Why is pilaf dry and how to fix it?

All the efforts of a hostess at the time of cooking pilaf can be canceled out by the slightest mistake. And one of the most common among them is the wrong technology of cooking, which entails the dryness of the finished dish.

Why Pilaw turns out dry

Pilaw can turn out dry due to the following reasons:

• Rice not cooked well;
• lack of vegetable oil;
• not enough water was added;
• overcooking the pilaf on the stove;
• cooking on high heat.

If you follow the correct cooking technology, pilaf is sure to turn out delicious and juicy. If it is still dry, then you can try to correct the situation.

What to do if the pilaf is dry

There are several ways to make the side dish juicy:

1. Pour some meat broth into the hot pilaf and let the dish stew over low heat for several minutes.
2. Fry onion in vegetable oil, add the broth and put it to the rice, and leave it under the lid for about 25 minutes.
3. Add 100 grams of butter or margarine.
4. Dissolve a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste in boiling water and put it in the pilaf, infusing it a bit.

Hot water can be used instead of broth. In any case, it is necessary to clearly regulate the amount of liquid, so that the pilaf from dry does not turn into mush.

Important! The pilaf can only be corrected at the final cooking stage. If it has already cooled, you can't get rid of the dryness.

How to cook delicious juicy pilaf

The common misconception that you should take only long steamed rice for pilaf leads to dryness of the final dish. It is possible to make good pilaf from round rice. You should not buy new, expensive groats that have not yet been tested in practice. You should also adhere to the following rules:

• The vegetables should be more than 2 times more than dry rice;
• Pour the rice with boiling water, so that it covers the groats for 2.5 cm;
• The meat must be fully cooked, but not overcooked.

The correct recipe for pilaf is that you need to take a lot of vegetable oil. You can dilute it with turkey fat. At least 200 ml. of oil per kilogram of rice is required.

Lamb is traditionally taken by Uzbeks to prepare the dish. You can replace it with beef. Pork is also used for cooking, but not in Muslim countries.

Vegetables - onions and carrots need a lot. It is necessary not to cut them finely, otherwise they will turn into mush. Onions are cut in halves and coarsely chopped into half rings. Carrots - large bars.

Cook in a thick-walled pot, ideally in a cauldron, over an open fire. At first, you heat oil strongly so that there is a smoke, and then put meat on it. When it becomes brown, add onions. It should become a dark color, then put carrots in the cauldron. Pour hot water to cover the meat. Salt it, pepper it, add spices and garlic. Cook for 35-45 minutes until the meat softens.

In the zirvak add rice, evenly distribute it on top. Pour boiling water to cover the groats, and cover. Reduce heat to low and stew for 20 minutes. On an open fire, by this time there should be smoldering embers left from the fire. When the time is up, turn off the fire, add unpeeled heads of garlic, not divided into cloves, and leave the dish to infuse for 20 minutes. The garlic is slightly pressed into the rice so that it gives off all the flavor. You can also add fresh herbs. At this time, it is better to wrap the lid of the dish with a towel.

As spices for pilaf use black pepper, barberry, cumin, hot chili pepper, which is put a whole pod. Additional spices, such as saffron, coriander, honeysuneli and thyme, help to diversify the taste of the dish. Traditionally, pilaf is served on a large round plate. Vegetable salad and green tea are served together with it.