How To Cook Pilaf In A Slow Cooker, Cauldron And In A Pan: Step-by-step Recipes For Dishes From Lamb, Pork And Other Ingredients

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

How to cook pilaf: hearty oriental recipes

Pilaf is perhaps the most popular oriental dish in the world. All the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia argue for the right to be considered his homeland, and each nationality has its own secrets and traditions of cooking pilaf. Nowadays, there are many ways to prepare this dish with various additional ingredients. But can every housewife boast that she knows how to cook real pilaf, what it should be?

Content

• 1 Dish history

• 2 Correct selection of ingredients and dishes for pilaf at home

  • 2.1 Meat
  • 2.2 Rice
  • 2.3 Oil
  • 2.4 Spices
  • 2.5 Dried fruits and vegetables
  • 2.6 Cookware
  • 2.7 What is accepted to serve pilaf
  • 2.8 Calorie and nutritional value table for 1 cup of pilaf (200 g)

• 3 How to cook delicious and aromatic pilaf: the best recipes

  • 3.1 Loose pilaf in a cauldron - a classic recipe with lamb
  • 3.2 In a cast iron pot with chicken
  • 3.3 "Quick" pilaf with pork, cooked in a pan
  • 3.4 Video: quick pilaf in a pan
  • 3.5 Lean with mushrooms
  • 3.6 Video: mushroom pilaf cooked in a slow cooker
  • 3.7 Vegetable pilaf
  • 3.8 Sweet with raisins and dried fruits
  • 3.9 With beef in a slow cooker
  • 3.10 Video: pilaf with beef and chickpeas
  • 3.11 With mussels, cooked in the oven
  • 3.12 Video: Azerbaijani pilaf-rishta with beans from Stalik Khankishiev

History of the dish

Nowadays it is no longer possible to say for sure about the origin of pilaf. It is reliably known that the principles and traditions of cooking were applied in ancient India and the Middle East even at the time of the beginning of rice cultivation, and this is the II-III centuries BC. True, there is an opinion that the dish was originally vegetarian, and it was supplemented with meat in ancient Persia. In the same place saffron and turmeric were added to pilaf - spices popular in these parts, giving not only aroma, but also a golden color.

The history of pilaf goes back to the middle ages and even to ancient times

As a festive dish, pilaf was mentioned in the medieval Arabic treatise "A Thousand and One Nights" and other works of this era, dating back to the 9th-10th centuries. There the dish is designated as "pilav" - this is how this word sounds in most Eastern languages.

Pilaf penetrated the territory of Western Europe through Turkey and the Balkans. At the end of the 17th century, information about it appeared in France from the ambassadors of the royal court in Turkey, who admired this dish. True, the ambassadors did not bring the recipe with them, and tried to convey their impressions to the court chefs along with the approximate composition. But no matter how hard the gurus of French cuisine tried to repeat the new dish, all attempts failed. The real recipe became known in the 19th century, during the construction of the Suez Canal.

In the countries of the East, pilaf is an everyday meal. Traditionally, women are engaged in its preparation, and only for some special event, the preparation of pilaf is assigned to men

In the East, only men are trusted to prepare pilaf for special occasions.

Pilaf is recognized as one of the main dishes in the national cuisines of such countries and regions:

• Afghanistan;
• Azerbaijan;
• Armenia;
• Georgia;
• India;
• Iran;
• Kazakhstan;
• Kyrgyzstan;
• Uzbekistan;
• Tajikistan;
• Tatarstan;
• Turkey;
• Turkmenistan.

The correct selection of ingredients and dishes for pilaf at home

In order for the dish to turn out exactly the way it should be, it is important to choose the right products and observe their quantity. For example, any chef from Asia or the Caucasus will tell you: true pilaf is prepared exclusively using mutton and fat tail fat. In addition, this is done in a cast-iron cauldron set on an open fire. There is even a belief that only a man can cook good pilaf.

Well, the East is a delicate matter, and we don't always have an open fire, a large cauldron and fresh lamb. But modern cuisine has significantly enriched traditional recipes, and now we have the opportunity to cook pilaf at home, which will be no worse than the classic one. The main thing is to adhere to the rules in choosing the necessary products.

Good pilaf can only be prepared by following the rules

Meat

In classic pilaf, they really put only lamb, and not any, but a shoulder blade, brisket, ribs or meat from the loin of the animal. But the use of beef, pork and poultry meat is quite welcome.

