Pokhlebkin. Uzbek cuisine

Almost every family has favorite dishes that are rightfully considered signature family recipes. As a rule, we are talking about dishes that appear on the family table for a special occasion - a holiday, a family date. In addition to the fact that they are loved by all members of the family without exception, it is equally important that the recipes used to prepare the signature dishes always give excellent results.

So we have such a dish on our winter menu. This is Fergana pilaf. On Sunday I made it with lamb using a recipe that has never failed me.I took the cooking technology - the main outline - from William Pokhlebkin from his “National Cuisines of Our Peoples”, but the “same” ratio of ingredients, nuances from Stalik Khankishiev (“Kazan, barbecue and other male pleasures”).

Required ingredients:

1 kg lamb (preferably a lean cut with some bone included)

1 kg of rice (preferably round or medium-grain, medium-starchy varieties)

3 large onions

0.8 kg carrots

250-300 ml refined vegetable oil

1-2 tbsp. spoons of pilaf mixture (cumin, barberry, red pepper)

2 medium cloves garlic (do not peel or clove!)

1 small hot pepper (optional)

Salt

On a note. For such a quantity of ingredients you will need a large, capacious cauldron. If you have a 5-liter cauldron, my advice is to divide the zirvak into two parts and cook in two batches, with a break of several days.

I. ACTION ALGORITHM

1. Prepare the meat, clean and cut the vegetables.

2. Heat the oil in a cauldron and prepare zirvak.

3. Add a mixture of spices for pilaf to the zirvak, add rice.

4. Add boiling water to the cauldron and cook the pilaf over medium heat.

5. Reduce the heat to a minimum, bring the pilaf to readiness with the lid closed.

II. STEP-BY-STEP RECIPE

Preparing a zirvak

Perhaps this is the most labor-intensive and responsible stage. But once you master it properly, preparing this dish will be a cakewalk for you.

1. Prepare the meat: clean the lamb from membranes, if necessary, cut out the bones and trim off the fat. Cut the pulp into 1.5-2 cm cubes and transfer to a bowl. We put the fat on a plate separately - we will need it to flavor the oil.

On a note. Exactly what size you get the pieces - 1.5 cm, 2 cm or 2.5 cm - is not so important. The main thing is that they are all the same size (this is worth striving for regardless of the specifics of cutting/cutting the meat you bought). This will allow you to achieve simultaneous cooking. This tip applies equally to cutting meat and vegetables.

2. Soak the rice in warm water. It is necessary to ensure that the water in the pan remains clear (this may require changing the water 5-6 times).

Important. This technique gives us two important things. First, having absorbed water, the grains of rice in the cauldron will absorb a minimum of oil, which means that our pilaf will turn out to be light (as far as possible for this dish). Secondly, soaking allows you to remove excess starch, which means that in the end – in the plate – our pilaf will be crumbly.

3. Let's start with vegetables. I usually start with carrots, since cutting them into strips (3x3 mm, length 4-5 cm) takes me the most time. The onion is peeled and cut into half rings (thickness - 3-4 mm) much faster.

On a note. Stalik Khankishiev advises cutting the onion into rings. I prefer half rings for purely pragmatic reasons - cutting half an onion is much easier and the result (the thickness of the half rings) is easier to control.

4. Heat the oil in a cauldron, add pieces of fat. As soon as the oil warms up well and the pieces of fat turn into fried pieces, take them out.

Important. I do not recommend bringing the oil to a temperature where it begins to noticeably smoke - this will avoid the formation of carcinogens. I am still inclined to trust scientists who believe that the main reason for the formation of carcinogens is a violation of frying technology, when the frying pan is overly hot and harmful chemical reactions begin to take place in the oil - after passing the so-called smoke point. The exception is benzopyrene, which can initially be present both in meat and in vegetable oil in quantities exceeding permissible standards.

On a note. Stalik Khankishiev also advises pre-frying a whole onion in oil. In his experience, this helps get rid of the smell of grease. Since I cook pilaf in refined vegetable oil (I use lamb fat only to flavor the oil), I don’t see much point. If you wish, you can try both options and choose the one you like best.

5. Fry the meat until golden brown. He does this in several stages so as not to overload the cauldron (otherwise frying will turn into stewing). Using a spatula or fork, turn the pieces of lamb over to brown the meat on all sides. At this stage, the fire does not need to be reduced.

6. Place the meat from the cauldron into a bowl. Let's start frying the onions. You can fry the whole onion at once. At the first stage - when the onion releases its existing moisture - you can reduce the heat, then increase it. The result should be exactly like this (see photo).

7. We do the same with carrots. We achieve a state where the carrots begin to give off a sweet aroma.

On a note. I prefer to fry the ingredients separately - this way I can fry the onions and carrots rather than stew them together with the meat. Although in many recipes for pilaf I have seen that onions and carrots are added one after another to the meat and cooked together in a cauldron.

8. Add onions and meat to the carrots, lower the heat slightly and pour boiling water over our zirvak (with water heated to the “white key” stage; there is no need to boil the water directly) so that it just barely covers the zirvak. Simmer until almost all the water has evaporated.

On a note. This technique gives amazing results. I learned about this clever technique from the book of Stalik Khankishiev one and a half to two years after I mastered Fergana pilaf. And when I prepared pilaf with preliminary stewing of zirvak for the first time, I couldn’t believe it, the lamb turned out so juicy and soft.

9. Add the spicy mixture to the zirvak. If desired, you can also add 1 teaspoon of turmeric to the cauldron to give the pilaf a rich color.

Cooking pilaf

I wrote at the very beginning that for 1 kg of rice and 1 kg of lamb you will need a spacious cauldron. If you have a small one, it’s easy to solve the problem - you can put half of it in a container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator. After a couple of days you can prepare a second portion of pilaf.

1. Salt the zirvak and pour boiling water so that the water barely covers it.

2. Then level the zirvak with a spatula/skimmer and add the rice, after draining the water from the pan where it was soaked. The rice on top should also be carefully leveled and lightly pressed with a slotted spoon.

3. Carefully pour boiling water over the rice through a slotted spoon until the water covers the rice by at least 1-2 cm.

4. Now we need to get the water boiling over the entire surface of the cauldron as quickly as possible. To do this, cover it with a lid and increase the heat to maximum.

On a note. Uniform boiling allows you to “loose” the layer of rice, turn it into something like an “anthill”, and as a result, soak each grain of rice with oil and spices.

5. As soon as the water has boiled over the entire surface and the rice has “loosened”, turn down the heat. And wait until all the water evaporates. We check the readiness using a slotted spoon - you need to tap it flat on the rice. There should be a dull thud. This means that all the water has evaporated.

6. Pierce the rice in several places with a wooden skewer (stick), level (but do not mix) the top layer of rice, and then tightly close the cauldron with a lid. The fire should be at the very minimum.

7. After 20 minutes, remove the lid from the cauldron so that drops from it do not flow back into the cauldron. All that remains is to mix the pilaf evenly and place it on plates.

They say that we can make good pilaf only in Central Asia. But this does not mean at all that the art of preparing it is completely inaccessible to residents of other places.
The recipe offered here differs from those given in culinary manuals by being more detailed. And most importantly, my guarantee of success: the recipe has been tested many times.

We will need:

400g sunflower oil (in Tashkent, cottonseed oil is preferred among vegetable oils)
500g onions
1kg lamb*
1kg round rice**
500g tomato
500g bell pepper
300g carrots***
100g raisins
ground red pepper, dry barberries, coriander, cumin
salt

Actually, you need a cauldron (special dishes), but I cook in a duck pot, and everything turns out great.
1. Heat the oil in a roasting pan, throw in finely chopped onions. When it acquires a golden-pink hue, add the lamb cut into small pieces. Fry for 20 minutes until the meat acquires the same shade as the onion.

2. Add finely chopped tomatoes and bell pepper to the meat. After 15 minutes, add 300g of carrots, cut into thin strips. Fry the carrots a little, then pour in hot water so that it covers the contents with a centimeter layer. Add raisins and spices: ground red pepper, dry barberries, coriander, cumin.

3. While the brew is simmering over low heat, prepare the rice.
We rinse the rice three times with cold water, after which we leave it to lie in the fourth water so that it “drinks”!
After 20-25 minutes, place the rice on top of the meat without stirring! Add boiling water; the thickness of the water layer above the rice is 1-2 cm. Add salt. They turned up the fire. The duckling was covered with a lid!

4. Now we remember the recommendations of V. Pokhlebkin. How is rice cooked?! 24 minutes!
3 minutes - on very high heat, 7 minutes - on medium heat, 2 minutes - low heat. We ended up with 12 minutes! Turn off the fire. We do not open the lid for another 12 minutes, during these 12 minutes the rice “arrives.”

Sometimes (to be on the safe side, guests!) I wrap the ducklings with pilaf in several layers of newspaper and cover them with a towel for the ripening period.

4. The finished pilaf was placed in a heap on a large dish, and tomato slices were placed around the heap. A stunning aroma rises from the dish and fills the entire kitchen. There is no need to call anyone to the table, everyone is already here!

* - I often take chicken, it turns out very tasty too.
** - the best rice is kinjo, a Korean variety. It looks small, but the good thing is that it absorbs a lot of water and therefore becomes large. I don’t bother myself with searching, I take my favorite Krasnodar round rice and I’m always happy with the result. For my taste, long grain rice is not suitable for pilaf, although the picture will be beautiful.
*** - Uzbeks prefer yellow carrots; you’ve probably seen one like this at the market. In pilaf it tastes better than orange.

Well! I wish you success!

