meat with onions and carrots, carefully leveling it.
4. Slowly pour water into the pilaf along the wall of the cauldron. It should be 1.5-2 cm above the grain level.
5. Next, turn up the heat on the stove to maximum. It is allowed to cover the cauldron with a lid, but only for 1 minute, so that the water boils faster and the oil floats to the top.
6. During subsequent cooking, when the water evaporates, the oil will slowly sink down, soaking and enveloping each grain of rice.

Do not stir anything during the cooking process. The readiness of rice is checked as follows: from the very edge, lightly push the grains away and see if there is any water left. It shouldn't exist. Try the grains - they should not crunch.

When everything goes according to plan and the remaining water is about to evaporate, proceed to the next stage of cooking rice:

1. Make the burner flame medium-low.
2. Wait until the water has completely evaporated and immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting.
3. Now close the cauldron with a lid as tightly as possible.
4. Open after 20-25 minutes, mix everything well and it’s ready.

Now you know how to cook pilaf so that the rice is crumbly. If you methodically follow the instructions, it will be just like that.

What meat is best to use for pilaf?

The best meat for real pilaf is lamb. Moreover, it is better to use meat from adults. In addition to the pulp, it is advisable to take several parts of the back with ribs. Sprinkle the seeds with salt and let stand for about 15 minutes. The pulp is cut into slices of approximately 1.5 cm.

Today there are many ways to cook an equally tasty alternative dish without lamb. From the recipes below you will learn how to prepare crumbly pilaf from pork, chicken, as well as delicious pilaf in a slow cooker.

Real pilaf with pork

This fragrant crumbly pilaf will decorate your table.

Ingredients:

• 700 g pork neck with a little fat;
• 600 g rice;
• 150 ml vegetable or olive oil;
• 2 onions;
• 2 carrots;
• 2 heads of garlic;
• salt, black pepper to taste;
• 1 pinch of cumin.

Preparation:

1. Make the burner flame as strong as possible. Heat the oil in a cauldron - a barely noticeable smoke should come from it.
2. First, fry the onion, wait until it acquires a golden, rich color.
3. Place the meat.
4. Distribute the carrots over the surface of the meat. Wait 2-3 minutes and stir gently.
5. Fry for 10-15 minutes.
6. Reduce the burner flame to medium and add cumin.
7. Pour water so that it is 1.5-2 cm above the ingredients.
8. Add whole heads of garlic.
9. When the mixture boils, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Do not cover the cauldron with a lid.
10. Then make the flame as strong as possible and salt the pilaf.
11. Add the rice, smooth it out, wait about half an hour, mix everything and put it on a large, beautiful dish.

Friable pilaf with chicken

How to cook fluffy rice with chicken is a question that is of keen interest to every housewife, because most often the ending is more reminiscent of porridge with meat. But, if you strictly follow the cooking recipe, making real crumbly pilaf with chicken is not difficult.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. rice for pilaf;
• 400 g chicken fillet;
• 2 onions;
• 2 large carrots (red, ripe ones are best);
• 1 large head of garlic;
• 1 tbsp. water;
• 3 tbsp. l. olive oil;
• 1 tbsp. l. fine salt;
• 4 g cumin.

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a bowl and fry the onion until golden brown.
2. Add chicken fillet, fry for 5 minutes (heat should be high).
3. Place vegetables: garlic, carrots, cumin. Without reducing the heat, fry for another 7 minutes.
4. Place rice on top, pour water.
5. Next, cook the pilaf over medium heat until the water has completely evaporated.

Crumbly pilaf from a multicooker

If you don’t yet know how to properly cook crumbly pilaf in a slow cooker, this recipe will definitely come in handy.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of meat (pork, chicken, beef, veal or lamb);
• 1 multi-cup durum rice;
• 1 tbsp. water;
• 3 tbsp. l. olive or vegetable oil;
• 1 onion;
• 1 large carrot;
• 1 tsp. salt;
• 1 tsp. cumin.

Preparation:

1. Pour oil into the multicooker container, place the meat and fry it by turning on the “Frying” or “Baking” function. After 10 minutes, add vegetables.
2. Fry for another 10 minutes, then add the rice grains. Stirring constantly, fry all ingredients for 10-13 minutes.
3. Turn on the “Stew” or “Pilaf” option, pour water into a bowl, add spices and salt and cook for about 40 minutes.

As you can see, preparing crumbly pilaf is not so difficult. The main thing is to know some subtleties and pay enough attention to each stage of creating a dish. It is equally important to maintain the “correct” time and adequate temperature conditions. And your pilaf will be no worse than its Uzbek prototype.