The best meat for aromatic pilaf is not frozen, kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. It's good if there are fat layers in it. In order for the meat to retain its juiciness, it should be chopped coarsely, so that each piece is no less than a walnut.

The best meat for pilaf is fresh, coarsely chopped, with fat veins

Rice

Pilaf should be crumbly, so only rice varieties with long grains are used for it: they do not stick together during cooking due to the fact that they contain almost no starch. The best choice is special rice for pilaf, Tajik or Uzbek, of the following varieties:

• Devzira;
• Oshpar;
• Alanga;
• Kenja.

You can also try Italian rice made for paella. All these varieties are hard, they have long transparent grains with a high density. Such rice does not creep during prolonged cooking, perfectly absorbs water and at the same time does not lose friability, even when it cools down.

For pilaf, choose long grain rice with a low starch content.

If you only have soft varieties from India, Thailand, or Vietnam (such as Jasmine and Basmati), rinse the rice several times in running water and soak it for at least 2 hours. During this time, you need to change the water several times. This will remove excess starch from the cereal.

Oil

Usually, animal fat is used in cooking - lamb fat or ghee. But vegetable oils are also allowed. The main thing is that they are refined and odorless, otherwise the aroma of the dish will be killed. Sheep fat is often mixed with vegetable oil to soften the specific smell and increase the digestibility of the dish.

Pilaf oil must be taken refined, without a pronounced odor

Spice

Without aromatic spices and pilaf - not pilaf. This is where you can get creative with adding your favorite seasonings to give your dish the best flavor. But it is worth remembering about the obligatory spices for pilaf: cumin, hot peppers and barberry.

Zira (also called cumin) saturates pilaf with subtle, exquisite notes of oriental taste. Hot peppers can be ground or in dried pods, their presence adds piquancy and pungency. Dried barberry gives a nutty flavor and a slight bitterness.

Zira, turmeric, saffron, hot pepper, barberry, onion and garlic are essential spices for pilaf

Also used:

• hops-suneli;
• thyme;
• garlic;
• coriander.

Saffron and turmeric will give the rice grits a golden yellow hue.

Dried fruits and vegetables

If for Central Asian cuisine carrots are an obligatory ingredient in pilaf, then in the Caucasus and India they do without this vegetable. But if you really use carrots, then you need to cut them in large: plates, straws, cubes, circles. The onion is cut into rings or half rings; the head of garlic is placed completely in the rice, the top husk is only peeled off from it.

Often they add to pilaf:

• dried apricots;
• raisins;
• prunes;
• dried apricots;
• figs.

These dried fruits add a pleasant sourness to the finished dish. It is important to remember that they should be placed after roasting meat and vegetables, adding water.

Dried fruits are often added to pilaf to set off the taste and add sourness to the dish.

Cooking utensils

Unfortunately, you cannot cook proper pilaf in any dish. Traditionally, a cauldron made of cast iron or aluminum is used for this. In a modern kitchen, it can be replaced with a duck. Its thick walls and bottom warm up slowly and evenly, keeping the temperature for a long time, due to which the rice languishes, stewing and not burning, remaining crumbly. Enameled containers and thin-walled dishes are categorically not suitable: they will simply cook rice and meat porridge with vegetables. A good substitute for a cauldron can be a cast-iron pan with a thick bottom.

The best dish for cooking pilaf is a special cauldron with a thick bottom

In general, no matter how you cook your pilaf - on a fire or on a stove (both electric and gas with an open fire), in an oven or multicooker, the first condition is thick walls and the bottom of the dishes

What is it customary to serve pilaf with

The most wonderful pilaf pair on your table is fresh vegetable salads. They significantly improve the digestibility of fatty meat. Traditionally in the East, it is customary to serve a salad with an interesting name Achik-chuchuk with pilaf. It consists of onion rings, thinly chopped tomatoes, sweet or hot peppers, a large amount of greens (basil must be added). This salad is seasoned exclusively with apple cider or grape vinegar, without oil.

Achik-chuchuk salad is considered the best addition to pilaf

Calorie and nutritional value table for 1 cup of pilaf (200 g)

Kilojoules	1079 kj
Calories	258 kcal
Protein	4.26 g
Carbohydrates	44.43 g
Sugar	1.22 g
Fats: saturated; monounsaturated; polyunsaturated.	6.67 g 1.279 g 3.069 g 1.959 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Cellulose	1.2 g
Sodium	781 mg
Potassium	1.9 mg

How to cook delicious and aromatic pilaf: the best recipes

As you know, how many people, so many opinions. This principle applies to the rules for cooking pilaf. The finished dish can be different, depending on the traditions and characteristics of the national cuisine, the type of meat used, additional products and even the dishes in which you will cook pilaf. We offer you several recipes that will surely add to your home cook's treasury. Let's start with the classics, of course.

