Lamb is a traditional meat for cooking the classic Uzbek pilaf. But the spread of recipes around the world has made adjustments even to standard dishes. Delicious crumbly pork pilaf is an equally popular and sought-after dish. After all, this meat is easier and faster to prepare, and in terms of taste it is in no way inferior to lamb. 
How to cook crumbly pork pilaf
Pilaf is a dish for which step-by-step recipes with photos will not give any meaningful clues. The only thing that can be estimated from them is the intensity of the roasting of the components and the size of the chopped vegetables and meat. 
When preparing, you need to consider several nuances:
- zirvak - meat roast for a dish, cooked in a large amount of oil. As a base, you can use fillets or ribs with thin bones obtained from young pork. Small layers of fat are also suitable;
- carrots for real pilaf are not rubbed, but cut into cubes or long sticks (straws);
- the sequence of actions at the frying stage may differ: so that the onion does not burn, some cooks put it on top of the meat, but before the carrots, others add it before the meat;
- to cook delicious crumbly pork pilaf, you need to choose the right rice. There are varieties that are labeled as "for pilaf": devzira, steamed species. But it is best to experiment with several varieties, because producers in different regions of the country differ;
- you need to cook the dish in sunflower oil or lard, if there are pieces with a large layer. Pre-fat is melted;
- barberry gives sourness to pilaf, but it is not necessary to use it, despite the fact that seasoning is found in almost all traditional recipes.
Now you can start cooking delicious pilaf with pork.
Quick and tasty pork pilaf in a cauldron on a live fire
To cook crumbly pilaf in a cauldron over a live fire, you need to use only high-quality firewood or coal.
No plastic or rubber elements should get into the fire.
To complete the recipe, you need to take the exact number of components, or increase them in accordance with the proportions.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg pork meat without bones and excess fat;
- 1 kg of long-grain rice, or a special variety for crumbly pilaf;
- 1 kg of carrots;
- 4 large onions;
- 200 ml of odorless vegetable oil;
- 2 heads of garlic;
- zira (cumin) - 1-2 tsp. depending on condiments.
Optionally, you can take hot peppers (in pods) to taste, salt, black pepper, combined seasoning for pilaf, barberry and herbs.
Remember that spices should not be too much.
- The meat is cut into large pieces, as soon as the rice is washed to white water and left to soak for 30-40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, the cauldron is heated over high heat, a glass of oil is added.
- As soon as the smoke appears, fall asleep onion, cut into half rings.
- After 3-4 minutes, pork is added to the onion: the meat should be covered with a golden crust, and the liquid should evaporate.
- At the final stage of preparing zirvak, carrots are added, stirring constantly.
- After 5-7 minutes, when vegetables and meat become golden in color, seasonings, salt are added, hot water is added so that it is 1 cm higher than the contents.
- Now you need to reduce the heat and simmer the delicious pilaf for another 5-6 minutes. Then rice is added and water is added to cover the cereal. Carefully remove the slotted spoon after adding, leveling the layer of rice, but without stirring it!
- Once the water boils away, add the peeled heads of garlic. The cauldron is covered with a lid.
- The cooking time from this point is 12-15 minutes, since the meat is already ready.
The final touch is decoration with greenery and serving. 
How to cook crumbly pilaf with pork at home on the stove
To cook crumbly pilaf with pork and rice, take a cast-iron pan (a wok with a narrow bottom and wide edges).
You can use a similar aluminum cookware with a thick bottom.
It is very important to use the exact amount of water to avoid porridge. 
Before you start cooking crumbly pilaf with pork, collect all the ingredients:
- 1 kg each take pork and rice, which after cooking turns out to be friable;
- carrots need 200 g less - 800 g;
- garlic - 3-4 heads, and onions - 600 g;
- obligatory spice - zira 1 tsp;
- vegetable oil - 200 ml;
- water - 1.5-2 liters, if a pot-cauldron is used to cook pilaf with pork, and not a frying pan, less water will be required;
- you can add 1 tsp. a mixture of peppers, a handful of barberries and 1 tsp. turmeric.
The technology for cooking pilaf on the stove differs only in small nuances, but the process itself will not be the same as when using an open fire. Here you do not need to monitor the dishes every second and prevent excessive heating:
- Rice is poured for 40-60 minutes, after washing to clear water.
- Carrots are cut into cubes, onions are cut into half rings, and pork is cut into large cubes.
- First, the onion is fried in slightly smoky oil, then pieces of pork are added to it, it is not necessary to cover it with a lid.
