Rice is used to prepare a wide variety of dishes. But the most famous is plov. Rice grains in it should crumble, and not form sticky fragments. However, to achieve proper cooking this dish is difficult. How to cook friable pilaf, we will tell in our article.
Main reasons for failure
The most difficult thing in cooking pilaf is to achieve that the rice becomes crumbly and absorbs the taste of zirvak. To do this, you need not only to strictly follow the recipe, but also to choose the right products for cooking.
Rice in pilaf does not turn out crumbly for the following reasons:
- non-compliance with cooking technology. Today there are a wide variety of pilaf recipes. In many of them, during the cooking process, the components of the dish should not be mixed. Rice is introduced at the very end, which is why it is not always possible to accurately meet all the requirements (temperature in the container, cooking time, amount of water, etc.). This leads to the fact that the grains either remain very dry or stick together;
- wrong grain. Only hard varieties of long-grain rice are suitable for cooking pilaf. There are many varieties of cereals that can be used for cooking. Some of them fit perfectly, but they are very difficult to find in a store or market (for example, devzira rice). Others are easier to find, but getting crumbly from them is more difficult. However, many types of rice are strictly forbidden to take for cooking this dish;
- you need to choose rice of a certain brand. Some products, even with the observance of the pilaf cooking technology, give an unpleasant odor and stuck together lumps. This happens if the cereal is of poor quality and was harvested in violation of the collection technology. It is best to give preference to more expensive products famous brands. In this case, the risk of buying a fake will be minimal;
- the presence of a large amount of starch in rice. To reduce its content in cereals, it is necessary to rinse the grains well. It is imperative to rinse the rice to remove all impurities from it. Their presence can also lead to sticking of grains during the cooking process. Depending on the variety of rice, it is necessary to wash from 3 to 10 times.
The most common reason for the appearance of sticky lumps in pilaf is a violation of the cooking technology. For example, rice for swelling should be poured with boiled water. The volume of the poured liquid should be 2 times more than the cereal is used.
When the water in the container in which the rice is cooked begins to gurgle, the fire should be reduced. In this case, the pan or cauldron is covered with a tight lid. The ingredients should be evaporated for 15-20 minutes (the time is determined depending on the recipe, since sometimes you need to simmer for 40 minutes).
After pouring water, regardless of the need to mix the remaining components, the cereal should not be disturbed. Rice should be evenly distributed over the entire surface of the zirvak. Only in this case it is possible to achieve good friability and excellent taste from it.
Some chefs advise using certain tricks when cooking rice. For example, use a little sunflower oil in the cooking process. You can also rinse the cereal after the completion of the cooking process.
If you choose the right rice, soak it and cook it, it will most likely turn out to be crumbly.
Video: "How to cook friable pilaf"
How to cook crumbly pilaf, because this is the main difficulty in preparing this dish?
What is required for cooking
To prepare friable pilaf, you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 kg long grain rice(only hard varieties are taken). You can use any cereal that belongs to this variety;
- 1 kg of meat (pork, beef, chicken, rabbit, etc.). There are recipes in which ordinary stew acts as a meat component;
- 0.25 kg of lamb (fat tail) fat. It can be replaced with cottonseed oil;
- 0.5–0.7 kg of carrots;
- 0.5–0.7 kg of onions;
- several heads of garlic;
- spices. Their set is determined by the taste preferences of the cook. But it is recommended to include in the list such a seasoning as zira;
- salt.
As already noted, today there is a huge number of a wide variety of pilaf recipes. Therefore, the list of ingredients can be expanded. Above was the basic set of products. But winter peas (chickpeas), corn, dried fruits, etc. can be added to pilaf. From spices, hot red and ground black pepper, barberry, suneli hops, etc. are often used to give the dish taste and spiciness. You can decorate pilaf with herbs.
How to cook crumbly pilaf
Crumbly pilaf prepared as follows:
- first, all products (vegetables and meat) are cleaned and cut, and rice is soaked in water;
- then the carrots are roasted first, and then onion and meat pieces are added to it. The ingredients are poured into a well-heated container. Meat and vegetables only need to be fried, not brought to full readiness. Otherwise, the pilaf will come out dry and tough. The result is a rich broth - zirvak;
- then rice is poured into the prepared broth and seasonings are added. The groats are poured with salted boiling water on top. When rice is added, the fire decreases, and the dish languishes for the time indicated in the recipe;
- then the container is removed from the fire and stands for some more time. After that, pilaf can be served at the table.
Depending on the recipe, additional recommendations may arise in the preparation technology of this dish. For example, it is forbidden to mix layers of vegetables with meat. The pilaf languishing time can also be increased after adding rice to zirvak.
