Uzbek Fergana Pilaf: Delicious Cauldron-Cooked Delight

Unsurpassed taste and aroma. For true connoisseurs! Fergana pilaf from Uzbekistan in a cauldron will conquer absolutely everyone. With this dish you can easily feed a large friendly company. They will still ask for more!
cook time: 2h
Hazel Farrow
Uzbek Fergana Pilaf: Delicious Cauldron-Cooked Delight

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

242
Calories
13g
Fat
24g
Carbs
9g
Protein

Ingredients (6 portions)

Basic:

Onion 2 pc
Garlic (1 head) 10 clove
Salt to taste
Rice (Devzir varieties) 500 g
Carrot 3 pc
Vegetable oil 150 ml
Dry spices (Definitely zira!) to taste
Hot pepper 2 pc
Mutton 700 g

Recipe instructions

Step 1

Step 1
How to make Fergana pilaf from Uzbekistan in a cauldron? Prepare all the necessary ingredients. The quantity of all products should be approximately the same in weight. I have a piece with bone, plus fat, which I use separately, so the weight is greater. I forgot to add oil for the photo, I confess. You can add hot capsicum. I used special “pilaf seasoning” for the spices, it contains cumin. If you take it separately, then add barberry.

Step 2

Step 2
Wash the rice in seven waters. The water will be cloudy at first, then become clearer. Wash until completely clear. Pour warm water over the rice. In this form, it will wait in the wings throughout the entire cooking period. How to choose the right rice for pilaf, read a separate article at the link at the end of the recipe.

Step 3

Step 3
Wash the carrots with a brush under running water, peel and cut with a knife. I recommend cutting it and doing without graters — first lengthwise into strips, then crosswise into cubes. This way the carrots will retain their shape and look good in the finished dish. But itʼs always your choice.

Step 4

Step 4
Peel the onion and cut into rings or half rings if the onions are large.

Step 5

Step 5
Wash the meat in running water, dry and cut into cubes of about 3 cm. Separately, cut the fat — fat tail or, like mine, just the fat layer.

Step 6

Step 6
I recommend preparing everything in advance so as not to be distracted by chopping during the cooking process.

Step 7

Step 7
Heat the oil in a cauldron until it becomes almost smoking hot. How to choose the right oil for frying, read the article at the end of this recipe.

Step 8

Step 8
Place fat in a cauldron and fry, stirring occasionally.

Step 9

Step 9
When the pieces are well fried, remove them with a slotted spoon.

Step 10

Step 10
Next comes the turn of the seeds, if you have them, of course. put them in a cauldron, fry first on one side, then on the other.

Step 11

Step 11
Like this. Then remove the seeds.

Step 12

Step 12
Throw onions into the cauldron. It should literally simmer in the oil, keep the heat fairly high. Fry the onion, stirring it all the time with a slotted spoon, until slightly golden brown.

Step 13

Step 13
Add meat to onions. Fry for a few minutes. It should change its color, turn grey.

Step 14

Step 14
Add carrots. Fry for another five minutes. At the end, place our bones in the cauldron.

Step 15

Step 15
Pour water over the meat so that it is all covered. Salt and add prepared spices. Place the whole head of garlic in the middle, just remove the thin outer husk. At the same stage, you need to add the hot pepper pods, just be careful not to damage them (if you are using them). Leave the meat to simmer for about forty minutes. I cover it with a lid. We prepared zirvak — the meat base of pilaf.

Step 16

Step 16
When the zirvak is ready, add rice to it. Drain the water from the rice first. Place the rice very carefully on top of the meat. Then, also carefully, add water into the cauldron using a slotted spoon. The water should be a couple of centimeters above the rice. Salt and season again. Do not interfere under any circumstances! Leave to simmer over high heat until the water has completely boiled away.

Step 17

Step 17
This is what pilaf looks like with boiled water. If you slightly push the rice away with a spoon, there will be no water at the bottom.

Step 18

Step 18
Turn off the heat and cover the cauldron with a lid. Let the pilaf brew for 20-25 minutes. Only then stir the Fergana pilaf cooked on the stove and place it in a heap on a plate. Place garlic and peppercorns on top. Traditionally, pilaf is eaten with spoons or directly with your hands. Bon appetit!

Additional rubrics

Related recipes