Section: William Vasilyevich Pokhlebkin “NATIONAL COOKES OF OUR PEOPLES” Page 29 of the section UZBEK CUISINE FIRST COURSES MEAT AND VEGETABLE SOUPS Shurpa Shurpa is a meat soup, most often with vegetables and fatty lamb. Poultry (usually small game) can also be used as meat. Quite a lot of onions are put into shurpa - about 4-5 times more than in European soups (for the same amount of liquid), and its main vegetable component, after which it is usually called, is taken in the same volume or weight as meat put into it. If the shurpa contains less vegetables than meat, then such shurpa is named after the type of meat it is cooked with. Shurpa can be prepared in two ways: boil meat and vegetables without preliminary heat treatment (this method is more often used in Uzbek cuisine); pour water over meat and vegetables that have already been pre-fryed by frying (this method is used for soups such as mastava and others, and less often for shurpa). 4-5 spices are put into the shurpa - red and black pepper, cilantro, bay leaf, azhgon or dill. Sometimes turmeric is used. Since they always try to make shurpa thick, rich and fatty, the amount of liquid in it per person should not exceed 1.5 cups. Therefore, in all the recipes below, the amount of water is given taking into account boiling - about 3 liters (and 0.5-1 liter less for shurpa with pre-frying of products). Shurpa, like other Central Asian soups, is cooked over low heat. The meat in the shurpa is first boiled for 1.5-2 hours, after which vegetables are added to the broth and cooking continues for another 30-45 minutes. When pouring water after pre-frying, the meat cooks twice as fast - 1 hour. Without frying, the meat is used in shurpa in a large piece with bones, and for shurpa with preliminary frying of the products, as in other frying soups, the meat (lamb brisket) is cut into small pieces with bones . CORN SURPA Ingredients: 250 g lamb brisket, 75 g fat tail fat, 4 corn cobs of milky-wax ripeness, 4 onions, 2 tomatoes, 2 potatoes, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp. spoons of green cilantro, 8 black peppercorns. Preparation Melt fat tail fat, heat it and fry meat, onions, and tomatoes cut into small pieces in it. Then pour in 2 liters of water and let it boil. Place corn cobs cut in half into the boiling broth and cook them for 1 hour over low heat. After 40 minutes, lower the potatoes and add salt; add spices 5 minutes before they are ready. LAMB SURPA Ingredients: 500 g of lamb, 100 g of fat tail fat (or postdumba - fat tail casing), 500 g of potatoes, 4 tomatoes, 4 onions, 2 sour apples, 1 red pepper, 3 tbsp. spoons of dill, 2 tbsp. spoons of cilantro, 4 bay leaves. Preparation Cut the fat tail fat into small pieces, melt it, remove the greaves and fry the finely chopped meat, onions, and tomatoes in the lard for 10 minutes. Then add the potatoes cut into cubes or cubes, fry them for 5 minutes, mix with the meat and pour in 2.5 liters of water, let it boil. Before boiling, add salt and cook for 1 hour over low heat. 20 minutes before readiness add finely chopped apples, 5-7 minutes - spices. PIEVA (ONION SOUP) Onion soup with a large concentration of onions is characteristic of all Central Asian cuisine. However, its preparations vary among different peoples of Central Asia. In Uzbek cuisine, pieva is prepared with meat, and they use three times as much onion by weight as meat. For pieva, mainly spicy onions are used. Approximately twice the weight of onion is poured into the drinking water. Ingredients: 1.5 kg of onions, 500 g of lamb, 150 g of fat tail, 3 tomatoes, 4 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of red pepper, 3 tbsp. spoons of cilantro. Preparation Heat fat tail fat, add finely chopped onion, diced meat and tomatoes (1 cm each), add salt and fry for 20 minutes, then add cold water and cook for half an hour over low heat. 5 minutes before readiness, add spices. Remove the finished pie from the heat and let it brew for 10 minutes. They eat pieva with unleavened dry flatbreads (see kumach, kulcha), which are crumbled into soup. CEREAL SOUPS Uzbek cereal soups with meat (lamb) are cooked exclusively by the frying method. Meat, onions, as well as carrots, turnips or tomatoes, if they are part of the dish, are cut into small cubes (1 cm for meat, 0.5 cm for vegetables) or into thin strips and fried in pre-heated tail fat for 15 -20 minutes in a cauldron. Then the fried meat and vegetables are poured with cold water and brought to a boil, after which some kind of cereal (wheat, mung bean, jugara, rice) is added to it and only after that it is salted. In the above recipes, the water requirement is 2-2.5 liters. Soups are simmered over low heat for at least 1 hour. 5-7 minutes before the end of cooking, add spices - dry ground, fresh - finely chopped. When the soup is cooked, let it sit for 10 minutes to rest. The consistency of the soup should resemble thin gruel. All cereal soups are cooked according to the specified scheme. Differences may be in the pre-treatment of the grain used and in the cooking time (it increases when two grains are used, such as mung bean and rice). YORMA (WHEAT SOUP) Ingredients: 500 g of lamb, 100 g of ghee or fat tail fat, 1.5 cups of wheat, 4 onions, 1 red pepper. Preparation Prepare the meat and onion fry (see above) and cook it. Crush the wheat in a mortar, moistening it with water to separate the husks. Rinse, sift and grind twice. The bookmark order is indicated above. Yorma is eaten while simultaneously sipping katyk. MASHKHURDA (MASH WITH RICE) Ingredients: 250 g of lamb, 100 g of ghee, 2 onions, 2 tomatoes, 1 carrot, 0.75 cups of rice, 0.75 cups of mung bean, 2 teaspoons of barberry, 2 tbsp. tablespoons green cilantro, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of dill, 2 stalks of basil, 3 bay leaves. Preparation Prepare meat and vegetable dressing (see above), start cooking it. Add the mung bean until the water boils and cook until it bursts, after which you can add salt to the soup and add rice, until which the mashkhurda is cooked. Add spices to mashkhurda twice: barberry, bay leaf, black pepper - 10-15 minutes before readiness, and spicy herbs - after readiness. KATYKLI (FERURED MILK SOUPS) Fermented milk soups in Uzbek cuisine are divided into two types - meat and non-meat katykli. Meat katykli necessarily includes meat, or postdumba (fat tail casing), traditional vegetables and local cereals. But the main liquid component in them is fermented milk products katyk or suzma, which are first diluted in water. In this case, the amount of katyk by weight relates to meat and cereals as 2:1:1, i.e. it is approximately half of the total mass of the soup, and the amount of suzma is 1:1:1, i.e. in undiluted form it is one a third of the soup's mass. In this case, katyk or suzma is introduced into an already prepared dish and, thus, they do not decrease in volume during the cooking process. Therefore, the base of fermented milk soups, boiled in water, should actually be a mush by the end of cooking, that is, most of the water, and sometimes all the water, should evaporate from them. This determines the following rules for preparing fermented milk soups: 1. Finely chopped meat and vegetables are boiled in a relatively small amount of water, with the expectation that most of it should boil away by the end of cooking. 2. Rice is cooked together with meat and vegetables, dzhugaru - before meat and vegetables, mung bean with rice - after meat and vegetables. Be sure to cook on low heat. 3. The finished gruel obtained by cooking meat, vegetables and cereals is removed from the heat, seasoned with finely chopped spicy herbs cilantro, basil and savory, allowed to brew under a closed lid for 10-12 minutes and then poured with katyk or liquid sour cream diluted to a thick consistency. and mix everything thoroughly. As for non-meat katykli, they are of more ancient origin and their methods of preparation do not have a common pattern, since they arose in isolation from each other and at different times. But a common feature for them is that dairy products are added not at the end of cooking, but at the beginning and they are heated. These are sikhmon, kakurum, shopirma, kurtova. The cold soup - chalop - stands out. KATYKLI KHURDA (FAIRED RICE) Ingredients: 300 g lamb, 300 g rice, 0.75 l katyk, 2 onions, 2 tomatoes, 2 carrots, 2 turnips, 3 tbsp. spoons of basil or cilantro, 1 teaspoon of azhgon (cumin), 0.5 teaspoons of red pepper. Preparation Mix finely chopped meat and vegetables, as well as rice, spices and fry for 10-15 minutes. then add water and cook for 40 minutes over low heat until tender. Then fill with katyk. BURNID FAIRED MILK SOUP Ingredients: 1 kg of turnips, 1 liter of katyk, 1 glass of rice, 2 onions, 2 carrots, 25-50 g of green cilantro, 0.5 teaspoon of red pepper. Preparation Cut the vegetables into cubes, chop the onion, boil everything, then add rice, salt, spices and cook for another 20 minutes. Next, cook according to the diagram (see above). SOURCE CREAM SOUP Ingredients: 1 liter of water, 400 g of sour cream, 3 onions, 6 ears of milky-waxy corn, 300 g of pumpkin, 2 tbsp. spoons of green cilantro. Preparation Pour sour cream into a preheated aluminum casserole, stir, add finely chopped onion and cook over low heat until it becomes soft. Then pour in water, let it boil, add corn on the cob, cut in half, and pumpkin, cut into cubes, and cook for half an hour over low heat. At the end of cooking, add salt and cilantro. KURTOVA Ingredients: 1 kg kurta, 1.5 liters of boiling water, 50 g ghee. Preparation Crush the Kurt, rub through a sieve, pour into an enamel or ceramic bowl and, gradually adding boiling water, rub with a wooden spoon until the sour cream becomes thick. Pour the resulting mass into a saucepan, add melted butter and boil. KAKURUM Ingredients: 1 liter of katyk, 1 liter of boiling water, 3 onions, 2 teaspoons of red pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt. Preparation Finely chop the onion, mix with katyk, salt and pepper, leave to “ripen” for half an hour. Then gradually pour in boiling water in very small portions, stirring. SIHMON Ingredients: 1.5 cups mung bean, 1 cup corn flour, 1 liter katyk, 50 g ghee, 0.5 teaspoon red pepper. Preparation: Boil mung beans in 1.5-1.25 liters of water over low heat. When the grains burst and boil, add umach (noodles), prepared as follows: knead corn flour with a quarter glass of salted water into a stiff dough and pass it through a meat grinder. Season the finished soup with salt, season with pepper and let stand for 10-15 minutes under the lid, then mix with katyk (see p. 286) and melted butter. CHALOP Ingredients: 1.5 liters of katyk, 1 liter of cold boiled water, 2 cucumbers, 10-12 radishes or 3-4 Margelan radishes, 0.5-0.75 cups of green onions, 3 tbsp. spoons of green cilantro, 2 tbsp. spoons of dill, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of basil greens, 0.5 teaspoons of red pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt. Preparation Lightly strain the Katyk, dilute with water, season with salt and pepper, finely chopped vegetables and spicy herbs and place in a cold place (cellar, refrigerator) for 5-6 hours. This soup is very pleasant in hot weather. SECOND COURSES PILAF Pilaf, one of the most common dishes in the Middle East, has received its greatest development in Uzbekistan. The classic Central Asian technology for preparing pilaf has been created here, the number of types of which reaches several dozen. The main types include pilafs, which received their names from the historical and geographical provinces or even states where they originated. They have technological differences. These are Fergana, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khorezm. In addition, there are pilafs, the composition of which varies depending on the purpose (simple, festive, wedding, summer, winter). A number of pilafs differ, finally, in that they contain different leading meats. After all, lamb is not always used in pilaf; in Uzbekistan, it is often replaced with kazy (horse sausage), postdumba (fat tail casing), quail, pheasants, and chicken. Uzbek pilafs do not always include rice. Sometimes it makes up only part of the pilaf, and sometimes it is completely replaced by wheat, peas or mung bean. But for the vast majority of pilafs, the classic set of products is typical: lamb, rice. carrots, raisins or apricots and a mixture of three spices - red pepper, barberry and azhgon (cumin). Cooking real Uzbek pilaf consists of three operations: 1) heat the oil; 2) preparing zirvak; 3) adding rice and bringing the pilaf to readiness. Overheating of oil. The oil should be heated in a metal (preferably cast iron, but in no case enameled) container with a thick, oval rounded bottom - in a cauldron, cauldron or in a saucepan similar to them. First of all, this dish must be heated, then pour oil into it and heat it over moderate or even low heat (the fire should not touch the bottom of the dish) so that it does not boil externally. The degree of readiness of the oil (its overheating) can be determined by the strong crackling or rebounding of coarse salt thrown into it or by the release of a whitish haze. Oil is usually poured onto the bottom of the cauldron in a layer of 1 to 3 cm, depending on the number of products being added. The most commonly used combination of vegetable oils (cottonseed, flaxseed, sunflower, sesame, nut) with animal fats (horse, goat, lamb, beef, poultry lard and bone fat)*. Sometimes only vegetable oils are used - sunflower, sesame, which give a pleasant taste to the pilaf. Butter and ghee cannot be overheated. (* Oils are combined in the order listed, i.e. cottonseed oil with horse fat, sunflower oil with lamb fat, etc.) Preparation of zirvak. Place in overheated oil in the following order, unless otherwise specified in the recipe: meat, cut into small or large pieces, onions, cut into cubes or thick rings, carrots, most often cut into strips (less often into cubes). Carrots in pilaf are always half as much as rice (by weight) and about the same amount as meat. Deviations from these norms in certain types of pilaf are extremely insignificant. Each of the three main components of zirvak is refried sequentially so that all products retain their characteristic appearance and color. At the beginning of cooking zirvak, the heat is increased, and towards the middle and towards the end of cooking it is reduced. Products should not stick to the walls and bottom of the cauldron. Spices are added to the prepared zirvak, i.e. after about 20-30 minutes. This is usually a mixture of three spices (red pepper, azhgon, barberry), taken in equal parts, prepared in advance*. The mixture of spices is poured into pilaf at the rate of 1-1.5 teaspoons (with top) of the mixture per 500 g of rice. (*These spices, mixed together, are usually sold in Uzbekistan under the name “Pilaf Mix.”) Then the zirvak is salted and poured with a small amount of water at the rate of a quarter or half a glass for every 500 g of rice. In some types of pilaf, water may not be added to the zirvak at all, especially in cases where small portions are prepared and there is quite a lot of oil in the zirvak. Adding rice and bringing the pilaf to readiness. The prepared zirvak is leveled, the heat is reduced even more and covered with an even layer of rice, which is lightly crushed with a slotted spoon or spoon, but in no case mixed with the zirvak. The compacted surface of the rice is then carefully poured with water, making sure that it does not destroy the layer of rice. To do this, use the following technique: place a saucer on the rice and pour WATER onto it, which evenly flows onto the rice from the edges of the saucer. Then the saucer is carefully removed from the cauldron using a cord previously tied to it. The rice should be covered with water with a layer of 1-1.5 cm. If the rice is very dry and hard, add a little more water than usual. Then the fire is increased, but make sure that the pilaf boils evenly. The water on top of the rice is seasoned with salt and sometimes spices are added to it, primarily turmeric, which in this case gradually and evenly colors the rice a golden-lemon color. While boiling, the pilaf is not covered with a lid, but when the water has completely evaporated, it is covered very tightly with a plate or dish. Before this, to make sure that the pilaf is ready, the