Pilaf is considered a colorful dish of oriental cuisine. It is loved for its exquisite spicy taste and satiety. Many housewives prefer to cook pilaf from pork, but using lamb, chicken, veal and even fish is acceptable. Mushrooms are often added to the dish, which ultimately makes it richer. There are many secrets that help make rice fluffy. The result is a delicious grain-to-grain pilaf. Let's look at the basic recipes in order, highlighting the main thing.

Classic pork pilaf

• garlic - 1.5-2 heads
• rice (preferably steamed) - 670 gr.
• carrots - 700 gr.
• pork pulp - 0.9-1 kg.
• sunflower oil - 180 ml.
• onions - 450 gr.
• chili pepper (capsicum) - 0.5 pcs.
• seasoning “4 peppers” - 7 gr.
• salt - 40 gr.
• turmeric (ground), cumin - 3-5 g each.
• barberry berries - 5 gr.
• drinking water - about 1.7-1.8 liters.

1. Pour the rice into a bowl, fill with running water so that the liquid covers the grains. To obtain crumbly pilaf, washing must be done 5-6 times. This move will remove the rice flour, which glues the grains together.
2. During the rinsing process, crush the rice with your hands and drain the liquid. When the water becomes completely clear, leave the cereal on the sieve for a quarter of an hour.
3. Chop the carrots into long pieces (straws), peel the onion, and chop it in a convenient way. Pour oil into a cauldron, heat it, add the onion inside.
4. Remove the barberry berries from the branches, place in a colander, and rinse. Fill with water and leave to soak. At this time, rinse and dry the pork, chop into 4*4 cm pieces.
5. Add the meat to the fried onions, place the carrots on top, and smooth the contents with a spatula (do not stir!). Peel the garlic from the base and husk, and place the whole cloves into the cauldron.
6. Salt the ingredients, add chopped chili, soaked barberries and a mixture of peppers. Add ground turmeric and whole cumin. Boil drinking water and fill it with contents.
7. Simmer the contents under the lid for at least a quarter of an hour. After this period, place the washed rice grains in a wok (cauldron), smooth them over the meat and fry. Do not stir the mixture, otherwise the rice will not be completely steamed.
8. During the cooking process, press the grains against the main mixture with a spatula so that they are saturated with oily liquid and spices. If necessary, add more hot water, covering the pilaf by 1-2 cm.
9. After the water has been absorbed into the rice, make holes in the contents. This move will allow excess moisture to evaporate, leaving the dish crumbly. When the water is almost completely gone, make a mound of pilaf.
10. Set the heat to minimum, cover the cauldron with a lid and a warm towel. Simmer for 20-35 minutes until completely cooked. Sample the rice periodically. When serving, first lay out the grains, then the meat with garlic and stewed vegetables.

• onions - 250 gr.
• ground turmeric - 10 gr.
• lamb pulp - 450-500 gr.
• pork tenderloin -450 gr.
• carrots - 240 gr.
• vegetable oil - 75 gr.
• long rice - 650 gr.
• garlic - 10 cloves
• laurel - 4 pcs.
• ground pepper - 5 gr.
• salt - 25-30 gr.
• filtered water - in fact

1. To make the pilaf crumbly, the ratio of meat, rice and vegetables should be relatively equal. A thick-bottomed saucepan, cast-iron frying pan or wok (Kazan) is used as cooking utensils.
2. First of all, start washing the rice. Rinse it under the tap 3 times, then fill it with cold water and leave for 45 minutes. During this period, the starch will come out and the rice flour will be washed out.
3. Start preparing the vegetables. Chop the carrots into cubes and chop the onion into cubes or half rings. Rinse lamb and pork tenderloins and dry with paper towels. Cut the meat into 3-5 cm pieces.
4. Pour the oil into a regular frying pan and heat it until white smoke appears. Scald the meat on all sides until crusty; this move will retain the juice inside the pork and lamb.
5. After frying, transfer the oil and meat into a cauldron, and add the onions and carrots to the previous pan. Once golden brown, transfer the vegetables to the meat. If you wish, you can not fry the carrots, but stew them immediately in a cauldron.
6. Add spices, salt and chopped chili pepper. Mix the contents and compact. Drain the liquid from the rice and place it on top of the first mixture. Smooth the surface with a spoon.
7. Boil purified water and start pouring it into the cauldron along the wall of the dish. Make sure that the liquid covers the contents by only 1-1.5 cm. Bring the pilaf to the first bubbles at maximum power.
8. After boiling, reduce the temperature to between medium and minimum. Make holes in the pilaf with Chinese chopsticks so that the contents simmer evenly.
9. Cover the dishes and cook the dish for half an hour, periodically assessing the taste of the rice. When the specified period comes to an end, peel the garlic cloves and stick them into the composition at a certain distance from each other.
10. Wrap the cast iron cookware in a warm blanket or sweatshirt and leave it to “simmer” for 1-1.5 hours. During this period, the rice will be saturated with juice and seasonings, and the pilaf will become rich.