- When the pork is reddened, lay out the carrot sticks. It is important to press the vegetables with a spatula to the surface of the meat without stirring. Then the carrots will be saturated with the aroma of fat, and not boiled.
- Prepare spices: peel the garlic, cut off the top, chop the peppercorns, sort out the barberry.
- Add to zirvak 2 tbsp. l. salt, cumin, crushed pepper. If hot chili pods are used, they are put whole.
- Pour the products with hot water 1 cm above their surface.
- Put the barberry and the remaining spices, cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Put the rice on top, spreading it gently with a spatula. It is necessary to press the cereal well, but do not mix it.
- Peeled heads of garlic are immediately added and the mixture is poured with boiling water 1.5 cm above the rice level.
- After boiling, holes are made in the compressed cereal with a stick so that the moisture evaporates faster. Cover with a lid.
- As soon as the moisture evaporates, the rice is collected with a spatula in a hill, reduce the heat to a minimum and cover the wok with a towel. After 20-40 minutes turn off the stove.
Cooking time at the last stage depends on the variety of rice chosen. So, steamed grain will take longer to boil than polished. At home, pilaf is served on a large dish, first laying out rice, and then pork and carrots. You can lay out a slide, after mixing the ingredients. 
Pork pilaf in a slow cooker is the most delicious recipe
A step-by-step recipe for crumbly pilaf in a slow cooker with pork is a real find for those who want to save time and use the kitchen tool to the maximum of its capabilities.
When using the correct recipe, the dish in the slow cooker turns out to be tasty, fragrant, and does not require any complex manipulations.
But in order to cook a delicious and crumbly pilaf with pork, you must strictly follow the requirements of the recipe, otherwise the dish will turn into rice porridge.
What you need
To prepare the recipe, take the following ingredients:
- pork - fatty neck or other type of pulp - 600 g;
- special rice for pilaf or basmati - 400 g;
- onion - 300 g;
- carrots - 300 g;
- sunflower oil - 150 ml;
- garlic - 1 head;
- zira - 0.5 - 1 tsp.
You can add pepper or coriander, as well as other seasonings that are combined with pork. For a subtle sour note, use dried barberry berries. 
How to cook
As in any other recipe, rice is first washed with water, poured for 40-60 minutes and vegetables are prepared. Then oil is poured into the slow cooker, when smoke appears, the onion is fried in the “frying” mode.
Then pieces of pork are added, and when an appetizing crust appears, carrots are covered. After 10-15 minutes, after mixing, boiled water is added (1 cm above the products), salt and spices are added, including the head of garlic. 
Close the lid and set for 10 minutes at 120 degrees. Open the slow cooker, fill in the swollen rice, pour water along the wall (70-80 degrees). Set the temperature to 100 degrees, close the lid and turn on for 20 minutes. After cooking, let the dish brew for 20-30 minutes. 
Pilaf cooking secrets
Use a few secrets when preparing a fragrant dish:
- even if you really want to, do not grate the carrots, otherwise the pilaf will turn into porridge;
- if you do not like long-grain rice, choose round cereals with a minimum starch content;
- soak rice in hot water with salt (60-70 degrees);
- if you need a light pilaf, put the onion after the pork;
- you can also get a richer taste if you first fry coarsely chopped onion over high heat, take it out and fry the meat in the same oil. In this case, onions are put again together with carrots, but already new.
While cooking, experimental cooks often discover new tricks and secrets for creating delicious pilaf recipes. 
This dish is very popular among connoisseurs of good cuisine. Although it is believed that some other meat (beef and / or lamb) should be used to prepare real pilaf, many home cooks are still happy to get some new recipe for delicious pork pilaf from colleagues and enrich their menu with gastronomic created according to it. masterpiece. Cooking this hearty and fragrant treat in the home kitchen, as the craftsmen assure, is not difficult at all. How to cook delicious pork pilaf? Let's talk about this in our article.
General introduction
Cooking delicious pork pilaf at home should begin with the preparation of meat. Experts recommend using pulp or ribs for this. The process of preparing delicious pilaf consists in stewing fried meat with spices, vegetables and rice.
About dishes
In what dishes should you cook delicious homemade pilaf? Craftsmen recommend using a thick-bottomed pot, a cauldron, a roaster or a baking sheet for this. They also prepare a dish in pots, in a pan and in a slow cooker.
About the variety of recipes
There are a huge number of different recipes for making delicious pilaf. Culinary masters have come up with many interesting options for creating dishes. A photo of delicious pilaf cooked in different ways can be found in this article. In accordance with the recipe, in addition to pork, various seasonings, fish, mushrooms, raisins and even tangerines are included in the composition of the ingredients. Rice is also not always an indispensable component of a delicious pork pilaf. It is known that it is also cooked with buckwheat. And yet one of the most ingenious culinary inventions is considered to be the famous Uzbek plov. It turns out that today Uzbeks, when preparing delicious pilaf (the recipe with a photo is presented in the article), also use pork.
