Welcome back to our blog! In our first post, we shared with you our love for cooking pilaf in a 22 liter cauldron at our Motohotel, where it has become a beloved tradition for our guests to partake in. There's something about communal cooking that brings people together and creates lasting memories. So today, we wanted to share with you the recipe for our famous Uzbek pilaf, so you can recreate it at home with your loved ones.
Instructions:
First, pour vegetable oil into the cauldron and let it heat up. Add the onion in the heated oil and let it fry until black. When completely cooked, remove it from the cauldron. Next, add the onion sliced in half rings to the hot oil and let it caramelize until almost brown. Now add the meat, and stir occasionally until it reaches a state of readiness.
When the meat is cooked, add carrots and continue stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Once the meat, onions, and carrots are well mixed, add preheated water, about a centimeter above all the ingredients. Be sure to use hot water as adding cold water to a hot cast-iron cauldron can cause it to crack.
After the broth begins to boil, add the half-finished quince in pieces, pepper pods, and garlic. Close the lid and let the broth simmer for about an hour. This broth is called zirvak, and it's an essential element of pilaf. 15 minutes before the end of zirvak cooking, add barberry, cumin, and any other spices of your choice.
Once the zirvak is ready, remove the no longer needed quince and pepper pods from it, and transfer the garlic to a separate plate. Fill the cauldron with rice, level it on the surface, and let the rice absorb the broth. Periodically rake the rice up the hill to the center of the cauldron and make holes in it with chopsticks, allowing the moisture to evaporate. When the rice has absorbed all the broth, mix the pilaf and serve it hot.
First, pour vegetable oil into the cauldron and let it heat up. Add the onion in the heated oil and let it fry until black. When completely cooked, remove it from the cauldron. Next, add the onion sliced in half rings to the hot oil and let it caramelize until almost brown. Now add the meat, and stir occasionally until it reaches a state of readiness.
When the meat is cooked, add carrots and continue stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Once the meat, onions, and carrots are well mixed, add preheated water, about a centimeter above all the ingredients. Be sure to use hot water as adding cold water to a hot cast-iron cauldron can cause it to crack.
After the broth begins to boil, add the half-finished quince in pieces, pepper pods, and garlic. Close the lid and let the broth simmer for about an hour. This broth is called zirvak, and it's an essential element of pilaf. 15 minutes before the end of zirvak cooking, add barberry, cumin, and any other spices of your choice.
Once the zirvak is ready, remove the no longer needed quince and pepper pods from it, and transfer the garlic to a separate plate. Fill the cauldron with rice, level it on the surface, and let the rice absorb the broth. Periodically rake the rice up the hill to the center of the cauldron and make holes in it with chopsticks, allowing the moisture to evaporate. When the rice has absorbed all the broth, mix the pilaf and serve it hot.
We hope you enjoy this delicious recipe and create unforgettable memories with your friends and family. If you ever find yourself near our Motohotel, don't hesitate to stop by and join us for a communal pilaf cooking experience!