The Real chaykhana pilaf | detailed recipe |

Today I am cookin a chaykhana pilaf. They say that this is a "purely male dish". Perhaps due to the fact that most women do not really like the taste of melted lamb fat in pilaf. Since we cook chaykhana pilaf only on lamb fat, without the use of vegetable oil. Read the detailed step-by-step recipe below.
Ingredients for teahouse pilaf per 1 kg of rice (for 7-8 persons):
- rice 1 kg (at the time of addition, it should be washed and soaked in cool salted water for about 40-60 minutes - this applies only to long-grain rice of the laser or basmati variety);
- meat 1 kg (800 grams of beef and 200 grams of lamb + bone) - cut into small pieces 5-6 cm;
- carrots peeled and sliced 1 kg;
- onion 4 pieces of medium onions - thin sliced with a thickness of 2 mm;
- lamb fat 500 gr - cut into small pieces 2-3 cm;
- salt about 2 tablespoons;
- cumin 2.5 teaspoons;
- black pepper peas 10 peas;
- black barberry 0.5 teaspoon;
- garlic 2 heads;
- capsicum 3 pcs.
First of all, you need to light a fire under the cauldron and put in the lamb fat. Next, lubricate the whole cauldron with a melting pot. The fire should be medium so that the melted butter does not burn. Be patient and wait until the whole chicken melts. When the fat melts and rinds remain, we remove them from the cauldron. Now you need to increase the intensity of the fire to the maximum.
Next, we throw a small onion into the cauldron and wait until it is charred. The onion will add flavor to the oil.
Next, we lower the bone into the cauldron and fry it for a couple of minutes. Turn the bone over from time to time, giving it a golden hue from all sides.
We pull out the bone and put it on the raw meat so that the oil drips onto it. Now add the onion and fry it until dark golden, even brown. You need to be patient and take your time. It may take 5-10 minutes for a good onion roasting.
After the onion has caramelized, add the meat with the bone, 0.5 teaspoons of cumin, a few peas of black pepper and fry for 5 minutes.
Next, add the carrots. Level it evenly over the entire area. Add salt (1.5 tbsp.l.) and sprinkle with cumin (1 tsp.).
Stir the entire contents of the cauldron from time to time until the carrots become sluggish. Pour about 0.6 liters of room temperature water over the walls of the cauldron. Wait for boiling.
After that, reduce the fire to a minimum.
Add 0.5 teaspoons of black barberry, garlic and capsicum (the pepper should be pulled out after 15-20 minutes so that it does not give a sharpness to the pilaf). Close the cauldron with a lid so that the water does not boil away. Zirvak should boil for about 1 hour. Now you need to start washing the rice. The water needs to be changed 6-7 times to make it transparent. Next, fill the rice with water (not warm and not hot) so that its level exceeds the rice by 1.5-2 cm. Add a teaspoon of salt and mix.
An hour after the zyrvak boils, remove the garlic to return it and the capsicum in the final process.
It's time to add rice. This is the most crucial moment! Pour out the water and rinse the rice again. This way you get rid of starch residues. Also, prepare boiling water.
Add the rice and flatten it over the entire area without ramming it. Increase the intensity of the fire to the maximum. Add hot water (about 0.5 liters, so that the water is level with the rice) through a slotted spoon and wait for boiling. Cover the cauldron with a lid.
After 3 minutes, turn down the heat quite a bit and remove the lid. Now you need to mix all the rice without touching the zirvak. If the capacity of the cauldron allows, then collect (lift) all the rice in one direction. Next, moving the slotted spoon from side to side, mix the rice, leveling it in area.
Make sure that you have mixed all the rice and its color has become evenly the same. This is necessary so that the rice is cooked evenly. Add another 100 ml of water. Close the cauldron again with a lid.
After 5 minutes, remove the lid. Sprinkle with salt (0.5 tablespoons) and cumin (0.5 teaspoons), and repeat the rice mixing process a second time.
At this stage, almost all the water should have already evaporated. The readiness of rice should be 90%. Take some rice and try it. There should be no crunch. If the rice has not reached this state, then you can pour some hot water through a slotted spoon and cover with a lid for 2 minutes. Next, collect the rice from the edges to the center, forming a slide. Turn down the heat to the very minimum. Add the previously extracted garlic and capsicum. Make 5-10 holes in the rice so that the moisture that could remain at the bottom rises to the top. Cover the pilaf with a lid and wait for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, put out the fire under the cauldron and let it stand for another 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, open the lid, remove all the garlic, capsicum and meat. Now you can mix the pilaf completely. Next, put the pilaf on a plate, put the meat, garlic and pepper on top.
Enjoy your meal!