• spices for pilaf - 20 gr.
• dill and parsley (fresh) - 0.5 bunch each
• olive oil - 60 ml.
• chicken (preferably thighs) - 600 gr.
• long steamed rice - 575 gr.
• carrots - 230 gr.
• onion - 280 gr.
• drinking water - in fact

1. Rinse the carrots and chop them in a convenient way (slices, half rings, straws). Chop the onion, add to the carrots, add pepper and salt.
2. Fry the vegetables until golden brown in hot olive oil. Start cutting up the chicken. If possible, choose thighs, they are fattier. Chop the meat into pieces, removing the skin. You don't have to remove the bones.
3. Send the meat for frying, cook until golden brown (heat treatment lasts 5-7 minutes). Then add 170 ml. water, cover the dish with a lid, simmer the meat for another 5 minutes.
4. Place the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water, wait 20 minutes. Rinse the grains, removing the white coating (the water should become completely transparent).
5. Place the onion, chicken, and carrots into the cauldron. Press down with a spoon and place rice on top. Squeeze the contents with a spatula, add chopped dill and parsley.
6. Pour boiling water over the mixture, covering the grains by 1 cm. Cook the pilaf without a lid for 10 minutes, then make several holes in the dish for better evaporation of moisture.
7. After another 10 minutes of simmering, cover the cauldron with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook the crumbly pilaf for a third of an hour. When the water has evaporated, turn off the stove and wrap the dishes in a warm cloth. Infuse the dish for 1.5 hours.
8. If you wish, you can prepare chicken and mushroom pilaf. In this case, choose champignons, oyster mushrooms or chanterelles. Pre-wash, peel and fry the mushrooms. Then add them to the chicken.

• beef pulp - 450 gr.
• onions - 330 gr.
• round rice - 200 gr.
• vegetable oil - 60-80 ml.
• laurel leaf - 4 pcs.
• salt - 15 gr.
• carrots - 250 gr.
• black pepper (ground) - 5 gr.

1. Rinse the beef, pat the meat dry with napkins, or dry it in another convenient way. Chop into slices of the same shape (3-5 cm), boil in 1 liter. salted water. The duration of heat treatment is 25-30 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes of cooking, add bay and pepper. When the meat is cooked, pour the broth into a separate bowl; you will need it later. Remove the meat and place it in a cauldron.
3. Chop the carrots and onions, sauté the mixture in hot oil until golden brown, then transfer the vegetables along with the liquid into the cauldron. Wash the rice, scald the grains with boiling water, and drain. Add to meat and vegetables.
4. Fry the contents for 3 minutes, then pour in 270 ml. broth left over from cooking beef. Do not stir the contents, cover the cauldron with a lid, place on low heat, and cook until the broth evaporates.
5. Try not to open the lid for the first quarter of an hour after the start of simmering. After this period, make holes in the pilaf so that the liquid leaves evenly.
6. When you see grains appearing in the kernels, turn off the burner. Leave the cauldron on a warm stove, covering the dishes with a warm blanket or sweatshirt. Pilaf can be consumed after 1 hour of infusion.

• steamed rice (preferably long) - 420 gr.
• veal tenderloin - 480-500 gr.
• seasonings for pilaf - 15-20 gr.
• oil for frying - 130 gr.
• salt - 15 gr.
• onions - 300 gr.
• garlic - 8 cloves
• carrots - 250 gr.
• filtered water - in fact

1. Wash the rice, place the grains in a bowl, pour ice water over it, and leave to soak for 1.5 hours. Rinse the veal and dry thoroughly, chop into cubes (about 3 cm in size).
2. Prepare the vegetables (washing, peeling), chop them. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the veal meat for 15-20 minutes. Stir constantly to avoid burning.
3. After the allotted time, add carrots and onions, sauté the contents for another 7-8 minutes. After this, add spices, salt, and stir. Turn off the stove and let the ingredients sit for 10 minutes.
4. Now carefully transfer the contents from the frying pan to the cauldron. Drain the rice and place it on top of the meat and vegetables. Press down with a spatula, do not stir. If desired, you can add salt by placing it on the grains in the same way.
5. Boil the water. Pour it in a thin stream along the edge of the dish. Make sure that the water covers the rice by 1.5-2 cm. Place the cauldron on the stove and wait for bubbles to appear. Next, reduce the burner to low.
6. Cover the dish with a lid and wait a third of an hour. During this period, the liquid will be absorbed into the grains, you will get a delicious crumbly pilaf. After the specified period, turn off the stove.
7. Make 5 holes in the contents with a spoon, wrap the dishes in a sweatshirt or thick blanket. Leave until the final infusion, then place on serving plates. Serve with garlic sauce and cabbage-carrot salad.
8. Some housewives prefer to cook veal pilaf with ripe tomatoes or tomato paste. In this case, the tomatoes are turned into puree and sautéed along with vegetables in a hot frying pan.