Features of the legendary dish
This treat has been known since ancient times. The recipe for its preparation is simple, while the dish itself has a special unsurpassed taste. In addition, according to experts, Uzbek pilaf is truly healing.
According to nutritionists, the product is highly digestible (98%), which is achieved by the presence of a special combination of products in it. Therefore, despite the high fat content, many doctors consider delicious pilaf to be light food. It is known that Uzbeks use it at any time of the day, and even before going to bed, because it does not impede digestion.
How to cook the most delicious pilaf with pork (Uzbek)?
To prepare 12 servings of this dish you will need:
- 650 g long grain rice;
- 650 g of pork pulp;
- 300 g carrots;
- 650 g of onion;
- to taste: spices and salt (turmeric, zira);
- 250 ml of oil (sunflower);
- 650 ml of water.
Cooking features
Not a single significant event takes place in Uzbekistan without this wonderful treat. The main feature of its preparation is the combination of prepared zirvak (special sauce) and cereals. According to the traditional recipe, the process consists of several stages.
Cooking zirvak
First, zirvak is prepared (a special gravy inherent exclusively in Uzbek pilaf). They do it like this:
- Pork (pulp) is cut into small pieces.
- Pour oil (sunflower) into a saucepan (hot). After it warms up, meat is placed in it, which is fried over high heat until a golden crust appears.
- Peel and chop the onion, add it to the meat, reduce the heat to medium. The onion is fried until translucent. Then the carrots are washed, peeled, chopped into strips, added to the rest of the ingredients and fried until soft.
- Next, the water is boiled and poured into a saucepan. The fire is again reduced (to the smallest). Then add spices and salt to taste and leave to stew under the lid for 40-60 minutes.
Laying the rice
The laying of rice is the next important step in the preparation of the dish:
- The grits are sorted, washed and, filled with water, left to soak for 40-60 minutes. Then the water is drained from the rice and the cereal is poured into the pan on the cooked zirvak. Mixing rice with gravy is not recommended until the pilaf is completely cooked.
- Pilaf is cooked on medium heat. Then, when the water is partially absorbed and evaporated, several holes are made in the rice. The fire is reduced to a minimum, the pilaf is covered with a lid and left to simmer for about 20 minutes. After this time, the dish will be ready and can be mixed.
Serve
According to Uzbek culinary traditions, the dish is served on one large dish (clay, faience or porcelain) with low sides, designed for several people. Before serving, the pilaf must be mixed so that all its ingredients are evenly distributed. The temperature of the dish should be 70-75 ° C. Meatballs, quince, garlic, meat are laid out on top of a hill of pilaf, and sprinkled with chopped green onions.
The dish with pork is served in portions at the box office - large soup bowls or bowls. In the old days, during wedding celebrations, pilaf was served to guests on special plate-shaped cakes with thin middles and lush sides. According to Uzbek traditions, this national dish is washed down with tea and eaten with salads and cakes.
Basic principles for creating treats
When preparing Uzbek pilaf, you need to follow a few general rules, regardless of which of the recipe options for this dish is chosen by the hostess:
- Zirvak is cooked immediately after the oil is hot.
- Experts believe that the taste of pilaf will be the better, the longer the zirvak is stewed.
- The laying of rice is carried out as follows: the washed groats are placed in an even layer in a zirvak and poured with water, after which the flame must be increased. The secret is this: the fat will boil at the bottom of the pot, and the water will rise to the surface of the rice layer. The water level must be 1.5-2 cm above the contents of the pan. Uzbek pork pilaf (properly cooked) must certainly be crumbly, the grains in it should not stick together. For this purpose, the dish is cooked, covered with a towel. on your own steam. Only hard varieties of rice are used.
- Dishes (pan, cauldron, pot) should be thick-walled, copper, cast iron or aluminum.
- When cooking, it is important to use the minimum fire at which the dish should languish.
- The amount of water must match the amount of rice. Pour pilaf with boiling water, not cool water, so that it immediately boils.
- Meat for pilaf must be fatty.
- There should be plenty of oil. According to the traditional recipe, cottonseed, sesame and sunflower oils should be used in cooking. If only one type of oil is used, sunflower oil is the most suitable. One of the important ingredients of the Uzbek pilaf is animal fat (lamb or goat).
How to cook delicious pilaf (homemade)?