Loose pilaf in a cauldron - a classic recipe with lamb

Classic Uzbek pilaf is cooked only in a special cauldron. And fresh lamb with fat tail fat is also taken for him. In addition, special attention is paid to seasonings and spices.

Real Uzbek pilaf is cooked in a cauldron with a lot of spices

So, you will need the following products:

• 1 kg of rice;
• 1 kg of lamb;
• 1 kg of carrots;
• 300 ml of vegetable oil;
• 4 small onions;
• 2 small dry hot peppers;
• 2 heads of garlic;
• 1 tbsp. l. dried barberry;
• 1 tbsp. l. cumin;
• 1 tsp coriander seeds;
• salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Rinse the rice thoroughly, changing the water until it is completely transparent.

   

   Rinse the rice thoroughly before cooking

2. Rinse the lamb and cut into at least medium cubes. Peel the onions and carrots, remove only the outer husks from the garlic, without taking them apart into cloves. Cut three onions into as thin half-rings as possible, carrots into long cubes about 1 cm thick.

   

   Prepare meat and vegetables

3. Heat the cauldron and pour oil into it. Heat until a light smoke appears. If you have skin fat, use it instead of butter, dissolving it in a hot cauldron. Dip the remaining onion whole in the oil and fry until it is almost black, then remove.

   

   Melt the oil or fat in a skillet and fry the onion in it

4. It's time to cook zirvak - the basics of pilaf. Put the onion in a cauldron with butter and fry, stirring regularly, for about 7 minutes. The half rings of the onion should take on a dark golden hue.

   

   Fry chopped onions until dark golden

5. Add meat and cook until crusty. Now add the carrots and continue to fry for another 3 minutes. After that, you can stir the contents of the cauldron and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

   

   Place meat in onion and fry until crusty

6. Rub the cumin together with the coriander (you can do it with your fingers or in a mortar), mix with the barberry. Sprinkle with Zirvak mixture. Salt.

   

   Season the zirvak with a mixture of cumin, coriander and barberry

7. Reduce fire to medium. Simmer for 7-10 minutes, until the carrots are tender. Pour boiling water so that it is 2 cm higher than the rest of the products, put a couple of hot pepper pods. Reduce the heat and simmer for another 1 hour.

   

   Simmer the zirvak for about 10 minutes

8. Rinse the rice again, wait for the liquid to drain from it. Spread the grits on the zirvak in an even layer. Make the fire level max. Pour boiling water through a slotted spoon in such an amount that the cereal is covered with a 3 cm layer of water.

   

   Add rice to zirvak and cover with water

9. Do not stir food. Wait until the water is almost completely absorbed, and press the heads of garlic into the rice grits. Reduce heat to medium, continue simmering, until rice is completely cooked.

   

   Let the rice absorb water without stirring the food

10. Slap the rice lightly with a slotted spoon and listen for the sound. If it turns out to be deaf, make a few holes in the rump to the very bottom with a thin stick.

    

    You may need to make a few holes in the rice layer

11. Flatten the rice, put a flat plate on the pilaf, close the cauldron with a lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 30 minutes until tender.

    

    Cover the pilaf with a plate and lid to infuse

In a cast iron pot with chicken

Good lamb is not always easy to get, and a real cauldron is unlikely to be at hand for all housewives. But chicken can be bought at any grocery store, and heavy cast iron pots are not uncommon in our kitchens. Therefore, try to cook a simplified version of pilaf with chicken legs.

Pilaf with chicken legs is a great alternative to the classic recipe

You will need:

• 400 g of rice;
• 2 chicken legs;
• 2 medium carrots;
• 1 head of onion;
• 0.5 heads of garlic;
• salt to taste;
• cumin seeds;
• vegetable oil.

Take out the cast-iron pan from the shelf (you can take a regular one, the main thing - with thick walls) and start cooking.