surface of the rice is struck several times flat with a slotted spoon, which should be followed by a dull sound. In addition, it is noticeable that the rice becomes loose. Then the pilaf is pierced in several places with a wooden stick. then smooth the surface of the rice with a slotted spoon, without mixing it with zirvak, and cover it with a plate for 15-20 minutes so that the pilaf rests. Only after this, carefully remove the plate, trying to prevent drops of water from falling into the pilaf, mix it evenly and serve it on the table. Sometimes the pilaf is not mixed, but laid out on a dish in layers in the reverse order compared to the laying, i.e. first rice, then zirvak - onions and carrots and, finally, meat. FERGANA PILOV Ingredients: 500 g rice, 250 g lamb, 250 g carrots, 125 g fat (butter), 3 onions, 1-1.5 teaspoons of spicy mixture. Preparation: Cut the zirvak meat into small cubes and fry along with the onion. Add carrots a little later. After adding the rice, you can add another 0.5 teaspoon of the spicy mixture. Otherwise, adhere to the above-described method of preparing pilaf. BUKHARA PILAV Ingredients: 500 g of rice, 250 g of lamb, 250 g of carrots, 150 g of fat (oil), 3 onions, 1-1.5 cups of raisins, 1 teaspoon of spicy mixture, turmeric - on the tip of a knife. Preparation Prepare zirvak from meat and onions with carrots, cut into thin strips. Raisins, washed in warm or hot water, add zirvak at the end of cooking. Do not add water to the zirvak. Rinse the rice in warm, slightly salted water. For the rest, follow the general rules for preparing pilaf (see above). KHOREZM PILAV Ingredients: 500 g rice, 500 g carrots, 500 g lamb, 200 g fat (butter), 4 onions, 0.5 teaspoons of salt in the first batch, 1.5 teaspoons of spicy mixture. Preparation Cut the meat into large pieces (4-6 pieces), fry in oil, then add and fry the onion, then pour in half a glass of water and let it boil. Only after this add pre-cooked carrots (cut lengthwise into slices 1 cm wide and 2-3 mm thick), salt (0.5 tsp. spoons) and a spicy mixture. Then add water to the zirvak to cover the contents of the cauldron, then close the lid tightly and simmer over very low heat for 2-3 hours. Then add rice, add water again (about 0.5-0.75 cups), add salt to taste and continue cooking for about 30 minutes. Do not stir the finished pilaf, but transfer it onto plates in layers. SAMARKAND PILOW Ingredients: 500 g rice, 250 g meat, 250 g carrots, 150 g fat (butter), 6 onions, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper. Preparation 1. Boil the meat in pieces and whole carrots over low heat in a small amount of boiling water for 2.5 hours, then cut into small pieces and mix with salt and pepper. 2. Rinse the rice and boil in salted water (for 1 kg of rice - 1 liter of water, 1 teaspoon of salt). When the rice is cooked, rinse it with boiling water, put it in a canvas bag (but you can also put it in a colander) and let the water drain well (about 10-15 minutes). 3. Fry the onion in hot oil. 4. Place rice in bowls (casas) or deep plates, mix it with the onions removed from the oil, add the meat and carrots and pour over them with the oil in which the onions were fried. PLOV TOGRAMA Pilaf tograma is a combination of Fergana and Samarkand. Ingredients: 500 g rice, 400 g meat, 400 g carrots, 200 g fat (oil), 4 onions, 1.5 teaspoons of spicy mixture. Preparation From one fourth of the meat and carrots, make Fergana-style zirvak with onions and cook rice on it, and boil the rest of the meat and carrots in Samarkand style (see above) in another bowl. Combine the finished parts before serving. This pilaf is served as an appetizer with pickled wild onions - piez-ansur. TONTARMA PILAV (FRIED RICE) Ingredients: 500 g rice, 250 g meat, 250 g carrots, 3 onions, 1-1.5 teaspoons of spicy mixture, 250 g ghee for rice, 125 g vegetable oil for zirvak. Preparation Before storing, unwashed rice is pre-cooked in a separate bowl with melted butter until reddish in color. For the rest, follow the general rules for preparing pilaf (see above). PILAV WITH QUINCE Ingredients: 500 g rice, 150 g meat, 1-1.5 large quinces, 200 g carrots, 2 onions, 150 g fat (oil), 1-1.5 teaspoons of spicy mixture for pilaf, turmeric - on the tip of the knife. Preparation Wash the quince thoroughly with a brush, remove the core, cut it into quarters, put them in the prepared zirvak before adding rice and simmer for several minutes. Add turmeric along with quince. Otherwise, cook like Fergana pilaf. PILAV WITH APRON Ingredients: 500 g rice, 250 g beef, 150 g carrots, 200 g butter (fat), 2-1.5 cups apricots, 1-1.5 tsp. spoons of spicy mixture. Preparation Rinse the apricots thoroughly several times in cold water and add them to the zirvak only after all other products have been fried in it, water has been added to them and the zirvak has boiled. In this case, the apricots should be placed in an even layer on the zirvak, and not mixed with it. Only after this add rice to the apricots. The rest of the preparation proceeds as indicated (see above). PILAV WITH WHEAT Pilafs with other grains and legumes instead of rice are prepared according to the classical (Fergana) method and they differ only in the different pre-treatment of legumes. Ingredients: 500 g wheat, 250 g meat, 250 g carrots, 200 g fat (oil), 3 onions, 1-1.5 teaspoons of spicy pilaf mixture. Preparation: Grind the wheat in a wooden mortar, moistening it with water to separate the husks, as for yorma, rinse, peel and soak for 3 hours in warm water, then pour into zirvak instead of rice. IVITMA-PALOV (PILAV WITH PEAS) Ingredients: 500 g rice, 250 g meat, 100 g peas, 150 g fat (butter), 200 g carrots, 2 onions, 1.5 teaspoons of spicy pilaf mixture, 1 tsp. spoon of dry savory powder. Preparation 1. Soak the peas in cold water for at least 12 hours, or better yet for a day. 2. Rinse the rice 4-5 times in cold salted water and soak in hot water for 30-40 minutes. 3. Cut the carrots for zirvak into small cubes and, after adding and zirvak, simmer for at least 15 minutes. 4. Pour zirvak prepared from meat, onions and carrots with water (from 0.5 to 1 cup), immediately add soaked peas and spices and cook for at least 25 minutes after boiling. 5. Only after this can you lightly salt and add rice, which should be covered with a layer of water slightly less than 1 cm, since the rice is already wet. Cook over high heat. 6. After the water has evaporated, cover the pilaf with a plate for 25 minutes to simmer. SHAVLI Along with pilaf, in Uzbekistan they prepare another dish very similar to pilaf in the composition of ingredients, called shavli. Often, those who are not familiar with Uzbek cuisine mistake shavli for pilaf, and in cookbooks they are sometimes confused and a description of the preparation of shavli is given in pilaf recipes. The fact is that in shawl almost all the main components of pilaf are preserved - primarily rice (or another grain or legume base that replaces it), as well as meat, carrots, and onions. However, the ratio of these products, the additional addition of tomatoes to them, and most importantly, the method and duration of preparation are completely different. And this affects the fat content, consistency and taste of shavli and thereby distinguishes it from pilaf. First of all, the quantitative differences are striking: 1. The ratio of rice, meat, carrots is 1.5:1:1 or sometimes 2:1.5:1.5. In this case, instead of meat, you can take other vegetables or fruits, but their overall specific gravity with carrots relative to rice will not change. 2. The ratio of onions and tomatoes is 1:1. There is more onion in shavla than in pilaf. 3. The proportion of fats (oils) is 50% higher than in pilaf. 4. More water is poured into the shavli zirvak than into the pilaf zirvak - at the rate of 1 liter of water for every 1 kg of rice inserted. The procedure for preparing shavli. It is much easier to prepare shavlya than pilaf, but at the same time it is simpler in taste, more ordinary than pilaf. 1. Zirvak is prepared as for pilaf, but tomatoes are added to it (at the end). 2. Pour all the water into the prepared zirvak at once (from the calculation indicated above) and let it boil, after which rice, salt, and spices are added. 3. Cook shavlya, stirring, until the water has completely evaporated. If there is not enough water and the food is not ready yet, you can add boiling water during the cooking process. 4. The finished shavlya, just like pilaf, is left to rest in a closed container for 15 minutes. Below are sets of products for different versions of shavli. CHAWLYA WITH APRON Ingredients: 600 g rice, 300v g carrots, 300 g apricots, 300 g fat (oil), 3 onions, 3 tomatoes, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of cilantro, 10 pieces of black pepper, 0.5 cups of green onions. Preparation See above for the cooking procedure. SHAWLYA WITH BEANS Ingredients: 400 g rice, 300 g meat, 300 g carrots, 200 g beans, 300 g fat, 3 onions, 3 tomatoes, 0.5 teaspoon red pepper, 1 tbsp. spoon of savory. Preparation 1. Prepare zirvak. 2. Place the beans, pre-soaked for 12-20 hours, in the zirvak after the water poured in at the end of its preparation boils. When the beans are half cooked, add washed rice to the shavlya. Add salt and spices only to the finished shavlya. UZBEK PORGEAU Uzbek porridges are mainly prepared with meat. In terms of their preparation and composition (grain or legume base, meat, spices, and sometimes vegetables), they are even simpler than shavli. The most specific porridges are haleem, mohora and bulamik. HALIM (WHEAT WITH MEAT) Ingredients: 1 liter of water, 500 g of wheat, 300 g of lamb, 200 g of butter, 0.5 teaspoon of cinnamon, 0.5 teaspoon of black pepper. Preparation For haleem, take wheat from a new harvest, prepare it as for yorma, then soak it in boiling water in a sealed container for 6 hours. Fry the meat, cut into 2 cm cubes, in oil, cover with prepared wheat and add water, then cook over low heat, stirring, for 2 hours. If necessary, you can add boiling water. Salt the haleem and season with spices only after it is ready, then let it simmer for 15 minutes. MOHORA (PEAS WITH MEAT) Ingredients: 500 g of peas, 250 g of meat, 1-1.5 carrots, 1 large potato. Preparation From meat, cut into pieces of 50 g, cook broth together with carrots, and after 20-30 minutes of boiling, add peas, previously soaked for 12 hours, into it so that the broth barely covers them. When the peas are half cooked, add the potatoes (whole) and cook the mohora for about half an hour. Salt when ready. BULAMIK (CORN FLOUR WITH MEAT) Ingredients: 500 g corn flour, 0.5 l milk, 250 g minced meat, 100 g ghee, 2 medium onions. Preparation 1. Dilute flour in milk, cook until thick. 2. Fry chopped onion and minced meat in oil, add salt. 3. Stir the prepared above products, then let the dish stand for 10 minutes. DISHES FROM MEAT AND GAME As elsewhere in the East, kebabs, or, as they are more often called outside Central Asia, kebabs, occupy a significant place among meat dishes. However, the preparation of a number of Uzbek kebabs differs from the standard methods of preparing kebabs common in restaurant practice, not only in the preliminary preparation of meat, but also in technology, since Uzbek kebabs are not always cooked on coals using a spit, but are often cooked in a cauldron and even on the walls of a tyndyr or for a couple. Several such recipes for specific Uzbek kebabs, including game ones, are given below. KAZAN-KEBAB (KEBAB IN KAZANKA) Ingredients: 750 g of lamb meat, 500 g of onion, 0.75-1 glass of dill or cilantro, 1 pod of red pepper or 1 teaspoon of ground red pepper, 2 teaspoons of azhgon. Preparation This kebab should be prepared from young, but well-fed, fatty lamb. Cut the meat into small pieces and add salt. Cut the onion into rings and mix with finely chopped dill or cilantro. Then place the meat and onion-dill mixture into the cauldron in layers, so that the entire filling is placed no lower than the middle of the cauldron or does not reach its top by two fingers. In the penultimate layer on top, place a pepper pod, cut in half lengthwise. Close the cauldron tightly and place on very low heat for about 3 hours. 2-3 minutes before the cauldron-kebab is ready, sprinkle with azhgon (cumin). Serve with pickled onions. BUGLAMA-KEBAB (STEAMED KEBAB) Ingredients: 750 g lamb, 600 g onion, 2 tbsp. spoons of grape vinegar, 2 bay leaves, 2 tsp. spoons of cumin, 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Preparation Cut young lamb (ham, brisket) into slices, chop the ribs into small pieces, mix everything in a porcelain or enamel bowl with finely chopped onion, vinegar and spices and leave for 6-12 hours (or even a day) in a cold place. Then place this dish in a cauldron filled with hot water so that its level does not reach the edges of the porcelain dish by 2 fingers, close the cauldron tightly and place on moderate heat for 2-3 hours. Care must be taken that the water does not boil away before kebab will be ready. JIGAR-KEBAB (LIVER KEBAB) Ingredients: 500 g of liver, 2 onions, 0.5 cups of flour, salt, black pepper, buzhgun - to taste. Preparation Peel the liver from the film, cut into small pieces of 10-15 g, salt, bread in flour, thread on skewers and fry over coals. It’s even better if you alternate pieces of liver on a skewer with fat tail fat. Sprinkle the finished pieces of jigar kebab on a plate with chopped onions and spices. KEBAB FROM QUAIL OR PARTICE Put gutted quails or partridges in salted water for 15 minutes, then remove the skin, dip them in melted butter or ghee, sprinkle with ground azhgon, black pepper, roll in flour and fry over coals on skewers (skewers) or on a wire mesh, and the birds should be sprinkled with flour from time to time, especially when juice begins to come out of them. The peculiarity of quail kebab is that it must be cooked on juniper charcoal, while other kebabs and especially Caucasian kebabs are cooked exclusively on deciduous tree charcoal. HASIP Ingredients: 500 g of lamb, 1 intestine, 1 spleen, 1 kidney, 200 g of lung, 100 g of fat tail fat, 200 g of rice, 5 onions, 0.5 cups of warm water, 2 teaspoons of azhgon, 1 teaspoon of black ground pepper. Preparation Khasip is prepared primarily from lamb, but beef can also be used. It is only important that the fat be fat tail, lamb. Cooking consists of three operations. Bowel preparation. Rinse the fatty intestine in warm water, then in salty cold water three times (changing the water). Preparation of minced meat. Chop the meat, liver, and lard into minced meat with a knife or chop, but do not put it through a meat grinder. Mix with finely chopped onion, washed rice, spices and for greater elasticity of the minced meat, add a little warm water to it (within 0.5 cups, but do not add immediately, but gradually, with spoons, so as to stop in time). Preparation of hasip. Fill the intestine with minced meat (preferably through a funnel), tie it, and then tie both ends together so that it forms a ring, and cook over low heat for 2 hours. When the water boils, pierce the hasip in several places. Khasip is eaten both hot and cold. MEAT AND VEGETABLE DISHES Meat and vegetable dishes are of relatively recent origin in Uzbek cuisine. Most of them are borrowed. However, some have taken root as national ones, and they are characterized by Uzbek technology - the initial frying of meat in fat, followed by the addition of vegetables. Below are two meat and vegetable dishes: the more ancient one - gushtnut and the relatively new one - narhangi. In gushnut the ratio of meat and peas is the same, in narhangi there is four times less meat than vegetables. GUSHTNUTS Ingredients: 500 g lamb, 500 g soaked peas (chickpeas are best), 150 g ghee, 5 tomatoes, 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper. Preparation Soak the peas 24 hours in advance. Cut the meat into small cubes the size of a pea and fry in oil for 10-15 minutes, then add the prepared peas, fry for another 10 minutes, pour in a quarter or half a glass of water, bring the peas until cooked, put the tomatoes cut into quarters, mix and simmer under Cover with a lid over very low heat for 15-20 minutes. Then add salt and pepper and serve. NARHANGI Ingredients: 500 g of meat, 500 g of carrots, 500 g of onions, 500 g of potatoes, 500 g of tomatoes, 100 g of dill, 100 g of cilantro, 4 heads of garlic, 1 pod of sweet pepper, 1-1.5 teaspoons of ground