For those who do not take up the preparation of Uzbek, Fergana, Tashkent pilaf and other famous dishes, the hostesses offer to use this recipe.
How to cook delicious pork pilaf at home? It turns out that for this you can use the culinary sleeve.
Use:
- 350 grams of pork;
- one glass of rice;
- two glasses of broth;
- greens of cilantro, dill, parsley;
- salt;
- seasoning for pilaf;
- seasoning for meat;
- turmeric;
- two onions medium;
- one carrot;
- one tablespoon of fat (margarine, butter, lard).
Step by step cooking
Prepare like this:
- Grind the pork pulp (not very finely, otherwise the meat will be dry).
- One teaspoon of seasonings for pilaf, salt and half a teaspoon of turmeric are added to the broth. When using a bouillon cube, salt should be used carefully.
- The rice is washed thoroughly.
- Carrots are cut into pieces. The meat is salted, seasoned and fried in fat. Add chopped onion and fry with constant stirring for several minutes until it becomes soft.
- The cooking sleeve is tied on one side and placed on a baking sheet. Pour broth with seasonings on it, spread rice, carrots, meat and onions on top.
- The sleeve is tied on the other side and pierced with a needle two or three times in the upper part. The baking sheet is placed in an oven preheated to 180 ° C for half an hour.
- The oven is turned off, but the dish can be kept in it for about 15 minutes. The sleeve is cut from above and sprinkled with chopped herbs.
How to cook quick pilaf (in a pan)?
To prepare six servings of the dish, use:
- 350 grams of rice;
- 350 grams of pork meat;
- two or three carrots;
- two bulbs;
- 30 ml of tomato (if desired);
- two cloves of garlic;
- 75 ml vegetable oil;
- to taste: salt;
- pepper (ground black).
Training
Rice, carrots (cut into strips) and meat are taken in equal volume. In advance, for convenience, the required amount of oil (vegetable) is poured into a glass. Tomato is added to pilaf if desired. Rice is pre-washed about five times, poured with boiled water and left for at least three hours (or overnight). Just before cooking, the water from the rice is drained and the cereal is washed again. The meat is cut into cubes (medium). Carrots are cut into strips. The onions are crushed. Peel the garlic (two cloves) and start cooking.
Cooking steps
The dish is prepared like this:
- Pour a little oil into a frying pan with a tight-fitting lid. For 5-6 minutes, fry the meat under the lid until a golden crust appears, after which the meat is salted and peppered. Next, add oil (vegetable) and spread the onion (chopped) to the meat. Mix well, cover and fry for a few minutes.
- Then you should open the lid, mix the meat with onions, add oil and put the carrots, cut into strips. All mix well, a little more salt and pepper. Close the lid and fry for two minutes.
- Then the water is brought to a boil (one and a half mugs) and poured.
- After a couple of minutes, open the lid, mix the carrots. Pour in the rest of the oil and add rice, washed after settling. Our gravy is poured into rice. Everything is well leveled and water (boiled) is added - so that the rice is covered with a water column of 1 cm.
- Add garlic (two cloves), salt, and mix again. Cover the dish with a lid and reduce the temperature three times.
- After the rice absorbs water (after 10 minutes), the stove is turned off. The pilaf is mixed again, tightly covered with a lid and left to infuse in the pan for twenty minutes.
Cooking pilaf in Yangzhou style
Use:
- 800 grams of rice porridge;
- 100 grams of pork;
- 50 grams of smoked ham;
- 50 grams of white mushrooms;
- 50 grams of chicken fillet;
- 25 ml sherry (or cognac);
- 30 grams of bamboo sprouts;
- one onion;
- three eggs;
- two tablespoons of green peas (canned);
- four tablespoons of pork fat;
- one tablespoon of soy sauce;
- to taste - pepper and salt.
Description of the preparation method
You should act like this:
- Boil pork and chicken meat and cut into small pieces.
- Dice onion (peeled), mushrooms, ham, bamboo sprouts.
- Beat the eggs, melt half the fat (pork) in a frying pan, add the eggs (whipped), fry them until golden brown and transfer to a flat plate.
- Add the remaining pork fat to the heated pan, fry the pork and onions, add bamboo sprouts, green peas, mushrooms, chicken fillet.
- Pour everything with sherry and soy sauce, pepper and salt. Put rice porridge and eggs (fried) in a pan, mix everything thoroughly and fry until fully cooked.
Pilaf is served, laying it in a slide on a capacious flat dish. Bon appetit!
Hello Dear!
