Pilaf - Cuisine

Cuisine

Persian culinary terms referring to rice preparation are numerous and have found their way into the neighbouring languages: polow (rice cooked in broth while the grains remain separate, straining the half cooked rice before adding the broth and then "brewing"), chelow (white rice with separate grains), kateh (sticky rice), biryani, and tajine (slow cooked rice, vegetables, and meat cooked in a specially designed dish also called a tajine). There are also varieties of different rice dishes with vegetables and herbs which are very popular among Persians.

There are four primary methods of cooking rice in Iran:

• Chelow: rice that is carefully prepared through soaking and parboiling, at which point the water is drained and the rice is steamed. This method results in an exceptionally fluffy rice with the grains separated and not sticky; it also results in a golden rice crust at the bottom of the pot called tahdig (literally "bottom of the pot").
• Polow: rice that is cooked exactly the same as chelow, with the exception that after draining the rice, other ingredients are layered with the rice, and they are then steamed together.

• Kateh: rice that is boiled until the water is absorbed. This is the traditional dish of Northern Iran.
• Damy: cooked almost the same as kateh, except that the heat is reduced just before boiling and a towel is placed between the lid and the pot to prevent steam from escaping. Damy literally means "simmered".

In Italian cuisine, "pilaf" is a rice pre-cooking style that allows chefs in busy restaurants to cut down time in risotto preparation. Usually a large tray of Carnaroli or Arborio rice will be baked for seven minutes with a large onion and a carrot, in water. After that, it will be placed on a marble slab to cool down. Once cooled it will be kept in the fridge and used ad hoc to prepare risotti in a shorter time: 7 to 10 minutes depending on the "al dente" texture that the chef wants to achieve, rather than the usual 16 to 20 minutes.

In Greek cuisine, piláfi is the fluffy and soft, but neither soupy nor sticky, rice that has been boiled in a meat stock or bouillon broth. In Northern Greece, it is considered poor form to prepare piláfi on a stovetop; the pot is properly placed in the oven. Gamopílafo ("wedding pilaf") is the prized pilaf served traditionally in weddings and major celebrations in Crete: rice is boiled in lamb or beef broth, then finished with lemon juice and melted staka butter. Gamopílafo though it bears the name is not a pilaf but rather a kind of risotto, with creamy and not fluffy texture. There is a possibility that it is indeed an adaptation of risotto from a time when Crete was under Italian rule.

In Tajik and Afghan cuisine, qabili palau is made by cooking basmati in a broth-like sauce. This dish may be made with lamb, chicken, or beef. Qabili Palau is baked in the oven and topped with fried sliced carrots and raisins. Chopped nuts like pistachios, walnuts, or almonds may be added as well. The meat is covered by the rice or buried in the middle of the dish.

In South Asia, pulao (sometimes spelt pulav, Hindi: पुलाव, Urdu: پلاؤ‎) is a dish consisting of rice and commonly including peas, potatoes, french beans, carrots, mutton, beef, or chicken. It is usually served on special occasions and weddings and is very high in food energy and fat. Meat pulao is a Pakistani and North Indian tradition, especially among the Muslim population. Biryani is another rice dish similar to pilaf, introduced to South Asian cuisine during the Mughal period. It is made from basmati or similar aromatic rice.

In Persian cuisine, Rahkshi (also known as yahni), a soup or stock, is often served over pilaf (pulao).

Uzbek palov on the other hand differs from other preparations in that rice is not steamed, but instead simmered in a rich stew of meat and vegetables called zirvak, until all liquid is absorbed into the rice, although some limited degree of steaming is commonly achieved by covering the pot. Plov is commonly prepared with lamb and mutton, browned in lamb fat or vegetable oil, and then stewed for several hours with fried onions, garlic and carrots, although beef could be substituted in a pinch. Chicken plov is rare and usage of pork is forbidden under Islamic law. It is usually spiced with cumin, coriander, barberries, and pepper. Whole bulbs of garlic are buried in the rice during cooking, although sweet variations, with dried apricots, cranberries and raisins aren't unheard of.

Plov is very popular in Russia (as well as in some other countries of the former Soviet Union), although this dish is strongly associated with Uzbek cuisine there.