black pepper, 200 g fat tail fat. Preparation: Cut the meat into small cubes, add salt, and fry in hot fat tail fat until half cooked. Remove from heat, level and layer chopped vegetables and spices on top in the following order: onions, carrots, tomatoes, dill, cilantro, garlic, sweet peppers, potatoes. Spice up. Pour in 0.5-0.75 cups of water, close the lid tightly and put on very low heat for 2 hours (do not remove the lid). MEAT AND DOUGH DISHES MANTY Manty is a type of dumpling. Their preparation consists of three operations: kneading the dough, preparing the filling, making and cooking manti. The main difference between manti and other types of dumplings is not that they are relatively larger in size - this is only an external sign. Manti are distinguished by minced meat; they are boiled not in water, but steamed, and in a special container - manti-kaskan. If there is no cascan manti, then the manti can be boiled in a large pan, place a deep plate on the bottom of which, grease it with oil, put the manti in one row, cover with another plate, fill the bottom of the pan with water, close the lid tightly and put on very low fire. Steaming creates the opportunity to preserve the shape of the manti, make the dish beautiful in appearance and at the same time give it a different taste than dumplings, which are boiled in a large amount of water. Ingredients: For the dough: 500 g flour, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt, 0.5 cups water. For minced meat: 1 kg of meat, 500 g of onion, 0.5 cups of salted water (1 teaspoon of salt), 1-1.5 teaspoons of black pepper, 100-150 g of tail fat. Preparation Prepare the dough. Knead a stiff dough from flour, eggs, salt and a small amount of water, roll into a ball, cover with a napkin and leave for 30-40 minutes, then roll out into a layer 1-2 mm thick and cut into squares measuring 10 x 10 cm. Preparation fillings. Either chop the lamb pulp into small pieces or pass through a meat grinder with a very large grid. Add finely chopped onion, ground pepper, azhgon and a few teaspoons of salt water to the minced meat, stir thoroughly. At the same time, separately cut the fat tail or interior fat into pieces the size of a large bean or bean. Cooking manti. Place 1 tbsp in each square of dough. a spoonful of minced meat and 1 piece of lard, then pinch the dough on top. Cover the prepared manti with a napkin so that the dough does not dry out, and then place it on oiled tiers (grids) of the manti-kaskan so that the manti do not touch, sprinkle with cold water and steam with the lid closed for 45 minutes. If the manti starts to dry out during cooking, you can water them and the grates with hot water a couple of times. Without manti-kaskan, in a plate, as indicated above, the manti is cooked after boiling water for 25-30 minutes. Ready-made manti can either be seasoned with katyk or sour cream, or filled with rich meat broth and sprinkled with black pepper and cilantro. Manti can be prepared in another way: fry in hot oil until golden brown, and then place in a manti-kaskan and steam until ready, or use the technique with a plate, where in this case the fried manti can be placed in several layers, since they will not stick together . These manti cook faster - 20-25 minutes. LAGMAN Lagman is a widespread dish in Central Asia. It has Uzbek, Tajik and Dungan varieties, which are not fundamentally different, but differ partly in the composition of the products and the characteristics of preparing the noodles. Lagman consists of two main parts, each of which is prepared separately and then combined into one dish before serving. The first part is noodles, the second is vaja, which gives the lagman its main taste and aroma. As for the noodles, their purpose is to give the lagman as a whole the most delicate consistency possible. To do this, you need to roll out the noodles as thin as possible. Ingredients: For noodles: 500 g flour, 1 egg, 0.5 teaspoon salt, 0.75 cup water. For vaji: 500 g meat, 200 g butter (lard), 2 large potatoes, 2 carrots, 1 radish, 1 beetroot, 1 sweet pepper, 100 g cabbage, 4 onions, 4 tomatoes, 1 head of garlic, 1 cup cilantro , 1 teaspoon each of red and black pepper. For dressing: cilantro, garlic, pepper - to taste. Preparation Cooking noodles. Knead the dough, roll it into a ball, let it lie under a napkin for 15 minutes, roll it into a thin layer, roll it into a roll, cut the noodles, boil them in salted water, remove them, rinse them twice with cold water, put them in a sieve or colander to drain. Glass well, and at the same time pour vegetable oil over the noodles so that they do not stick together. Preparation of vajja. Cut potatoes, radishes, tomatoes into small cubes; carrots, beets, cabbage - into strips; onion, sweet pepper - rings; Finely chop the garlic. Fry the meat, cut into small cubes, in overheated lard until a brown crust forms, add onions, tomatoes, simmer a little, then add the rest of the vegetables, mix, salt, season with garlic and other spices. Add 1.5 cups of broth in which the noodles were cooked and simmer over very low heat for 30 minutes. Connecting noodles to waji. Dip the finished noodles into boiling water for a moment (or put it in a colander for 1-2 minutes), drain it and place the noodles in deep plates so that there is a layer of noodles at the bottom, then a layer of wadji, then again a layer of noodles and pour the rest of the wadji on top . Then sprinkle with cilantro, finely chopped garlic and red pepper to taste. VEGETABLE DISHES There are almost no completely pure vegetable dishes in Uzbek cuisine. As an exception, only pumpkin, corn on the cob and a mixture of vegetables called cook-byiron are prepared and eaten separately from meat and cereals. The pumpkin is cut into large cubes, deep-fried until a crust forms, and then simmered with a small amount of boiling water and sour cream for 10-15 minutes over low heat. Corn on the cob of milky-waxy ripeness is fried on skewers over coals. Uzbeks rightly believe that baking corn in ash, which occurs among other nations, greatly deteriorates the taste of the product. Therefore, they prefer to fry it over coals, after which they plunge it into salted boiling water and pour it over with butter. Kuk-biyron is the most specific Uzbek vegetable dish, serving as a side dish, as a filling for pies, and as an independent dish. This is a combination of different greens stewed in oil or lamb fat. COOK-BIYRON Ingredients: 1 kg of greens, 150-200 g of fat tail or oil, 150 g of onion, 100 g of mint, 1 egg, 1-2 teaspoons of ground black pepper. Preparation The greens contain equal parts of 5 components: sorrel, spinach, purslane, shepherd's purse, young shoots of alfalfa. They need to be finely chopped, mixed with finely chopped spices (onion, mint, pepper), salt, beat in an egg, mix thoroughly again and pour into overheated fat tail fat. Simmer until tender over low heat, and then let stand for another 10 minutes. Instead of fat tail fat, you can use vegetable oil and add melted greaves separately. FLOUR PRODUCTS Uzbek cuisine uses unleavened and yeast dough, and more often the former. But most products baked in a tandoor are made from yeast dough. Both unleavened and yeast dough are used in two types - simple and rich. In order not to load each recipe with a repetition of the method of preparing the dough, we first place the characteristics of the specified types of dough, where the main components are given. However, in addition to these main components, very often (and this is typical for Uzbek cuisine) finely chopped onions, onion juice, grated pumpkin, crushed cracklings or minced meat are mixed into the dough, regardless of its type (this is indicated additionally in the recipes). SIMPLE FRESH DOUGH Ingredients: Main components: flour, warm water, salt. Norms: for 1 kg of flour - 2 glasses of water, 2 teaspoons of salt. Preparation Kneading procedure. Knead the dough in a cup, bowl (porcelain, clay, enamel), and not on a board. Dissolve salt in water, then gradually add flour and water and mix evenly. After this, knead the dough several times on the board, roll into a ball, wrap in a napkin and let rest for 15-20 minutes. FRESH BUTTER DOUGH Ingredients: Main components: flour, milk, eggs, butter (melted, vegetable, but most often rendered lamb lard), salt. Norms: for 1 kg of flour - 2 glasses of milk, 1 egg, 1 tbsp. spoon of oil, 2 teaspoons of salt. Replacement rates: 2 glasses of milk or 500 g of sour cream, or 300 g of butter (in this case, add 1 teaspoon of salt to the dough). Preparation Kneading procedure: beat the egg, pour into the milk, combine with butter and this mixture is mixed in parts (like water) in a cup with flour. KATYRMA Ingredients: Standard unleavened dough (see above), 4 onions, 1 cup lamb lard cracklings. Preparation: Mix the dough from the indicated ingredients, cut it into 200 g pieces and roll them into round cakes 1 cm thick, which are fried on both sides, applying to the hot walls of the boiler without greasing. KATLAMA Ingredients: Standard of simple unleavened dough (see above), 2 cups of butter or melted fat tail fat, 1.5 cups of sour cream, 3 onions, 0.5-1 cup of oil for frying. Preparation: Divide a portion of the simple dough into four pieces, roll each piece as thin as possible (1 mm or even thinner!), trying to use less flour for adding. Grease the rolled out sheet of dough with melted butter or lamb lard, then roll it onto a thin rolling pin, cut along the rolling pin with a knife, remove and once again cut long strips of dough so that they are as narrow as possible (no wider than 1.5 cm), grease with sour cream or melted butter and sprinkle with finely chopped onion, and then roll each strip into a circle, like a tape, more tightly, and roll each circle into a cake 1 cm thick. Fry these cakes on both sides in a cauldron greased with oil. YUPKA Ingredients: Standard unleavened dough (see above), 300 g minced meat, 2 onions, 6 black peppercorns, 1 tbsp. spoon of ghee. Preparation Prepare minced meat: mix meat, onion, pepper, fry in oil. Prepare the dough, cut it into pieces of 60 g, roll into very thin flat cakes. Fry in a cauldron with a spherical bottom as follows: 1. Grease a hot cauldron with oil, place one flat cake in it, fry it on both sides, remove. 2. Place the second flatbread, fry it on one side, turn it over, put a thin layer of prepared minced meat on the fried side, cover with the first flatbread, put the minced meat on top again, cover it with a raw flatbread and turn the whole yupka together with it so that the raw dough is on top. at the bottom of the cauldron, and the fried cake was again at the top. 3. Place a layer of minced meat on this fried flatbread again and cover it again with a raw flatbread, turn it over again and do this 10-12 times. Bake over very low heat, greasing the pot all the time. Grease the top of the finished yupka with oil, place in a deep bowl or pan, cover with a napkin for 10 minutes. PATIRCHA Patyrcha is made from semi-baked unleavened dough, the composition of which deviates slightly from the norm. Ingredients: For the dough: 1 kg of flour, 1 glass of hot water, 0.5 cups of butter, 2 teaspoons of salt. For lubrication: 1 cup lamb fat or 1.5 cups sour cream. Preparation Roll out the dough into a layer 0.5 cm thick, grease its surface with lamb fat or sour cream, roll it into a roll, and twist the roll into a rope (with a screw), cut into pieces of 250-300 g and roll them out into round flat cakes (the thickness of the middle of them 1 cm, welt thickness at the edges - 2 cm). Prick the middle thickly with a fork, grease lightly with sour cream and bake on a sheet in the oven (although patyrcha is usually baked in a tandoor). SAMSA (FROM UNFRESH DOUGH) Samsa - filled pies. You can vary both the composition of the filling and the method of processing the dough. The composition of the dough, as well as the baking method, remain the same for all types of samsa. The dough is ordinary unleavened dough (standard - see above), the baking method is frying in hot vegetable oil, which requires from 300 to 500 g for the specified amount of dough. Rolling out the dough. The most common type of rolling out the dough is this: it is divided into pieces of 50 g, balls are made from them and each ball is rolled out separately up to 1 mm thick, after which the filling is put in, pinched in the shape of a crescent and deep-fried. This is how samsa with onions and samsa with herbs are prepared. At the same time, a more complex method of processing the dough is used. It is rolled out very thin - up to half a millimeter, or thinner than paper, in a large sheet at once, after which it is thickly greased with melted butter or butter, rolled onto a thin rolling pin and cut along the rolling pin so that wide strips are obtained, lying on top of each other in several layers. These layers are cut into rectangles of 6x8 cm or other (even smaller) sizes, the middle of each rectangle is rolled out even thinner with a small rolling pin, minced meat is placed on it, folded in half and pinched slightly deeper than the edges so that the edges of the samsa remain stratified, like notebook leaves. This is how Varaki prepares samsa stuffed with minced meat. Filling. For the meat filling, use meat minced, mixed with onion, salt, red and black pepper, mint or azhgon (cumin), fried in oil. For 500 g of meat, take 250 g of onion (or a little more), 2 teaspoons of red and black pepper, 4 teaspoons of mint or cumin. For the onion filling, use a mixture of chopped onions and green onions (a tenth or a fifth of the weight of the onions), eggs, black pepper and salt. For the green filling, use the mixture of greens given in the cook-biyron recipe (see above). Roasting. In a casserole with a capacity of 3 liters you can fry 6-7 pies at once. Frying time is approximately 1 minute (the dough should turn pale yellow). SIMPLE YEAST DOUGH Ingredients: Main components: flour, yeast, warm water, salt. Norms: for 1 kg of flour - 25-50 g of yeast, 2 glasses of water, 2 teaspoons of salt. Preparation: Kneading procedure: dissolve yeast in 0.5 cups of water in a clay or enamel bowl, add another 0.5 cups of salted water and then gradually add flour and the rest of the water; Roll the dough into a ball, cover with a napkin and leave for 1 hour in a warm place. YEAST DOUGH Ingredients: Main components: flour, yeast, warm milk, butter, sometimes eggs, salt. Norms: for 1 kg of flour - 40-45 g of yeast. 1.75-2 glasses of milk, 4 tbsp. tablespoons of melted butter (butter, vegetable, most often lamb fat), 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of salt. However, eggs are used extremely rarely in Uzbek dough. If milk or eggs are not used, then the proportion of butter is increased and oxen is partially or completely introduced for kneading instead of milk. Preparation Procedure for kneading: in Uzbek cuisine, as a rule, a straight kneading method is used, that is, all components are kneaded at once, in one step, like a simple butter dough. Only the beaten egg (if the recipe calls for it) is added a little after the milk. The butter dough is left to stand, just like simple yeast dough, 1 hour. CHALPAK Ingredients: Simple yeast dough (see above), 30 g of yeast. Preparation Divide the dough into pieces of 50-60 g, make balls out of them, roll them into thin flat cakes 3-4 mm thick, leave under a napkin for 15 minutes and then bake in a cauldron or cauldron greased with vegetable oil, frying on both sides. KUMAC Ingredients: Simple yeast dough (see above), flour - half wheat and half corn, 50 g of yeast. Preparation Prepare like chalpak (see above). GUSHTLI-NONI Ingredients: Simple yeast dough (see above), dressing - minced meat with red pepper and salt (200 g of meat per 1 kg of flour), 40 g of yeast. Preparation Roll out the dough into a large cake 2 cm thick, cover it with an even layer of minced meat, roll it into a tube, twist the tube into a screw-shaped rope so that the minced meat mixes well with the dough, cut the rope into pieces of 100-200 g and make round cakes no thicker from them 0.5 cm, prick thickly in the middle. They are usually baked in a tandoor, but you can also bake them on a greased sheet in the oven. SAMSA (FROM YEAST DOUGH) Ingredients: Simple yeast dough (see above), 50 g of yeast. Fillings: cook biyron (see above), onion, boiled peas with onions and peppers, pumpkin (for 1.5 kg of pumpkin - 0.5 kg of onion. 