1. Rinse the rice first, place it in a bowl and soak it in very hot water. Set aside for 20 minutes.

   

   Soak washed rice in hot water

2. Prepare food for now. Cut the carrots into medium-sized pieces.

   

   Cut the carrots into strips

3. Cut the legs into small pieces.

   

   Cut the chicken legs into medium pieces

4. Chop the onion into thin half rings.

   

   Onions need to be cut into half rings

5. Pour oil into a saucepan so that the bottom is covered by about 5 mm, place on the stove with medium-intensity fire.

   

   Pour oil into a saucepan and heat it up

6. Wait until the oil is completely hot, then put the onion in it.

   

   Put the onion in the heated oil

7. Simmer until the onions are dark brown. This will give the chicken a juicy flavor and a nice golden color to the rice grains. But don't let the onions get charred!
8. Add chicken and salt.
9. Stir, cook for 5 minutes.

10. The next step is carrots. Add it to the rest of the food, but don't stir yet. Just cover the pot tightly with a lid and continue simmering for another 5 minutes.

    

    Add carrots to a saucepan and simmer, covered.

11. Drain the water from the rice, season with a pinch of cumin seeds, stir. Pour cereals into a saucepan where meat and vegetables are stewed, pour 2 glasses of water.

    

    Add rice to meat and vegetables

12. The liquid should cover the entire rice. Now you need to cover the pan again tightly and leave the pilaf to cook for 15 minutes without stirring.

    

    Simmer rice in a covered saucepan

13. When the time has passed, open the container and make several small round holes in the pilaf (you still don't need to stir). To do this, you can use the handle of a fork or spoon. Insert 1 unpeeled garlic clove into each hole. Reduce heat to minimum, close the container and let the dish simmer for another 5 minutes.

    

    Add garlic to pilaf and simmer for another 5 minutes

14. It's time to check if the rice is cooked. To do this, gently lift the top layer with a spatula and turn it over. Are the grains soft and crumbly? This means that the preparation of pilaf is over. And you can invite guests to the table!

    

    Check if the rice is ready and serve the pilaf.

"Fast" pork pilaf cooked in a pan

You don't have much time, but you really want to pamper your family and friends with an oriental dish? And you cook pilaf in a quick way. And the frying pan will help you with this.

Quick pilaf in a pan is a great way to save time on cooking

Take these products:

• 350 g of rice;
• 350 g pork;
• 2-3 carrots;
• 2 medium onions;
• 30 ml tomato paste or sauce;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 75 ml of vegetable oil;
• salt and black pepper to taste.

First of all, you need to prepare the products so that they are at hand at the right time. Rinse the rice 5 times, then pour hot water into it and leave for at least 3 hours, or even overnight. When you start cooking, drain the water and rinse the rice grits again. Cut the meat into medium cubes, carrots into strips; finely chop the onion, peel the garlic cloves.

Let's start cooking:

1. Get a skillet with a lid that fits snugly. Pour vegetable oil into it, transfer the meat and fry, covered, until a golden crust forms, over high heat for about 5-6 minutes. After that, you need to salt and pepper.

   

   Fry the meat for pilaf under the lid until a crust forms

2. Boil water, at least 1.5 cups, used to measure the correct amount of ingredients.

   

   Measure out the right amount of water and boil it

3. Add a little more sunflower oil to the fried meat and put onions.

   

   Add butter and chopped onion to the meat

4. Stir the ingredients well, place the lid in the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes.

   

   Fry meat with onions under the lid

5. Open the lid, stir the onion and meat again. Add some more oil, add the chopped carrots.

   

   After mixing meat and onion, add carrots to the pan

6. Stir the food again, add a little salt and pepper. Return the lid to the pan, fry for another 2 minutes.

7. In the meantime, prepare the fill. To do this, dilute tomato paste in boiled water.

   

   Dilute tomato paste in water

8. Open the lid of the pan. Stir the contents while pouring in the remaining oil. Pour in prepared rice.

   

   Add rice to the vegetable skillet

9. Pour in the diluted tomato paste, smooth out all the food and add enough water to form a layer of 1 cm of liquid on top of the rice. Add the garlic cloves, salt and mix gently.

   

   Add tomato paste diluted in water to the pan

10. Place the lid on the skillet and reduce the heat to just below medium. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, occasionally opening the lid and stirring the food so that the rice will quickly absorb the liquid.

    

    Simmer pilaf until rice absorbs all moisture

11. Turn off the heat on the stove, stir the pilaf again. After covering the pan with a lid, let the dish steep for about 20 minutes. So it will become even tastier and more aromatic.

    

    Let the finished pilaf brew under the lid for another 20 minutes

Video: quick pilaf in a pan

Lean with mushrooms

Yes, even pilaf can be cooked without meat. This recipe will be very relevant in the post, and will also appeal to people adhering to vegetarian cuisine.