If you want to cook fluffy rice, choose simple recipes, which involve performing standard actions. Only after honing your skills on them can you safely switch to more complex variations of pilaf. Follow the above recommendations, and the rice in this dish will always be crumbly.
Of course, today you will not surprise anyone with such a common dish as pilaf. There are a lot of recipes for cooking pilaf on the Internet, but I found my favorite and most successful recipe for myself only on the tenth attempt. That is why today I am publishing a kind of “cheat sheet” on my blog so as not to lose this recipe and at any time to be able to return to it and again please my loved ones with juicy and crumbly pilaf.
Recipe for juicy and crumbly pilaf
A delicious pilaf has several main components, without which it will not be possible to cook it really tasty. Firstly, it is juicy meat with fat, secondly, it is a large amount of onions and carrots, and thirdly, the preliminary preparation of rice. To make pilaf really juicy, you should use fatty meats such as pork, lamb or juicy chicken parts (not fillet). Carrots and onions should also not be spared, these ingredients set the tone for the whole dish, but the most important thing is to pay enough attention to rice. This white, round-grained friend, as it turned out, absolutely does not like to rush. So, let's start cooking pilaf at home.
Of course, real pilaf is cooked over high heat in a real cast iron cauldron and in the fresh air. But at home you can also cook incredibly delicious pilaf.
First, we thoroughly rinse the rice in cold water until it becomes almost clear. Then pour for twenty minutes cold water. After twenty minutes, drain the cold water and pour the rice for forty minutes, this time with warm water. Such preliminary preparation of rice will allow you to cook friable pilaf.
While our rice is "taking a warm bath", we cut the meat into small pieces. Onions - a quarter rings, and carrots - straws. In a cauldron or in a multicooker bowl, heat the vegetable oil and put our meat on top. Salt immediately and fry until golden brown.
Then we throw carrots into strips to the meat and fry for some time until soft.
Now we throw in a whole onion, cut into quarter rings, and also fry.
Now we pour boiling water over all this beauty and add seasoning for pilaf. Such seasonings are very convenient and are a real find, because using them is much easier than mixing all the spices separately. Seasoning should be thoroughly mixed with meat, carrots and onions. I only added a tablespoon of seasoning. How more spices you use, the richer the color of the pilaf will be at the end. Also, don't forget to salt the mixture.
We simmer the whole thing for fifteen minutes and then spread the rice on top in an even layer, pour boiling water so that the water covers the rice one centimeter higher.
Now, over high heat, bring the pilaf to a boil and wait until the rice absorbs all the water.
As soon as this happens, we reduce the heat to the minimum, make five or six holes in the rice to the very bottom of the cauldron and put a few whole cloves of garlic in there.
If you cook pilaf in a cauldron, then cover it with a waffle towel, and already on top with a lid, and leave to cook on low heat for about fifteen minutes. If you cook pilaf in a multicooker, then close the lid, turn on the multicooker (temperature 60 degrees) and also leave for 15 minutes.
At the end of cooking, the pilaf must be thoroughly mixed so that the meat and vegetables are evenly distributed.
Very juicy and tasty crumbly pilaf is ready. Bon Appetit!
Whatever we mix rice with when preparing pilaf. Each hostess has her own favorite recipe. But, of course, any housewife should know that pilaf will be really tasty if it turns out crumbly.
It is then that pilaf will be pilaf, and not rice porridge seasoned with vegetables and spices. How to cook crumbly pilaf? There is nothing complicated in this, you just need to know the little secrets.
What to cook pilaf from?
The most important ingredients traditional pilaf are meat, rice, onions and carrots. For frying meat and vegetables, you can use any refined oil. Uzbeks, and it is they who are the creators of pilaf, overcook meat and vegetables exclusively on lamb fat. But lamb fat has a smell that not everyone likes, so you can get by with sunflower oil that is familiar to us.
The spices that are used in the preparation of traditional pilaf include hops-suneli seasoning, barberry, ground pepper, garlic and salt, of course.
For cooking pilaf, any rice that you have in your kitchen is suitable. But if the rice is over, then it is better to buy steamed rice durum varieties. It is this rice that absorbs the broth well, and therefore it turns out crumbly and with a rich taste.
Recipe for friable pilaf
First, we prepare the basis for pilaf from meat, carrots and onions.
- Carrots are taken two times less than meat. Carrots are cut into long thin slices. If you want to speed up the process of cutting it, take a coarse grater for Korean salads and chop the carrots with it. Carrots should not be finely grated, because at the end of cooking they should retain their shape.
- Add vegetable oil or fat to a thick-walled pan or roaster. Its quantity should be sufficient, do not save, pilaf should not be dry. Then we put the meat and fry it over high heat until golden brown. At this stage of cooking pilaf, it is better not to leave the pan at all, since burnt meat will give the pilaf a bitter taste and not very tasty aroma.