2 teaspoons of red pepper, salt). Pumpkin juice (use for kneading dough instead of water). Preparation Divide the dough into balls the size of a walnut and roll into flat cakes 1 mm thick. Add the filling. Bake in tandoor or oven for 20-25 minutes. KULCHA Ingredients: Butter yeast dough made from 1 glass of milk, 1 glass of butter, 35 g of yeast. Preparation Cut the risen dough into pieces of 80-100 g, roll into flat cakes, prick, cover with a napkin and leave for 25 minutes, then bake in a tandoor or oven (grease a baking tray). Kulcha burns quickly, so you need to keep an eye on it while baking and adjust the heat. TOVA-BALISH Ingredients: Semi-yeast dough made with water from 1.5 cups of water, 0.5 cups of butter, 35 g of yeast, filling - minced meat (see fillings for samsa). Preparation: Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Roll each into a layer the size of a large flat plate 3-4 mm thick. Place the filling on one layer, cover with the other, and pinch the edges. Place tova-balish, moistened with water, on a greased frying pan, cover with another frying pan on top, cover with hot coals and ash and bake for about 1 hour. PATIR Ingredients: 1 kg of flour, 2 glasses of milk, 150 g of fat tail fat, 40 g of yeast, 2 teaspoons salt. Preparation Patyr is the most typical type of flatbread for the Uzbek table, made from rich yeast dough. A MODERN VARIANT OF PATIR (FOR CITY Dwellers) Ingredients: 1 kg of flour, 1.5-2 cups of sunflower oil, 40-50 g of yeast, 1-0.75 cups of milk powder, 2 teaspoons of salt. Preparation Patyr is made in large sizes (larger in diameter than a soup plate) and baked only in a tandoor, and kept there longer than other types of flatbreads made from yeast dough, baking at moderate heat, for which the coals in the tandoor are collected in the middle in a heap and sprinkled thickly with ash. Patyrs of small sizes - smaller than a tea saucer - can be baked on a greased sheet in the oven, also over moderate heat, but only after heating the oven thoroughly. Patyrs of the modern version work especially well in the oven. Then put more yeast in the dough than in tandoor patyr. - 50 g. For tandoor patyr, after kneading and standing, the dough is cut into pieces of 300-500 g, from which flat cakes are rolled out 1 cm thick in the middle, 2-3 cm at the edges. For patyr baked in the oven, the flatbreads should be about 4 times less in weight and half as thin. To obtain the characteristic shape of the patyr, you can press it in the middle with a masher or the back of a glass and be sure to prick the pressed part with a fork or a special tattoo (chekich). The prepared cakes are kept under a napkin for 15-20 minutes, after which they are baked. Baking patyr in the oven takes approximately 20 minutes. DAIRY PRODUCTS Dairy products in Uzbek cuisine are overwhelmingly similar to dairy products of other Turkic-speaking peoples of our country. Such products, which mainly act as semi-finished products, are katyk, kaymak, suzma and kurt. For their preparation, see in this section on the page “Main dairy products of the peoples of Central Asia”. Only such dairy products as chivot and pishlok are specific to Uzbek cuisine. CHIVOT Ingredients: 5 liters of katyk, 500 g of dill, 100 g of salt. Cooking Chivot is katyk. fermented with dill without air access. To prepare it, you need a clay pot, thoroughly washed and dried in the sun. Mix katyk with finely chopped dill and salt, pour into the jar almost to the top (without reaching its edge by 1-2 fingers), then close the neck of the jar with a wooden circle 1.5-2 cm thick and fill with sealing wax, place the jar in the sun and soak this is about three months (usually from mid-August to early November). In the central zone of the European part of the USSR, it is better to ferment chivot from July to September - October (and on cloudy days and at night, place it in a warm room). PISHLOK Pishlok is an Uzbek cottage cheese prepared in a special way, giving the product a unique taste. Boil katyk or even ordinary yogurt, separate the whey from the flakes, allowing the liquid to drain well, and place the resulting clot in a porcelain or enamel bowl, thickly greased with butter, level the surface, add moderate salt and, without stirring, place it in the open to dry in a draft (cover from dust only with gauze) for a day. After this, mix the cottage cheese, put it in a linen bag, tie it tightly and place it under a press for another day. The resulting pishlok is eaten by lightly frying it in melted butter. PICKLES AND SEASONINGS Pickles are almost never used in Uzbek cuisine. The exception is the national snack made from salted and pickled wild onions - piez-ansur, which grows in the mountainous regions of Samarkand and Surkhandarya regions. This onion is consumed only in salted and pickled form. Regular onions can be prepared in the same way, although they will not taste as good as real piez ansur. Seasonings are more common in Uzbek cuisine, especially losizhan (garlic-based) and guraob (grape-based). Lozian is used for soups and flour dishes; guraob - for meat. SALTED-PICKLED ONIONS Ingredients: 1 kg of small onions, 1 liter of 3-4% vinegar, 1.5 kg of salt (100 g of salt per 1 liter of water 15 times). Preparation Peel the onion with a bone or wooden knife, place in a glass or ceramic bowl, pour in a 10% salt solution so as to completely cover the onion. After 3 days, change the brine and do this 15 times over 45 days. Then pour grape vinegar on the onion (or ordinary vinegar pre-infused with basil, or vinegar prepared from dry wine and vinegar essence - 1 tablespoon of vinegar essence per 0.5 liter of wine) and leave for 4 days. During this time, the onion will turn white, if it has darkened before, acquire the desired strength and taste, after which it will be ready for use. No later than 10 days after storage in vinegar, it should be drained and the onions should be refilled with a fresh 10% saline solution, or even better, a 15% solution. The longer the onion is stored, the tastier it will be. Storing cooked onions is possible at room temperature, in a glass container covered with gauze, but in no case with a tight lid. LOSIGAN Ingredients: 200 g garlic, 50 g sunflower oil, 10 g red pepper. Preparation: Crush the peeled garlic, add it to pre-heated oil, but then cool it to 50°C, and simmer lightly over very low heat so that the garlic releases all its juice into the oil, but does not burn. Then add ground pepper, move and store in a hermetically sealed glass container. GURAOB Ingredients: For 1 liter of grape juice - 50 g of salt. Preparation Wash whole clusters of unripe lady fingers grapes and pass through a meat grinder. Strain the resulting mass through four-fold gauze into an enamel or glass bowl, add salt, stir, close the lid and leave for a day. The next day, pour into completely dry bottles, seal them tightly with a cork and fill them with sealing wax, and then hang them on a sunny wall. When the guraob turns red after 3-4 months, it will be ready to eat. SWEETS OF KIYOMA Kiyoma is a kind of jam made from both fruits and some vegetables (primarily carrots and pumpkin), or from a combination of fruits and vegetables (for example, quince with carrots). It is typical that for kiyams the same amount of water is taken as sugar, and sometimes more by weight than sugar, and fruits or vegetables make up only a quarter of the composition of the kiyam. Most often, fruits or vegetables are taken exactly half as much as sugar, while for jam the usual ratio of sugar to fruit is 1:1. Therefore, in fruit kiems, the syrup that has the color and smell of fruit dominates, but there are few fruits themselves, often they are absent altogether, since they are often caught from the finished kiem and used as a filling in sweet pies. This is why kiyema is sometimes called liquid jam. But this name is incorrect, since the density of sugar syrup in kiems after cooking should be approximately the same as that of jam, and in vegetable kiems, in which chopped vegetables make up the bulk, it is even denser than jam. Kiems are cooked in one step, without interruption, and over low heat, especially for vegetable kiems. Spices must be added to kiemas - most often vanillin and saffron or zest, and in some cases citric acid. Particularly specific are the amber cue and the cue made from green, unripe apricots. It is almost impossible to meet them outside of Uzbekistan. Other kiemas - carrot, pumpkin, lemon, cherry plum, apple - are nothing unusual. The readiness of kiems, like jam, is determined by the state of the syrup and fruit. The syrup should be of moderate density and viscousness, but not watery. Fruits and vegetables in a well-cooked keem should be evenly distributed in the syrup and be transparent. AMBER KIYOM Ingredients: 1 kg of amber manna*, 250 g of carrots, 1 quince, 2 glasses of water, saffron on the tip of a knife. * Amber, or Persian, manna is a yellowish liquid that appears on hot days at the end of summer (late August - early September) on the stems and leaves of the Persian camel thorn and hardens in the evening into small grains resembling grains. Yantak is collected by hitting the thick stems of a bush with a stick, under which a tablecloth has been previously laid out, and manna is poured onto it. Then the manna is cleaned of debris and boiled until it melts. Preparation Boil carrots and quinces separately, cut into small strips, pour amber syrup over them and continue cooking until the carrots are evenly distributed in the syrup. 1-2 minutes before readiness, add saffron. PRIMEN KIYOM Ingredients: 1 kg of apricots, 2 kg of sugar, 8 glasses of water, 1 teaspoon of vanillin. Preparation: Prick completely unripe, green apricots, in which the pit has not yet hardened, with a fork on all sides and, putting them in a gauze bag, immerse them in boiling water for 5 minutes, and then immediately rinse with cold water and dip in sugar syrup; cook until tender, skimming off the foam. After finishing cooking, add vanillin to the hot cue, stir and let cool, covering the dishes with a linen blanket. PUMPKIN KIYOM Ingredients: 1 kg pumpkin, 2.4 kg sugar, 2 liters of water, 2 lemons, 1 pinch of saffron. Preparation: Grate the pumpkin on a coarse grater and place in boiling sugar syrup. Cook, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon or stick. Add lemon juice and saffron to the prepared cue and stir. BEKMES Bekmes is condensed juice of fruits, berries and vegetables, prepared in two ways: heating over a fire and evaporating in the sun (the latter method produces more aromatic, healthier bekmes, but is only possible in the climatic conditions of Central Asia and similar ones). Bekmes are prepared without adding sugar - this is their most characteristic feature and this is how they are fundamentally different from kiems. For bekmes, the ripest, most often overripe, fruits and berries are selected, from which the juice is squeezed, which is then subjected to a special treatment before cooking - condensation. To do this, first bring the juice to a boil, without, however, allowing it to boil, after which crushed baked white clay or oak ash is added to it (for 1 liter of juice - 30 g of clay) and stirred continuously until the formation of foam stops and it is completely lightened and transparent. juice Then the juice and clay are left to sit for 10-12 hours and filtered through thin cotton cloth or a double or triple layer of gauze. Cook it over medium (at first even high) heat in a wide bowl, constantly stirring with a wooden stick until it thickens, which usually coincides with the juice evaporating by half its volume. Bekmes is ready if a drop poured onto a porcelain saucer does not spread and retains its shape. The thickness of well-cooked bekmes resembles young honey. This is how grape, melon, watermelon, and mulberry bekmes are prepared - the most common in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. NUTS AND NUT-FRUIT MIXTURES Nuts in Uzbekistan are widely consumed as a snack, dessert and intermediate dish. Favorite nuts are pistachios, sweet almonds and apricot kernels, i.e. local varieties of nuts. At the same time, in Uzbek cuisine, peas are often processed “as nuts” - they are fried in a special way and consumed either separately or in combination with raisins as a sweet. The processing of each type of nut has its own differences. FRIED PISTACHIOS Heat the pistachios in a cauldron over low heat, mixing with dried, crushed and sifted mountain loam - gulvata, taken by volume to one third of the mass of pistachios. To ensure even frying, the pistachios should be stirred all the time with a wooden spoon until the kernels begin to crunch. Then pour them onto a baking sheet or plywood along with the gulvata and let cool. Roasted salted almonds or apricot kernels Place peeled kernels in salted water (for 1 liter of water - 1 tablespoon of salt on top) for 3-4 days, then dry in the sun and fry in a cauldron or cauldron along with dry river (fine) sand and a little salt, stirring constantly. Allow to cool on the board along with the sand. SALTED APRICOT KERNELS Pour apricot seeds with plenty of cold water for 6-7 days, then carefully prick them so that the kernel is visible, but the shell does not fall apart, pour salted boiling water over them (200 g of salt per 1 liter), leaving them in the salted water for 3-4 days. After this, remove the kernels, dry them and fry them in a frying pan or in a cauldron along with sifted wood ash. ALMOND OR ARMEN KERNEL WITH RAISINS Scald the kernels with boiling water and remove the top brown skin from them, dry a little in a cauldron or on a sheet in the oven. Then mix with washed raisins in a 1:1 ratio, if desired, pass through a meat grinder. YANCHMISH Prepared nuts (peeled and calcined), taken in equal parts with washed raisins, crush in a mortar or mince together with corn oatmeal, constituting a tenth of the weight of the mixture (100 g oatmeal per 500 g raisins and 500 g nuts) and add any fruit essence (at the rate of 30-40 drops per 1 kg of mixture), mix into sticky dough, make balls the size of a walnut and roll in powdered sugar. ASHTAK-PASHTAK Carefully split fresh apricots with fleshy pulp without tearing them completely, remove the pits, remove the kernels from them and put them back into the apricots, which are covered and spread out to dry in the sun. HALVA-LIKE SWEETS Halva-like sweets only in appearance and name resemble fake halva. The binding component in halva-like sweets is sugar or honey in combination with flour. A variety of tastes is achieved by adding nuts or dairy products (milk, sour cream). HALVAITAR Ingredients: 100 g of lamb fat or ghee, 100 g of nut kernels, 1 glass of flour, 1 glass of granulated sugar, 1-3 glasses of water, 0.25 teaspoons of vanillin. Preparation HALVAITAR IS A LIQUID HALVA-LIKE MIXTURE In different regions of Uzbekistan it is made of different consistencies, diluted with different amounts of water, but within the limits indicated above. First, heat the fat or oil, cool it, pour flour into it and, stirring, put it back on the fire, carefully heating until the flour acquires a brownish tint (but does not burn!). After this, pour in the sugar diluted in boiling water and simmer over low heat, stirring all the time, until the consistency of sour cream or viscous clay. Shortly before it is ready, add nuts to the halvaitar, and after it is ready, add vanillin. Serve halwaitar in bowls and eat it hot with tea. BOOKMAN Ingredients: 1 liter of milk, 0.5 cups of wheat flour or corn oatmeal, 1 cup of crushed grape sugar navat, 1-2 tbsp. spoons of butter or ghee. Preparation Fry the flour in oil as indicated in the Halwaitar recipe. Dissolve sugar in boiling milk, combine sweet milk with fried flour, carefully pouring in milk, and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring. Boukman is eaten when it has completely cooled down. BOLKAYMOK Ingredients: 2 cups sour cream, 0.5 cups honey, 1 tbsp. spoon of flour. Preparation Pour sour cream into a saucepan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring. When the oil floats to the surface, mix with honey previously brought to a boil (in another container) and beat thoroughly, adding flour little by little to make the mass thicker and more viscous. You should try to beat the bolkaimok as quickly as possible so that the mass does not have time to cool down while whipping. Bolkaimok is eaten hot. >