Lean pilaf with mushrooms will surely please vegetarians

You will need:

• 600 ml of water;
• 400 g (2 cups) rice
• 5 large champignons;
• 1 head of onion;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 20 ml soy sauce;
• salt, allspice, turmeric, fresh herbs - to taste;
• olive oil for frying.

Instead of champignons, you can take any other mushrooms that you have at hand.

1. First you need to heat 3-4 tbsp in a frying pan. l olive oil, add rice and fry for 5 minutes until transparent.

   

   Fry the rice until transparent

2. Now pour warm water into the rice, add a little salt and seasoning - pepper and turmeric.

   

   Pour in water and add seasoning

3. Wait for the water to boil, then cover the pan with a suitable lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Now you need to peel the onion and chop it finely. Cut the washed mushrooms into thin slices. Heat a small amount of oil (2-3 tablespoons) in a separate skillet and fry the onion and mushrooms until half cooked.

   

   Saute the chopped mushrooms and onions

5. Add some soy sauce. Continue simmering until the onions are tender.

   

   Add a little soy sauce to the roast for an original flavor

6. Finely chop fresh herbs, cut the garlic into thin slices. Add to mushrooms and onions, stir thoroughly and remove from heat.

   

   It remains to add greens and garlic to the frying

7. The rice should be done by now. Remove it from heat, open the lid. The groats will be slightly dryish, crumbly, golden in color.

   

   The turmeric added at the start of cooking gives the rice a golden color.

8. Transfer the onion-mushroom frying to the rice and mix well. Mushroom pilaf is ready!

   

   Mix the fried rice and serve!

Video: mushroom pilaf, cooked in a slow cooker

Vegetable pilaf

Another great recipe for a lean table is vegetable pilaf. You can serve it as a separate dish or as a side dish with fish and meat.

Vegetable pilaf is not only a lean dish, but also an excellent side dish

You will need:

• 1.5 cups of rice;
• 1 can (340 g) canned corn
• 1-2 medium-sized carrots;
• 2 onions;
• 40 g of vegetable oil;
• salt, pepper, seasonings for pilaf - to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash the peeled carrots well and grate on a coarse grater.

   

   Grate carrots on a coarse grater

2. The onion is best cut into cubes.

   

   Chop the onion

3. In a frying pan, heat vegetable oil to a boil, add onions and carrots, set the heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes.

   

   Stew onions and carrots in vegetable oil

4. Open the canned corn, but do not pour the liquid out of the can.

   

   Do not drain liquid from canned corn - it is useful for pilaf

5. Wash the rice well. Boil water in a kettle.

   

   Remember to rinse the rice several times.

6. Put the corn and the liquid in the pan with the onions and carrots. Add salt and seasoning and stir. Spread the rice grits in an even layer. Gently pour the boiling water so that it is 2 cm more above the rice layer.

   

   Add corn, rice, spices to frying and cover with boiling water

7. Reduce the intensity of the fire to a minimum. Place the lid on the pans and continue to cook, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes. If liquid remains after this, remove the lid, increase the heat and cook until evaporated.

   

   Simmer pilaf, without removing the lid, for about 40 minutes

8. Now you can mix the finished pilaf and serve.

   

   Stir the cooked pilaf before serving

Sweet with raisins and dried fruits

As you know, in the east they love sweets very much. This also affected pilaf: it is often prepared sweet, with the addition of dried apricots and prunes. Such a dish will be especially fond of children and will become a table decoration in Lent. For sweet pilaf, take:

• 2 tbsp. rice;
• 0.85 st. dried apricots;
• 0.5 tbsp. raisins;
• 0.5 tbsp. prunes;
• 100 g of butter (you can take ghee);
• 2-3 buds of dry cloves;
• 0.25 tsp cinnamon;
• 2-3 tbsp. l. Sahara.

Traditionally, dried apricots, prunes, raisins and spicy aromatic seasonings are added to sweet pilaf.

Cooking process:

1. Soak the washed rice in warm salted water for 2 hours. Then drain the water, rinse the cereals again and transfer to a saucepan with boiling salted water (3-4 liters and 1 tsp of salt). Cook for about 12 minutes, stirring constantly so that the rice does not sink to the bottom for a long time.

   

   Put the washed rice in boiling water

2. When the rice is cooked, put it in a colander and rinse in cold water. This will keep the cereals from sticking together.

   

   To prevent the rice from sticking, after cooking, put it in a colander and rinse with cold water.