- After the meat is well fried, lower the heat a little and add the onion. Once the onion is soft, add the carrots. When the carrots become sluggish, then make sure that they do not break when stirred.
- We complete the preparation of the base for pilaf by adding spices. Be sure to add salt, black pepper, you can add a mixture of "Hmeli - Suneli", you can add barberry, as well as garlic. lovers spicy dishes they can put a little spicy in pilaf ground pepper. Then add tomato paste or finely chopped fresh tomatoes.
- After adding spices, mix everything well. Then pour water into the pan so that the water covers all the products 1 centimeter from their level. Cover the pan tightly with a lid and simmer for half an hour over low heat.
It's time to add the rice.
Secrets of cooking friable rice 
- Any rice can be made fluffy. Just 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 the pilaf base is cooked to give the rice time to soak up the water.
- Put the rice in the pan with a slotted spoon so that the excess water drains.
- And now remember, in order to cook friable rice, and, therefore, friable pilaf, rice should not be boiled in water, but should be steamed.
- To do this, make a minimum fire under the pan, put the rice in a slide. Using a wooden stick, make a few holes in the slide so that the steam rises more easily. And tightly cover the pan 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 "walk", for 10 minutes.
During this time, you can set the table or cook fresh onions marinated in vinegar, which goes so well with pilaf.
When you lift the lid, you will see a real crumbly pilaf. Onions should not stand out from the general dish, but carrots, on the contrary, should be noticeable. Large pieces of meat can now be cut into smaller pieces. Cut if you want, or don't. After all, it is the big piece that makes the mouth happy. But most importantly, you must cook the rice fluffy. It should acquire a golden color, unique aroma and taste.
Now you know how to cook crumbly pilaf. If everything is at home necessary products, you can already today please yourself and your family with this Uzbek dish, which has taken root so successfully with us.
Reading 6 min. Published on 01/05/2019
Pilaf is a popular dish of Uzbek cuisine, it has entered the "golden fund" of world cuisine. It's hard to mess up if you follow the recipe. There are many variations of pilaf, among which everyone can choose something for themselves.
Secrets of cooking friable rice
- When buying rice, choose transparent packaging so that you can evaluate the quality. The grains should be free of additional impurities, white/beige or slightly translucent. At home, they check the quality of rice by smell: the grain should not smell like mold.
- Before cooking, the rice is thoroughly washed with warm water, which is drained several times (5-7) until the liquid becomes transparent, thus getting rid of the starch contained on the surface of the rice. When washing the grain, rub it thoroughly with your hands.
- Don't rush to use the washed rice right away. After draining the last water, let it brew for about forty minutes. Periodically stir the grain so that the remaining moisture is absorbed evenly.
It is known that round-grain rice contains more starch than long-grain rice, so when choosing rice, give preference to varieties with elongated grains.
Why pilaf turns out like porridge or cooking errors
- It is important to observe the proportions of products: rice, meat, carrots and onions are taken in equal weight quantities. This is the only way to achieve a balanced taste. Uzbek food and not get in the end rice porridge with meat.
- You can not take a pan with a thin bottom and walls. Choose thick-walled dishes so that the heat is evenly distributed and retained. If there is no cauldron, then a cast-iron pan or ducklings will do.
- A common mistake when cooking pilaf is a violation of the recipe when preparing zirvak (meat and vegetable component of the dish). Each of the three ingredients should be fried alternately in well-heated fat so that the products are instantly covered with a golden crust and do not have time to give juice.
- The order of bookmarking products is not observed. It is supposed to cook zirvak first, bring it to a boil, then put rice on top and pour water over it.
- Rice laid in a container on top of meat, onions and carrots should not be mixed, it is better not to open the lid during cooking and after another ten minutes.
- The surface of the cereal is leveled, the water should cover it by a centimeter and a half. Holes are made on the surface with a wooden stick so that the steam rises up. Everything is cooked on a very slow fire, as if steamed.
- Lack of flavor is a common cooking mistake. Spicy taste pilaf is given spices: zira, hot pepper, cumin, barberry. They emphasize the taste of meat, add spicy notes. Saffron, garlic, suneli hops will complement the composition.
The head of garlic is placed unpeeled, after cutting off the top.
Top 3 step-by-step crumbly pilaf recipes
Uzbek pilaf
Culinary specialists have more than five dozen recipes for Uzbek pilaf. And every housewife in Uzbekistan has her own cooking secret, which makes it unique. But still there is classic recipe which is taken as a basis.
The dish is prepared on an open fire, certainly in a cauldron.