Plov, one of the most common dishes in the Middle East, has received its greatest development in Uzbekistan. The classic Central Asian technology for preparing pilaf has been created here, the number of types of which reaches several dozen.
The main types include pilafs, which received their names from the historical and geographical provinces or even states where they originated. They have technological differences. These are Fergana, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khorezm. In addition, there are pilafs, the composition of which varies depending on the purpose (simple, festive, wedding, summer, winter). A number of pilafs differ, finally, in that they contain different leading meats. After all, lamb is not always used in pilaf; in Uzbekistan, it is often replaced with kazy (horse sausage), postdumba (fat tail casing), quail, pheasant, and chicken. Uzbek pilafs do not always include rice. Sometimes it makes up only part of the pilaf, and sometimes it is completely replaced by wheat, peas or mung bean.
But for the vast majority of pilafs, a classic set of products is typical: lamb, rice, carrots, raisins or apricots and a mixture of three spices - red pepper, barberry and azhgon (cumin).

Cooking real Uzbek pilaf consists of three operations: 1) heat the oil; 2) preparing zirvak; 3) adding rice and bringing the pilaf to readiness.

Overheating oil. The oil should be heated in a metal (preferably cast iron, but in no case enameled) container with a thick, oval rounded bottom - in a cauldron, cauldron or saucepan similar to them. First of all, this dish must be heated, then pour oil into it and heat it over moderate heat or even low heat (the fire should not touch the bottom of the dish) so that it does not boil externally. The degree of readiness of the oil (its overheating) can be determined by the strong crackling or rebounding of coarse salt thrown into it or the release of a whitish haze. Oil is usually poured onto the bottom of the cauldron in a layer of 1 to 3 cm, depending on the number of products being added.
Most often, a combination of vegetable oils (cottonseed, flaxseed, sunflower, sesame, nut) with animal fats (horse, goat, lamb, beef, poultry lard and bone fat) is used. Sometimes only vegetable oils are used - sunflower, sesame, which give the pilaf a pleasant taste. Butter and ghee cannot be heated.