Today I will tell you how to cook delicious pork pilaf. Of course, pork is a little unusual meat for pilaf, since this dish comes from Asia and, as you know, pork is not very respected there. But personally, I have nothing against pork and I think that pork pilaf not much worse than pilaf, for example, lamb.
What to cook pilaf with pork
To prepare pilaf according to this recipe, we need:
- piece of pork meat
- carrot
- onion
- seasonings: zira, barberry, dried tomato, paprika, turmeric
I intentionally left out the quantity. It all depends on the size of the cauldron and how much you want to cook pilaf. Just remember that meat, onions and carrots should be about the same amount. Rice can be taken as much as meat, or up to two times more.
Seasoning for pilaf
Seasoning for pilaf is usually prepared in advance. I just buy zira (preferably black), dried barberry, paprika, dried tomato and turmeric in equal quantities on the market. I pour all this into one jar, mix it and that's it, the seasoning for pilaf is ready.
It is better to take a jar with a screw cap, for example, from baby food, since the seasoning is much more than what is needed for cooking pilaf.
Pork pilaf recipe
The seasoning has been prepared, now let's get to the rice. Rinse the rice thoroughly in several waters. Fill it again with cold water and set aside, let it soak.
Cut the meat into small, approximately equal pieces.
We put the cauldron on the fire and pour vegetable oil into the cauldron. It is difficult for me to tell you the exact amount of oil, I always estimate it by eye based on my own experience in cooking pilaf. Today, for example, I cooked pilaf from 500 grams of meat and 600-700 grams of rice. For this amount of oil products, I took about 200 grams. The amount of oil also depends on how fatty the meat is. The fatter the meat, the less oil, as fat will be rendered.
It is best to choose a cast-iron cauldron. In a cast-iron cauldron, pilaf cooks evenly and does not burn.
The oil must be heated, but not overheated. To check, I throw a small onion cut in half into the oil. Heat the oil until the onion is browned.
As soon as the onion is browned, we take it out of the oil with a slotted spoon. Throw the previously chopped meat into the hot oil.
While the meat is fried, cut the onion, not forgetting to stir the meat from time to time.
Then cut the carrots into thin strips. Don't forget to stir the meat.
For the first time, you should probably chop the onions and carrots in advance.
Our meat should be ready by now.
Pour the onion into the meat and fry it, stirring often, until the onion is cooked or becomes golden.
Usually in pilaf recipes they write: "fry the onion until golden brown." It doesn't always work out. If there is a lot of meat or the onion is very juicy, then it can be cooked before it starts to turn golden and there is no point in frying it further, as it can start to burn.
Add chopped carrots to the meat and onions.
Cook for another five minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Then add about a teaspoon of seasoning for pilaf, which we prepared earlier.
We mix everything and pour water from the kettle so that it slightly covers the food.
Now you can salt well in such a way that rice and water will be added later.
What we have just done is called zirvak, it is like gravy for pilaf. Let the zirvak boil. If you try zirvak at the boiling point, it should have a salty taste.
We cover the cauldron with a lid, reduce the fire and leave the zirvak to cook. We cook pork pilaf, so it is enough to wait 15-20 minutes. If you are cooking or beef, then this time should be increased to 30-40 minutes.
When the zirvak is ready, pour the soaked rice over it.
Level the rice with a slotted spoon and add water so that it covers the rice by about two fingers.
Cover with a lid and leave to cook over low heat. The cooking time is different each time from 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the quantity and quality of rice and the amount of water.
I usually open the lid after 20-30 minutes and collect the rice from the edges to the center in a small mound.
If there is still a lot of water, then you need to pierce the rice to the bottom with a knife in several places so that it evaporates faster.
Again, close the cauldron with a lid and cook on minimum heat until the water disappears completely.
Put the finished pilaf on a large dish or arrange on plates.
For this recipe pilaf it turns out crumbly, juicy and delicious. The meat melts in your mouth. There are a few little secrets of delicious pilaf: do not mix, stick garlic strips 5 minutes before cooking (see recipe below). Prepare and delight your loved ones.
Ingredients:
Pork (pulp)– 700-800 grams
Onion- 200 grams
Carrot- 200 grams
Rice (parboiled)- 2 glasses
Vegetable oil- 0.5 cups
Garlic- 2-3 cloves
Spices: salt, ground black pepper, barberry, zira, turmeric or curry, paprika.
How to cook delicious crumbly pork pilaf
1 . Cut the pork flesh into small pieces. If the meat is frozen, thaw it first.
2
. Heat vegetable oil in a cauldron or thick-walled pan. Fry the pork until golden brown.
3
. Peel the onion and cut into cubes. Peel and grate the carrots (finely chop).