Pilaf is perfect for lunch or dinner. Consider the classic technology of the dish, serve it with vegetable salad and spicy sauce. Make pilaf from lamb or veal, add chicken, mushrooms, barberry berries, tomato puree. Experiment with spices, vary the amount of salt and water. Choose long steamed rice as a base (you can also use round rice).

Video: how to cook crumbly pilaf in a slow cooker

We mix rice with whatever we cook pilaf. Every housewife has her own favorite recipe. But, of course, any housewife should know that pilaf will be truly tasty if it turns out crumbly.

It is then that the pilaf will be pilaf, and not rice porridge, seasoned with vegetables and spices. How to prepare crumbly pilaf? There is nothing complicated about it, you just need to know the little secrets.

What to make pilaf from?

The most important components of traditional pilaf are meat, rice, onions and carrots. You can use any refined oil for frying meat and vegetables. Uzbeks, and they are the creators of pilaf, overcook meat and vegetables exclusively in lamb fat. But lamb fat has a smell that not everyone likes, so you can get by with our usual sunflower oil.

The spices that are used in the preparation of traditional pilaf include khmeli-suneli seasoning, barberry, ground pepper, garlic and salt, of course.

Any rice you have in your kitchen is suitable for preparing pilaf. But if you run out of rice, then it is better to buy steamed durum rice. It is this rice that absorbs the broth well, and therefore turns out crumbly and with a rich taste.

Recipe for making crumbly pilaf

First we prepare the base for pilaf from meat, carrots and onions.

• Take half as many carrots as meat. Carrots are cut into long thin slices. If you want to speed up the chopping process, take a large Korean salad grater and chop the carrots with it. The carrots should not be finely grated because they should retain their shape at the end of cooking.

• Add vegetable oil or fat to a thick-walled frying pan or roasting pan. Its quantity should be sufficient, do not skimp, pilaf should not be dry. Then add the meat and fry it over high heat until golden brown. At this stage of preparing pilaf, it is better not to leave the frying pan at all, since burnt meat will give the pilaf a bitter taste and a not very tasty aroma.
• Once the meat is well browned, reduce the heat slightly and add the onion. As soon as the onion becomes soft, add the carrots. When the carrots become limp, make sure they do not break when stirring.
• We complete the preparation of the pilaf base by adding spices. Be sure to add salt, black pepper, you can add the Khmeli-Suneli mixture, you can add barberry, and also garlic. Fans of spicy dishes can add a little hot ground pepper to the pilaf. Then add tomato paste or finely chopped fresh tomatoes.

• After adding spices, mix everything well. Then pour water into the frying pan so that the water covers all the products 1 centimeter from their level. Cover the pan tightly with a lid and simmer over low heat for half an hour.

It's time to add rice.

Secrets of making fluffy rice

• Any rice can be made crumbly. It's just that steamed rice absorbs the broth better.

• Be sure to wash the rice in clean water up to 8 times.

• Then fill it with cold water. This can be done before preparing the pilaf base to give the rice time to absorb water.

• Place the rice in the pan using a slotted spoon to drain off excess water.

• Now remember, in order to prepare crumbly rice, and, therefore, crumbly pilaf, the rice should not be boiled in water, but should be steamed.

• To do this, turn the heat to minimum under the frying pan and lay out the rice in a heap. Using a wooden stick, make several holes in the slide to allow steam to rise more easily. And close the pan tightly with a lid.

• When the rice is completely cooked, turn off the heat, but do not remove the lid; leave the pilaf, as they say, “to finish”, for 10 minutes.

During this time, you can set the table or prepare fresh onions marinated in vinegar, which go so well with pilaf.

When you lift the lid, you will see real crumbly pilaf. Onions should not stand out from the overall dish, but carrots, on the contrary, should be noticeable. Large pieces of meat can now be cut into smaller pieces. Cut it if you want, or you don't have to. After all, it’s the big piece that makes your mouth happy. But most importantly, you must cook the rice fluffy. It should acquire a golden color, a unique aroma and taste.

Now you know how to prepare crumbly pilaf. If you have all the necessary products at home, today you can please yourself and your family with this Uzbek dish, which has taken root so well among us.