Preparing zirvak. Place in overheated oil in the following order, unless otherwise specified in the recipe: meat, cut into small or large pieces, onions, cut into cubes or thick rings, carrots, most often cut into strips (less often into cubes). Carrots in pilaf are always half as much as rice (by weight) and about the same amount as meat. Deviations from these norms in certain types of pilaf are extremely insignificant.
Each of the three main components of zirvak is refried sequentially so that all products retain their characteristic appearance and color. At the beginning of cooking zirvak, the heat is increased, and towards the middle and towards the end of cooking it is reduced. Products should not stick to the walls and bottom of the cauldron. Spices are added to the prepared zirvak, i.e. after about 20-30 minutes. This is usually a mixture of three spices (red pepper, azhgon, barberry), taken in equal parts, prepared in advance. The mixture of spices is poured into pilaf at the rate of 1 - 1.5 teaspoons (with top) of the mixture per 500 g of rice.
Then the zirvak is salted and poured with a small amount of water at the rate of a quarter or half a glass for every 500 g of rice. In some types of pilaf, water may not be added to the zirvak at all, especially in cases where small portions are prepared and there is quite a lot of oil in the zirvak.

Adding rice and bringing the pilaf to readiness. The prepared zirvak is leveled, the heat is reduced further and rice is poured into an even layer, which is lightly crushed with a slotted spoon or spoon, but in no case mixed with the zirvak. The compacted surface of the rice is then carefully poured with water, making sure that it does not destroy the layer of rice. To do this, use the following technique: place a saucer on the rice and pour water onto it, which evenly flows onto the rice from the edges of the saucer. Then the saucer is carefully removed from the cauldron using a cord previously tied to it. The rice should be covered with water with a layer of 1 - 1.5 cm. If the rice is very dry and hard, add a little more water than usual. Then the fire is increased, but making sure that the pilaf boils evenly. The water on top of the rice is seasoned with salt and sometimes spices are added to it, primarily turmeric, which in this case gradually and evenly colors the rice a golden-lemon color. While boiling, the pilaf is not covered with a lid, but when the water has completely evaporated, it is covered very tightly with a plate or saucer. Before this, to make sure that the pilaf is ready, the surface of the rice is struck several times flat with a slotted spoon, which should be followed by a dull sound. In addition, it is noticeable that the rice becomes loose. Then the pilaf is pierced in several places with a wooden stick, then the surface of the rice is smoothed with a slotted spoon, without mixing it with zirvak, and covered with a plate for 15-20 minutes so that the pilaf rests.
Only after this, carefully remove the plate, trying to prevent drops of water from falling into the pilaf, mix it evenly and serve it to the table.
Sometimes the pilaf is not mixed, but laid out on a dish in layers in the reverse order compared to the filling, i.e. first rice, then zirvak - onions and carrots and, finally, meat. [ 1 ]

