Uzbek pilaf
If you have ever tried pilaf in restaurants of megacities (somewhere in Europe, Russia or America), know – most likely, it was not a pilaf, but a rice porridge with meat, onions and carrots, albeit tasty. Uzbek pilaf is widely known abroad, incredibly popular with tourists, and every self-respecting cook will proudly tell you that he, of course, knows how to cook it. BUT! If you want to taste the true pilaf – welcome to his homeland, where the fragrance of this delightful dish dissolves in the unique atmosphere of the East, and many hundreds of years have been honored.
Plov is one of the most common in the Middle East dishes – the will of Heaven got the greatest development in Uzbekistan, where the classical cooking technology was created. The pilaf meet a newborn and accompany the deceased, the pilaf is preparing for a wedding, a meeting of an honorary guest, an anniversary and just in a family circle for lunch. Such a menu may seem monotonous, but this is not the case, because the recipes for the preparation of this honorary dish in the Uzbek cuisine is more than sixty. In each region of Uzbekistan, pilaf is prepared by its unique way, and an experienced connoisseur of Uzbek national cuisine with closed eyes will determine what kind of pilaf: Samarkand, Fergana, Tashkent, Kashkadaryinsky, Bukhara or Khorezm. In addition, swarms are different in purpose: ‘Wedding pilaf’ is considered the most luxurious, slightly less solemn – ‘festive pilaf’, and ‘simple plov’ is served on the table on the most ordinary day. These pilaws differ from each other not only by cooking technology, but also ingredients included in their composition. After all, it is not always a pilaf preparing from lamb – it is often replaced by Kaza (horse sausage), Kurdyut fat, chicken, pheasant, quail. It is not always the composition of the Plova and rice: In some recipes, buckwheat, wheat, mash or even vermicelli. And yet, for the overwhelming majority of the pilaf, a classic set of products is characteristic: lamb, rice, onions, carrots and spices, and the classical cooking technology is included in three main stages: the correct oil recalculation, the preparation of zirvak (liquid base of the Plov), the rice bookmark and the jokes of it on a couple.
How old is the pilaf? As a dish, the main component of which is rice, the pilaf is known at least from the X-XI. It is by this time that the ancient chronicle is referred to that the pilaf was filed at weddings and big holidays as the most honorable dish. Initially, the pilaf was food predominantly rich people. The main population was preparing pilaf only on special holidays and for receiving guests, and in poor families, Plov was completely rare. However, from its very occurrence and to this day, pilaf in the East is considered not just a delicious festive food, but also a healing agent. Before and after performing heavy physical labor, bloody battle, after a long sickness and depletion, the first thing was always offered pilaf, as it was believed that he was greatly restored and raises the spirit.
No wonder, even Amir Temur himself turned on the pilaf to the main menu of his warriors. One day, developing a hike plan on Ankara, he took over an important issue: how to combine a numerous army, a long road, speed and a sudden attack, and at the same time do without huge weapons with food? There’s a wise Mullah and suggested him the recipe of this unusually tasty, satisfying and nutritious dishes. His words sounded like this: "We must take a big cast iron boiler. He must be so old so that the fat from the same food has frightened outside and lightathes from the rashes falling on it. This boiler must be put meat not old, but not very young bars, selected rice, swelling from pride, which will be eaten by bold warriors, young carrots, and a sharp bow, sting like a sword of highly emmy. All this should be boiling on the fire until the smell of the cooked dish reaches Allah, and the cook will not fall out in exhaustion, because it will try the Divine Kushanye ". From one cup of this dish, the warriors acquired forces for several days, and Tamerlana’s army won a victory without difficulty. Since then, the plov has become the main food of the faithful troops of Amir Temur, and possibly one of the main secrets of his victorious campaigns. In some sources there are information that the first pilaf began to consize the soldiers of Alexander Macedonian.
The people have an old legend about the origin of the name "Palov Osh". Once the son of the ruler Bukhara madly fell in love with the daughter of a poor artisan. He was given that in local laws he could not marry a girl not his circle. The prince became bad, closed in himself, at night I suffered insomnia, and his loved ones could not understand why the young man fades in front of his eyes. In the end he was so weakly that he was raised to Abu Ali Ibn Xino, but the prince refused to talk about his experiences, believing that there was no medicine from his illness. Then Avicenna decided to determine the reason for his pulse. For this, he called a man who knew all the news of the city and every of his residents, and asked him alternately to call areas. Avicenna watched the prince’s pulse, and when the name of one of the districts sounded, his pulse became frequent. Now Avicenna ordered to call the inhabitants of this area. When the name of the beloved was uttered, the prince’s pulse became stricked so much that the great doctor became everything clear. He appointed a depleted groom treatment: at least once a week to cook for the young men "Palov Osh" until the forces were restored, and then play a wedding. Perhaps this is why the pilaf is still considered a mandatory dish at a wedding celebration. The name "Palov Osh" consists of the initial letters of all products included in its composition: P (pione) – onions; A (AEZ) – carrots; L (lahm) – meat; O (Olio) – fat; In (vet) – salt; O (OB) – water; Sh (sheals) – rice.