Ingredients :
- rice of the Devzira variety - 1.5 kilograms;
- lamb (preferably the shoulder part, brisket) - 1.5 kilograms;
- carrots - 1.5 kilograms;
- onion - 6-7 pieces;
- garlic - 2-3 heads;
- zira - half a glass;
- barberry - half a glass;
- fat cut from meat or fat tail - 200 grams;
- vegetable oil - 1 glass;
- salt - to taste.
Cooking :
Chicken pilaf recipe
Pilaf from chicken meat cooking will be faster. It is suitable for a daily menu, as available products are used and the cooking process is simple. The recipe can be supplemented and used for a festive feast by adding prunes, raisins or mushrooms to the dish.
Ingredients :
- chicken - 1 kilogram;
- long-grain rice - 1 kilogram;
- medium-sized onion - 5-6 pieces;
- garlic - 4 heads;
- a mixture of zira and turmeric - 3 tablespoons;
- salt, ground black pepper, paprika - to taste;
- vegetable oil - ¾ cup.
Cooking :
Recipe for pilaf in a slow cooker
Cooking pilaf in a slow cooker requires a minimum of participation, this is a recipe for lovers oriental dish who have little free time. A slow cooker will allow you to cook pilaf in a hurry.
Today we will learn how to make plov crumbly, or simply how to make Uzbek plov at home.
Surely, many housewives know how to make pilaf, but sometimes it turns out to be sticky and lumpy. Moreover, novice housewives, young girls - they still do not know how to cook pilaf correctly, according to a real recipe, so that it turns out tasty and fragrant. And how to make pilaf crumbly? There are certain tricks here.
Let's make a real Uzbek pilaf in our kitchen.
Attention: VIDEO is at the end of the article.
So, what ingredients do we need for the real Uzbek, or classic pilaf? Here step by step recipe cooking this delicious dish oriental cuisine:
1) We take 500 grams of meat, onions, rice and carrots. Vegetable (can be ordinary sunflower) oil - 150 grams (2/3 cup).
Meat can be chosen according to taste - what you like. You can make chicken pilaf, but someone likes pork, and someone loves traditional lamb. I like to make from beef, especially if from young veal - then the meat is soft. In any case, we cut all 500 grams of meat into small cubes, throw into a frying pan, pour vegetable oil and fry for 20 minutes until lightly browned. Until the crust is not necessary, since then we still have to fry it.
2)
While the meat is frying, we also cut the onion into cubes, after 20 minutes we throw it into the pan, mix and fry with the meat in the pan for about 5 minutes (see photo).
3)
We take carrots and rub on a coarse grater, as shown in the photo.
4) Add carrots to the pan with meat and onions, throw 2-3 teaspoons of spices "For pilaf", also mix and fry it all for 5 minutes (see photo).
5) Then remove the pan from the heat, and transfer the entire contents into a cast-iron cauldron, or into a saucepan with a thick bottom. If you take Chinese pans with a thin bottom, then the pilaf will burn at the bottom. Therefore, in order to prepare the pilaf that we need, a real cauldron, a Soviet cast-iron pot or expensive German pans, for example, from the Rendel company (see photo), which have high-quality stainless steel and a thick bottom, are best suited.
6) Rinse 500 grams of rice well with water, removing debris, if any, and also put in a cauldron on top of the meat. By the way, if there is leftover rice, it can be used to make fish and rice pie.
7) Sprinkle on top with 2 teaspoons of salt without a slide (you can three, who like it saltier). Fill everything with water, the level of which should not exceed 1 cm above the level of rice (about a finger thick). If you add less water, the rice may not cook through completely and the pilaf will turn out too dry. And if you pour more, then the pilaf will turn out sticky and lumpy, like in the dining room.
8) We put the pan on the fire and bring to a boil, and only then close the lid. We reduce the fire to a slow one, so that only the water evaporates and soar our Uzbek pilaf in this way for 15-20 minutes until the water has completely evaporated.
9) Then turn off the stove, let the pilaf stand for 10-15 minutes and stir it while it is still hot.
And for gourmets:
10 minutes before the end of cooking, you can add 5-7 cloves of peeled garlic to the pilaf, simply sticking them into the depth of the rice.
To make pilaf yellow or even golden, it is necessary to pour a little saffron on the tip of a knife at the time of adding water to rice. but do not overdo it with saffron, otherwise you will cook pilaf not yellow, but orange-red, and it will not have a very pleasant taste. Still, this is a spice, and spices should be added a little bit. And then, the yellow color is also formed from carrots, so do not neglect the addition of carrots.
Here our crumbly delicious pilaf is ready.
I heard this pilaf recipe from one Uzbek cook, altered it a bit for our Russian cuisine, and prepared it for all readers of this site. As you can see, the dish is actually quite simple, but it has its own tricks, which I told you. So cook yourself Bon appetit you and your household.
And now a few video recipes on how to cook pilaf:
1) Uzbek:
2) Tajik, in a cauldron on fire.