So, let's prepare the simplest version of pilaf

FERGANA PILAV

INGREDIENTS:
500 g rice
250 g lamb
250 g carrots
125 g fat (butter)
3 onions
1 - 1.5 tsp spicy mixture

COOKING METHOD:
Reheat the oil.
Cut the meat into zirvak into small cubes and fry along with the onion. Add carrots, cut into strips, later. Cook for 20-30 minutes. Add spices.
The prepared zirvak is leveled, the heat is reduced further and rice is poured into an even layer, which is lightly crushed with a slotted spoon or spoon, but in no case mixed with the zirvak.
After adding rice, you can add another ½ tsp. spicy mixture. The compacted surface of the rice is then carefully poured with water, making sure that it does not destroy the layer of rice.
The rice should be covered with water with a layer of 1 - 1.5 cm. Let the rice boil without a lid. When the rice is ready, cover it with a plate for 15-20 minutes so that the pilaf rests.

____________
[ 1 ] from the Great Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts. All recipes by V.V. Pokhlebkina. - M.: ZAO Tsentrpoligraf, 2007. - 975 p. ISBN 5-9524-0274-7

Having finally turned off the chameleon mode on the suit, I left the bike next to a suspicious dark alley and trotted towards the nearest city park. Not the best choice, but I simply need rest, and there will definitely be a spreading tree in the fork of which a small, modest “clone” can spend the night.

At dawn, I crawled with difficulty along the trunk of some spreading giant and smoothed my disheveled hair with my fingers. I felt simply disgusting. The effect of the stimulants had worn off, weakness set in, and my stomach was howling pitifully, asking for something to eat. Considering that the last time I dined was still at the estate, you can understand him. I looked thoughtfully at my bracelet - no one had taken the crystal out for non-cash payments. And it’s unlikely that the lord would be flattered by the couple of hundred credits that I carried around with me to pay for all sorts of pleasant little things. Let's check it out! Having quickly reached the entrance to the park, she found a machine with all sorts of small things and pressed the bracelet to the payment plate, voicing an order for a couple of energy bars and a can of juice.

With a quiet rustle, the machine dispensed my breakfast. We're alive!

Having settled down in a small gazebo covered with flowers in the depths of the park, I calmly ate and climbed into the net. We need to plan what to do next. Oddly enough, most likely there will be no problems with money. Thanks to the contract with the Tarians, I had my own account in the galactic bank, where my share of the profits was transferred. There was also a small, but constant income from the portal. Over the past year, I have not spent anything trying to raise money for the operation, so I have accumulated a decent amount. To gain access to your finances, all you need to do is come to the bank and undergo a full scan. In the same way, by the way, on any planet you can get a copy of documents and exam results.

But what to do next? Sneaking onto some ship as a hare is fraught with danger. Only after becoming better acquainted with this world did I realize how incredibly lucky I was with Daren at one time. Apparently, fate is saving it for something! You can, of course, try to fly off the planet completely officially on the nearest ship, but it’s hard to believe that a lonely ten-year-old child won’t attract attention and raise questions. However, the same problem will arise when trying to rent a hotel room or rent some other housing. Hire someone to accompany you? No matter how I make a mistake, there is no one here to cover me. If only one of “grandfather” Faber’s friends can help. But let's leave this option as a last resort.

No matter how you look at it, you can’t live on pasture in the park or, excuse me, in the surrounding forests. This is not serious.

So it looks like I'm just looking at the problem from the wrong angle. Where is the best place to hide? And the answer is obvious. Among other children! Where can I find them? Yes, in the nearest boarding school! The new school year is just beginning. This is the perfect way out. They may be surprised at the child who came on his own and brought all the documents, but I think I can pretend to be such an independent and self-sufficient comrade.

The idea is good, especially considering that there are only a few days left before the start of the next school year. But for now, perhaps, there is no need to rush. And you need to consult with your friends. In the meantime, I’ll go to the bank, it should just open.

Bank branches, to my displeasure, were located on the main streets. At any other time, I would happily stroll through them, admiring the architecture of the Old Town or the fantastic high-rise buildings of the new districts. But now I really didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention to myself. There's just no choice. I think it's time. Sighing, she unfastened the breeches and put the horns in the pouch on her belt. I long ago figured out how to remove this jewelry from myself, but I didn’t see the point in it. It's stupid to deprive yourself of an additional advantage. Without horns, I suddenly felt defenseless and vulnerable. There is still no choice. Having smoothed her hair and making sure that there were no twigs and leaves tangled there, she walked out of the park onto the street and placed an order for a taxi. Now I don’t have any special features left - I cut off my long hair, took off the atypical “kaires”, a simple black jumpsuit did not attract attention, while at the same time covering the slave collar with a high neck. In general, a completely ordinary, unremarkable boy.

Having poured a couple of thousand credits into the crystal on the bracelet, I requested an account statement and rented a small cell. It is stupid to remove the horns from your forehead in order to carry them with you “in your pocket.” Let them lie in the bank. Although I parted with them almost with tears in my eyes.

At the hardware store next door, I picked out a simple, inexpensive cyres made of matte black metal, which completely covered the red marks left on my forehead from attaching the stun guns. Already on the way out, my throat was engulfed in a fiery streak. Blindly groping for another portion of the vaccine in my pouch, I injected the antidote into my neck with trembling hands and tried to leave the main street as quickly as possible. It looks like the body of Lord Al Kress has already been found. They did it quickly. Now we need to follow the news more carefully. Oh, where is Payne now with his ability to catch the slightest nuances from seemingly completely ordinary messages!

Having reached the nearest automatic cafe, I placed an order for a standard breakfast and sat down at a corner table. Fortunately, it was still too early, so there were almost no people on the streets. In the cafe, besides me, the only one sitting was a tired man in a gray uniform of the city service - obviously he had just gotten off the night shift. A good place to examine the collar without distraction. Using the sia-ten, I tried to scan my necklace and did not feel any response. Energetically, the narrow metallized strip felt...dead? It seems that after injecting poison, the collar fulfilled its function and turned off. This means that the people who gave the order are sure that I died. Very good! She jerked the now completely safe silver “velvet jacket” from her neck and lowered it into the black mouth of the disposal.

Half an hour later, I contacted the portal using a new “Cyres”. “Grandfather” Faber promised to shake up the old days and arrange a cheerful life for the lord’s heirs. Still, insider information about the sudden death of Al Kress opened up many interesting financial prospects.

Mentor Tash informed me that a certain amount had been transferred to my account for warning about a planned crime on Grainne. And he assured me once again that Daren would not be harmed.

There were still no messages from Payne - apparently, my father’s unexpected “companions” continue to control the virtual. Well, they can be understood - the artificial intelligence controlling the ship could at any moment block the doors in the cabin or, conversely, unlock the airlock. I hope Payne and Daren are okay.

My idea - to hide in one of the local educational institutions - was unexpectedly supported by “grandfather” Faber. As it turned out, he had some contacts, and he even sent a couple of students to the Tariu-Loss cadet corps. It's a pity that I don't qualify by age. But he finds out that perhaps there is an option for an eleven-year-old child. The misunderstanding was resolved quickly: they were accepted into the corps after passing exams for the average minimum. That is, the standard is fifteen years.

I proudly lifted my nose and sent my own certificate with the highest scores for review. My interlocutor was sincerely happy - this solved most of the issues. Now no one will even be surprised that someone is patronizing a smart child who has no special connections. So Faber Far-Therin will make an agreement and I will be accepted for the exams. True, there will be no concessions - everything will have to be handed over for real. He will send an application on my behalf right now, so that today you can start answering the entrance exam questions. According to him, you shouldn’t stay at a hotel either; it’s better to go straight to the specified address. You just need to take all the documents with you. “Grandfather” Faber takes care of the payment and other small details.

An hour later, I was sitting on a wide stone curb near the closed gates of the cadet corps and, squinting into the sun, thinking. So much has happened over the past 24 hours that I did not have time to react to events in time. They were going to torture me. I killed a man. They tried to kill me. I survived. Perhaps only the last point was really important. I survived, but my enemy died! And it’s stupid to reflect on this.

Very soon a new, probably no less interesting period of my life will begin. And in just a month, Daren will get to Grain and will definitely contact me. After all, he simply cannot die, I’m waiting for him! In the meantime, I will study. I always liked it...

Notes

1

GlavVred is short for Main Harm. The second affectionate nickname of the Ghoul, given by his beloved subordinates.

2

A large, bright ring with a large gemstone or several (almost the size of the entire phalanx). Usually, apart from this, no other rings are worn.

3

Slang term for the Forces of Law and Order. This power structure is similar to the earthly Interpol.

4

Glamor is initially a comic name, and then a common name for the nanofilm used in the Federation instead of an artificial atmosphere. It can contain both a person (used similarly to our spacesuit) and entire asteroids. The nanofilm has shape memory (like almost any Tarian invention) and, having the ability to stretch in any given direction, as a result returns to its previous parameters.

5

In this case, Zhenya and Daren did not understand each other. Daren meant that “cuckolds” are the name given to jealous and quarrelsome spouses, hinting at the rut and spring fights of horned males. And the history of “cuckolds” on Earth began with the Byzantine emperor Andronikos Komnenos (1183–1185), who allowed the husbands of his mistresses to hunt in his menagerie. Those who had such an advantage displayed deer antlers on the gates, for which their owners were dubbed “cuckolds.”