It’s not just a beautiful legend. Pilaf really consists of these products. Over time, the recipes of the preparation of the Plov were improved, complicated, acquiring all new ingredients: kischimish, peas, peppers, zira, barbaris, quince, garlic, uryuk and many other products and spices began to add to taste. Usually, the pilaf is served on the table in Langans – large ceramic or faience dishes. The rice is laid by a beautiful slide, on top there are pieces of meat and all this sprinkle with fresh chopped greens (if the pilaf was preparing with quince or garlic, then they are put on top. In antiquity at the weddings, the pilaf was served by each guest separately on the pellets, and modern families in ancient tradition eating pilaf hands still. As a mandatory addition to the pilaf, salads from fresh or marinated vegetables, fruits and berries – tomatoes, cucumbers, radish and radishes, onions, bouquets, grenade grain, sour grapes, cherries, strawberries, and fresh greens – kinza, dill, parsley , garlic, basil leaves. Salads not only enrich pilaf vitamins, but also contribute to the best assimilation of this rather fatty dishes. And, of course, there should be green tea on the table.
Pilaf – this is the food of real gourmets, especially the strong half of humanity – it is not for nothing that the art of cooking a real festive pleg owns only men own. Plov is considered to be the top of Uzbek culinary art, because here in one dish combat frying, cooking and evaporation. Therefore, they say that if you managed to prepare a real pilaf, then you can make any other dish.
Recipes for the preparation of Uzbek Plov
Plov by Fergana (Palov Kaurma)
Ingredients: 1 kg of rice, 500g meat (beef or lamb), 250 grams of vegetable oil (better cotton) or lamb sala, 500g onion (4-5 medium heads), 500 g of carrots, salt, spices (pepper, barbaris and zira – SPUSE)
Cotton oil to overflow to white haze if you have a ram of fat to overgrow in the cauldron and remove crawl. In the boiling fat, first put the chick-shaped onions and fry to brown, then lay the meat sliced with slices 2×3 cm and fry with onions before the formation of a ruddy crust. After adding a carrot, sliced with thin straw, all fry, after half-preparation occasionally stirring.
Then add water so that it closes the contents of the boiler, fill with spices and bring to a boil on moderate heat. After boiling to salt Zirvak (the basis of the Plov, the fact that you are ready now), reduce fire and sweat all 45-50 minutes. When zirvak is ready to fall asleep with a smooth layer, flushed rice, add water above the rice layer by 1.5-2.5 cm and bring to a boil. As soon as the water is popping off to remove the fire to a minimum. Then pilaf assemble a slide, make small wells in it and cover. The time of evaporation depends on the rice variety, but on average it is 20-25 minutes.
Remove the lid very carefully so that the water gathered under it did not hit the pilaf.
Before serving the pilaf, it is thoroughly stirred and spread the hill to a large dish, sprinkled with a chopped green onion. Separately served salads from radish or "Achik Chuk" (tomatoes with cucumbers and onions).
Pilaf in Bukharski with raisins (Mayis Palov)
Ingredients: 1 kg of rice, 250 gr fat, 150 gr Kishmisha, 500 g of carrots, 3-4 medium bulbs, salt.
Sliced by half rings to fry in fat on a strong fire, then drop fire and put the chopped straw carrots, all fry. Then pour the water into 2 cm from the level zazharki, bring to a boil and add salt.
Dried in the shadow of a white raisins without stones are sworded and thoroughly wash in warm water, then sent to the boiler.
Rice is washed in warm salted water and after decreasing the fire laid in the boiler.
The whole further process is described in the recipe "Plov in Fergana".
SAMARKANDSKY SPLOW (Safaki Palov)
Composition: 1 kg of rice We take 400gg meat (beef or lamb), 400 g of carrots, 400 grams, 300 gr fat (vegetable oil or bars fat), spice salt in taste.
Rinse rinse in cold water 3-4 times while water will not be pure, put rice in a saucepan with salt water 1: 1 (1 kg rice, 1 liter of water, 1 teaspoon salt) let go boil. Then give a welded pigeon. Carrots clean and boil together with whole meat, and already finished bumping straws, meat cut slices.
In a strongly heated fat, the bow is chopped by half rings when it is twisted, it is pulled out and stirred with boiled carrots and meat.
This dish is served every portions. There are some rice in each casa, watered with preheated fat, then add meat, carrots and onions, not stirring. Top again watered fat and served.
Khorezmsky pilaf (Chalov)
If you are ready to devote to the preparation of one dish all day, for the sake of achievement, this recipe for you.
Composition: 1 kg rice, 1kg meat, 500gr carrots, 300g oil, 300g, salt, salt and pepper .
The meat is cut by large pieces and fry in hot fat, then add chopped onion and fry with meat to the formation of a golden crust. Then poured a little water and allow boil.
Carrot is cut by thin plates 1cm width and 5 mm thick. Together with salt and spices, carrots lay in the boiler, pour water so much to cover the contents, close the lid tightly, reduce fire and tomorrow on slow heat 8-10 hours.
After the backfill rice, he is jokes as ordinary pilaf.
Feed Palov without stirring, lay on a large dish of layers. First rice, then meat with carrots.
If there is no time, the meat can be replaced by chicken, then the process will take 2-3 hours.