4
. Add carrots, onions and spices to the cauldron. Turmeric (curry) will give pilaf not only flavor and benefits, but also a beautiful golden color.
5
. Stir and simmer without closing the lid for about 3 minutes.
6
. Add 1-2 cups of water to cover the vegetables with meat (zirvak), reduce the heat to a minimum, close the lid. Simmer until meat is cooked.
7
. When the meat is ready, pour steamed rice on top. Spread the rice evenly over the entire surface of the pilaf.
8
. Add water carefully. It should exceed the surface of rice by 2-3 cm. Cover the cauldron with pilaf and continue to simmer over low heat.
9
. Check the pilaf for readiness after 15-20 minutes. If the rice is still raw and the water has already boiled away, you need to add water. Do not pour water over rice! Make a small hole (several holes) in the pilaf with a knife, all the way to the bottom. And carefully pour water into this hole. In no case do not mix rice with meat, this can only be done when the rice is ready.
10
. 5 minutes before the pilaf is ready, you need to add garlic to it. This little detail will give your pilaf an extraordinary taste and aroma. Slice the garlic lengthwise into long thin strips.
11
. Push the garlic into the surface of the rice. Cover and simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
Mix pilaf with pork. Add more salt if not enough.
Delicious pork pilaf is ready.
Bon appetit!
Pilaf cooking secrets
Delicious, crumbly and full of flavors of various aromatic spices - pilaf is a dish of Uzbek cuisine. And you can cook it truly professionally only according to time-tested recipes, traditional and real.
Products and traditional pilaf recipe
The most basic - all the main products: cereals, meat and vegetables, must be used in a 1: 1 ratio. That is, for 1 kilogram of rice, a similar number of meat, carrots. This pilaf is prepared according to the Uzbek recipe, which involves the use of products such as:
- Rice - 1 kg (or more, depending on which company will gather for lunch).
- Meat, of course, lamb - 1 kg (if you cannot find lamb, you can take both pork and veal). Pulp and some meat on the bone for richness of pilaf. You can 700 grams of pulp and 300 grams of ribs.
- Carrot - 1 kg
- Bulb - 4 pcs. and one small one for color.
- Sunflower oil - about 0.5 liters. Perhaps you have fat, for example, fat tail or pork from ribs - it is also necessary, but you can cook pilaf without it.
- Red pepper, hot - 3 pcs.
- Garlic - 1-2 heads, depending on their size and your love for this product.
Spices
A separate item about seasonings for pilaf, because it is they who will give the dish the taste and shade that it should really be. And so what is needed:
- Salt
- Zira, or they also call it an idol, is the most important ingredient. Zira can be taken both black and yellow. Both types are incredibly fragrant.
- Turmeric, not essential, but very good for color and smell.
- Barberry - without this spice, pilaf is no longer an Uzbek traditional dish, but simply cooked according to your recipe.
- For lovers of spices, you can also put saffron, this is not necessary, but it’s not the same without it.
These are the products needed for real pilaf. Each must be carefully prepared. And now about each separately, a few words:
Rice
Rice for pilaf must be selected carefully. If you want it to crumble, you should choose one that does not cook quickly, does not boil soft, does not stick together. Long rice is ideal for pilaf, while round rice, on the contrary, is not suitable. In the recipe for Uzbek pilaf, there is rice of the div-zira variety. But if it is difficult to find it, and in some cities it is not there at all, and if there is something of dubious quality, then you can buy Thai rice, it is long and already steamed. It won't crumble into mush.
Secrets of cooking rice in pilaf:
- So that rice is not boiled, it is better to cook in a cauldron. Moreover, real pilaf is cooked on an open fire, but it will do on the stove. Rice should be put after the meat gives juice and puts fat, so it will turn out crispy, but ready and whole rice.
- Rice must be washed very thoroughly several times. It is better not to leave it without water, after it has been washed to clear water, again fill it to the top with cool water, you can add a little salt.
- In order for the rice to turn yellowish, not only seasonings are needed. To begin with, when you heat up the oil, throw in a small onion before adding the fat. It should be fried to a golden color, this will be the rice. Plus, the onion will absorb all the harmful elements from the oil.
Meat
The second essential ingredient is meat and fat, ribs. Lamb is ideal, but if you can't find it, it's better to take pork. If pilaf should be more lean, of course, you can take veal, it is more tender, but the taste of the dish will be simpler. So buy pork, flesh, any, preferably a rump or neck, like a barbecue. Ribs are necessary for aesthetics - they give a very colorful look to the dish, well, they give more fat.