3. Rinse the dried fruit well in hot water.

   

   Rinse dried fruit in hot water to soften

4. Put butter in a preheated skillet and melt. Arrange dried fruits, sugar and cloves. Fry over medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

   

   Saute dried fruits with sugar and cloves

5. Put the fried dried fruits in rice, mix thoroughly. Sweet pilaf is ready.

   

   Add toasted dried fruit to rice and stir

6. Transfer the pilaf to a nice dish, top with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon.

   

   Season the finished sweet pilaf with butter and cinnamon

With beef in a slow cooker

Well, where do we go from our reliable assistant in culinary matters - a multicooker? If you have this wonderful device, be sure to cook pilaf in it - you won't regret it! Take beef instead of lamb - it is lean and easier for the stomach to digest.

You will need the following products:

• 500 g of beef;
• 500 g carrots;
• 500 g onions;
• 500 g of rice;
• 300 g of vegetable oil;
• 1-2 heads of garlic;
• 1 liter of water;
• salt, ground black pepper and dried red, dry basil, seasoning "Khmeli-suneli" - to taste.

Step by step cooking process:

1. Cut carrots into strips about 5 mm thick, onions into half rings, beef into large cubes. Wash the garlic without peeling off the husk.

   

   Chop onions, carrots and beef before cooking

2. Set the multicooker to the "Fry" mode. Pour vegetable oil into a bowl and wait until it is hot.

   

   Heat oil in a multicooker bowl to a boil

3. To make zirvak, put onions, carrots and beef in the butter.

   

   Make zirvak from onions, carrots and meat

4. Fry for about 15 minutes, then season with salt and seasoning. Cook for another 10 minutes.

   

   Spicy spices are an indispensable attribute of fragrant pilaf

5. Rinse the rice thoroughly in several waters, then let it steep for 10 minutes.

   

   The washed rice should be infused before cooking.

6. Place the rice in a multicooker bowl over the meat and vegetables.

   

   Add rice to zirvak

7. Add cold water so that it covers the rest of the food with excess. Put the garlic in the middle, a whole unassembled head straight. Close the multicooker bowl and set the "Pilaf" mode.

   

   Cover the food with water and add the unpeeled head of garlic

8. As soon as the multicooker completes the cooking cycle, wrap it with a towel and leave for 10 minutes to brew the pilaf. After that, you can call everyone to the table.

   

   Be sure to let the pilaf steep before serving it.

Video: pilaf with beef and chickpeas

With mussels cooked in the oven

If you love seafood and are a fan of Mediterranean cuisine, then mussel pilaf will surely appeal to you. And the oven will help us in its preparation.

Take these products:

• 300 g frozen mussels;
• 1 tbsp. rice;
• 0.5 tbsp. vegetable oil;
• 1 medium onion;
• 1-2 carrots;
• 1-2 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
• 4-5 cloves of garlic;

• salt, pepper, seasoning for pilaf - to taste.

  

  Prepare food for pilaf and defrost mussels beforehand

How to cook:

1. Chop the peeled onion into thin half rings, grate the carrots or cut into very thin strips. Place vegetables in a skillet with hot oil and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

   

   Stirring constantly, fry the carrots and onions until half cooked

2. Add defrosted and well washed mussels to the pan with fried vegetables. Put tomato paste there, salt and season with pepper and spices. Cover the pan with a lid, simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, then transfer the mass to a cauldron.

   

   Add mussels, tomato paste and seasoning

3. Turn on the oven and set the temperature to 180 ° C. Prepare rice and boil a kettle of water.

   

   Remember to preheat the oven while you wash your rice.

4. Put the rice in a cauldron with vegetables and mussels, pour boiling water so that its level is 2 cm higher than other products. Put the cloves of garlic without peeling them.

   

   Fill all the products in the cauldron with sufficient water

5. Cover the cauldron tightly with a lid. Place it in the oven for 40 minutes.

   

   Put the cauldron with pilaf in the oven

6. When the pilaf is cooked, remove it from the oven, transfer it to a platter and serve.

   

   Ready-made pilaf with mussels will delight you with taste and aroma

Video: Azerbaijani pilaf-rishta with beans from Stalik Khankishiev

As you can see, making pilaf is not difficult, and also very interesting. Not only this dish itself, but also its history deserves special attention. In addition, in such an abundance of recipes, everyone will find the most suitable one for every day, and on a holiday, and even on Great Lent. We hope that pilaf will now become a frequent guest in your kitchen. Or maybe you have your own original recipe for this oriental delicacy? Please share it with our readers in the comments. Bon Appetit!