This recipe was given to me by my friend Yulia she grew up in Tajikistan a small land locked mountainous country in Central Asia, it was governed by Russia at that time. She learnt this dish while there it would be made as a big communal dish and shared as a family. Here's a nice little article on the country from a group of travel bloggers who drove across Asia and their views A rallying cry. Its a tasty dish that can be made with vegetables, I did one loaded with veggies and a mixture of red and white Thai rice, beef or chicken, a great one pot meal.
Central Asian Beef Pilaf
- inspired by Yulia's recipe
Ingredients:
- one pack of lean stir fry beef, cut into pieces
- 2 carrots grated - this gives it a lovely orange color
- 3 cloves of garlic chopped
- one small onion chopped
- one cup of vegetable stock and 1-2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups of Jasmine rice
Method:
- saute the beef with the garlic and onion in canola or vegetable oil for about 10 minutes until the beef is nearly cooked
- add the grated carrot, cumin, salt and pepper I also added a little Turkish seasoning
- add the rice and water, cover and let it boil for about 20 minutes
- its a little tricky to get the rice just right and it can stick to the pan a little, in my experience I check and add water as needed.
- I have made this 3 times now, the last time with chicken and its getting better :-)
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| The mountains from wikipedia |
my wee taste tester :-) he always comes into the kitchen as I cook and asks for the food :-)
Have a wonderful weekend everyone
Hugs Rebecca