Secrets of cooking meat and ribs:
- There is only one way to prepare meat - wipe it with kitchen napkins, you do not need to wash it. You need to cut it into small pieces, there is such a standard rule - you need to cut the meat into pilaf 3 by 3 centimeters, so it will melt in your mouth, but at the same time it will hold in whole pieces.
- Before frying the meat, heat the oil to the chapel and throw in the fat, only after melting the fat, throw in the meat and ribs. Fry over high heat until golden brown and crispy, then remove and set aside. The meat will be softer if it is already stewed with everything else.
- It is better to fry the ribs separately, and the meat is already stewed with onions, it will be juicier. The fact is that the meat sets the taste of the dish initially, so it must first be fried and then stewed, put the vegetables separately: onions, then, after cooking it, carrots, and only then, when the meat is already soft and the carrots are cooked, should put seasonings.
How to cook:
- It is necessary to prepare a dish only in a cauldron.
- We observe the exact sequence of laying down all the components, do not forget about the proportions.
- After the vegetables and meat are ready, put seasonings and garlic, it is also necessary to pour and boil water - the mixture in the cauldron should boil before falling asleep rice. This brew is called zirvak. This is the basis for pilaf.
- In zirvak, you need to add hot pepper, increase the fire, let it boil for 30 minutes.
- After everything is brought to a boil, you need to put the rice, pouring gently and slowly. Fill it with boiled water, make the fire strong.
- If the rice is not ready, you can add water during cooking, but a little bit, make sure that the dish does not burn, but also that there is no excess moisture.
- Close the lid only when you make the fire smaller, half an hour after laying the rice. And now try and wait, enjoy and taste the real Uzbek pilaf.
Good afternoon, dear readers and guests of the blog! The internet is full of recipes for this dish. And everyone cooks it in their own way. I foresee how connoisseurs will now attack me that pork pilaf is not real, and the traditional one is cooked only with lamb. However, although my pilaf is not Uzbek, but Siberian, it is amazingly tasty, crumbly and fragrant.
We find thousands of variants of this dish at the master classes of different chefs. And many of them are already well-deservedly popular on our tables. The fastest and easiest of them is pilaf in a pan from a small amount of food. And for the holidays or for a large family, we are already cooking in a large cauldron, on a fire.
And in the slow cooker such a noble pilaf is steamed that my whole family loves it more than any other. Pork meat is tender and cooks quickly. All its taste and aroma will be absorbed into the rice. You can cook both on fire in a cauldron, and at home on the stove. I hope readers enjoy my step-by-step recipes for a simple non-Uzbek pilaf. Choose which one you like best and cook with pleasure!
Today's article:
How to cook delicious and crumbly pork pilaf
- The basis of this dish is zirvak. Frying meat and vegetables in hot fat. You can take the pulp and ribs of young pork. If with layers of fat, then it is also good for pilaf. Carrots never rub on a simple grater. It's better in Korean. And it’s best to cut into strips by hand. First, fillet pieces are fried in fat, then onions are added. Saute the onion until translucent and add the carrots. Although many argue about the sequence of actions.
- Friability depends largely on the quality of the rice. To be sure not to make a mistake, ask the store for special varieties of rice for pilaf. I love pilaf with devzira rice. But even steamed rice crumbles very well in pilaf. One of the most important conditions - never (!) Stir the rice while it is cooking!
- Take only metal dishes. Ideally cast iron. But aluminum with a thick bottom is also good. A new cauldron or frying pan is better to pre-heat strongly with salt. Then wash with warm water without detergents.
- A few words about the fat on which we will fry. If the pork is with lard, then cut off this lard and finely chop into cubes. Melt fat out of it and fry on this fat. Or take a simple sunflower oil. Only butter is not suitable.
- Pick your spices carefully. Consider the preferences of your family, but do not be too zealous. Otherwise, their smell will block the taste of the zirvak itself. Mandatory spices are garlic, zira, barberry, black pepper. You can buy ready-made seasoning for pilaf in bags.
Pork pilaf in a cauldron on a fire
My husband is a big fan of spice. Therefore, in the photo below you see I have two hot peppers. You can skip them if you don't like spicy.
Today my husband manages pilaf, so the onion is fried first, and then we add the meat. When I cook myself, I do the opposite. This is not the end of our debate.
I saw how they cook in Tashkent. First, they heat up the oil, put a large onion, chopped, fry it almost black, then throw it away. Then meat and spices are added. And then, after a short frying, julienned carrots and a new chopped onion.
We go into the yard, there the cauldron on the stove is already heating up. We bring all the products with us at once, so that everything is at hand.
Let's get started.
I already have everything cut. Meat into medium cubes, onions into half rings, and carrots into short straws. The rice is washed several times and soaked an hour earlier. The cauldron on the stove was hot. We poured about a glass of oil and wait for the smoke to go.
Any vegetable oil is suitable: sunflower, olive, sesame, cottonseed or corn.
Throw in the onion and fry, stirring with a slotted spoon. When the onion is put first and fried until golden, the pilaf will be darker in color. If you immediately throw meat into the cauldron, then the pilaf will be lighter. We spread all the meat to the fried onions and do not forget to constantly mix.
I do not note the time, but I look for the meat to be fried well and the liquid to evaporate. While the zirvak is being fried, we need the fire to be strong.
It is advisable to have a meal with two people. Because on a big fire a cauldron cannot be left unattended even for a minute.
Carrot straws were poured over the browned meat.
And continuing to turn from the bottom up, fry the carrots. It gives the pilaf such a delicious, golden color. After seven minutes, you can already salt and pepper. We poured all the seasonings, throw two heads of garlic and two pods of hot pepper whole.
It's time to add hot water. So much so that it is 1 cm above the contents of the cauldron. It took me about one liter. The fire was reduced and let it be extinguished.
After 5 minutes, the broth should be reddish and clear.
We spread the rice evenly over the entire surface of the zirvak. Pork pilaf is cooked quickly, the meat is almost ready. And the rice was soaked for an hour before cooking.
We also add water to cover the rice by 1 cm. Pour substituting a slotted spoon or along the walls, carefully. We watch the pilaf until the liquid that is higher than the rice has evaporated.
From now on, no stirring until the dish is completely ready!
Now you just need to close the lid. The fire is already quite minimal.
After fifteen minutes, the treat can be stirred and laid out on a dish. Serve with pickled or fresh vegetables. Sprinkle pilaf with greens or eat greens separately, decide for yourself. My husband and I also have different opinions on this issue. He's munching parsley and cilantro right out of the bunch, and I want to chop it up and sprinkle it on top.
Video recipe for cooking pilaf at home on the stove
On the Cooking Delicious channel, Valentina shows and tells in detail how to cook homemade pilaf on a gas stove. You can take a frying pan or an aluminum pan with a thick bottom, a roaster or a cauldron for this dish.
Very easy step by step recipe. Just take it and do it! And what a wonderful result you can see very well. The appearance of pilaf is crumbly and appetizing.
Pork pilaf in a slow cooker
If you have an assistant from Redmond, or Polaris, or any other company, then you are very lucky. When you need to cook quickly and tasty, she always helps out. And now the simplest and most delicious pilaf recipe without problems
A special variety of basmati cereals, ideal for a slow cooker. It costs more than usual. In our supermarkets, 110 rubles per pack of 700g. But this is just a note about prices. I cooked pilaf in a slow cooker and from my favorite “devzira”. I can't say anything bad either.
The main thing is that the rice is special for pilaf.
Meat I took the pork neck. She's pretty fat, that's all. Follow my advice and everything will turn out just as wonderful.
How to cook:
I wash the cereal several times with water. Let it swell while we work on zirvak. I cut meat larger, smaller onions, and carrots into straws. I pour oil into the multicooker bowl and wait until it warms up. Pour the onion into the hot oil and lightly fry on the “frying” mode.
Do not close the lid while vegetables and meat are fried!
Zirvak is prepared wonderfully right in the slow cooker. Nothing needs to be fried separately in a pan, as some chefs advise. I spread the pieces of meat in the browned onion and mix.
When the pork is browned, you can add carrots. I mix and fry the zirvak for another 10-15 minutes. Everyone has different multicookers, so be guided by the regime.
When the carrot is fried enough, I add enough boiling water so that it is 1.5 cm higher than the meat. At the same stage, I add salt, pepper and all the spices. I stick a head of garlic between the pieces of meat.
All this stuff will be stewed for about 10 minutes at a temperature of 120 degrees. After that, I fall asleep already swollen rice and level it.
Pour water carefully, substituting a spoon so as not to wash away all the cereal.
I add enough boiling water so that the rice is covered by 1 cm.
Now I close the lid. And I turn it on for 22 minutes. at a temperature of 100 deg. When it turns off, I let the pilaf brew for another half an hour.
A notable pilaf turned out - rice to rice! Serve immediately while hot. As you can see, cooking it is not as difficult as in a cauldron, and the taste and aroma are not inferior at all.
You probably already guessed that you can talk endlessly about the methods and nuances of making pilaf. But I say goodbye to you until the next tasty meetings. Thank you all, today I cooked pilaf with me!
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