Firm secrets of energy companies: pilaf of real men
AlES JSC has many good traditions that unite the team. One of them is to meet favourite holidays, such as Nauryz, in friendship. On holidays, tents are set up, tables are laid, many dishes for which are prepared by the power engineers themselves. Kazans, braziers are enveloped with the aroma of festive dishes….
The most trusted cooks-energy workers are entrusted to prepare them. There are such people in every team. For example, at CHPP-1 named after B. Orazbayev, Beibit Maksutov, head of the boiler shop, is responsible for pilaf – it is his signature dish. He cooks it at home for his large family and guests, and on holidays – for his colleagues.
Beibit Maksutov says that it is the favourite dish of his large and friendly family. Plov is considered a family dish here, which is not only nourishing, but also brings all the family members the joy of socialising over a big dastarkhan. And once a month all relatives gather for Beibit’s pilaf. And this tradition has been going on for many years.
– It so happened that when our fifth son was born in 2017, I discovered new qualities of a loving father – I started cooking, says Beibit. – And not just cooking, but for a large number of people. We have a big kazan at home for 60 litres – enough for everyone. Even in our yard I have been making pilaf for everyone for a long time. Then this tradition was transferred to work. So on Nauryz I cook pilaf for my colleagues in a 100-litre kazan. Everyone is satisfied!
It is difficult to count the number of recipes for this wonderful dish – festive and festive, everyday and family, but it is traditionally believed that this dish should be cooked by real men.
– Filaf is the food of real gourmets, especially of the stronger half of humanity, Beibit Maksutov is convinced. – It is not without reason that only men are considered to have mastered the art of cooking real festive pilaf. Filaf is rightly considered the pinnacle of culinary art, because it combines the skills of frying, boiling and steaming in one dish. That is why it is said that if you are able to cook real pilaf, you will be able to cook any other dish.
Judging by how quickly the kazan with his pilaf is emptied at home, in the yard, and at team holidays, Beibit Maksutov has mastered this art to perfection. And he gladly shared his recipe with us.
Pilaf Beibit Maksutov. Detailed recipe:
Ingredients per 10 kg of rice, 10 kg of meat, 10 kg of carrots, 5 kg of rice, 2 heads of garlic, 4 pods of bitter pepper, per 1 kg of rice – 150 g of vegetable oil, a packet of zira, salt to taste.
Step 1
Wash and dice the mutton, beef for pilaf.
Step 2
Rinse pilaf rice with cold water, changing it several times. The last water after rinsing should remain completely transparent.
Step 3
Peel the onions and all the carrots
Step 4
Cut 5kg of onions into thin rings and all the carrots into long 1cm thick strips.
Step 5
Heat a kazan or thick-walled pan, pour in the oil and heat until lightly smoking. Put in one whole onion and fry until dark golden.
Step 6
Remove the onion from the kazan.
Step 7
Prepare the zirvak (this is all the ingredients except the rice, cooked and seasoned with spices): put the chopped onion in the kazan and stir-fry until dark golden for 5-7 minutes. Add chopped lamb and beef to the onions.
Step 8
Stir fry the zirwak ingredients with a cooking spatula until brown. This may take about 10-15 minutes.
Step 9
Add the carrots to the meat and onions in the kazan. Fry without stirring for 3-10 minutes.
Step 10
Stir all the contents of the kazan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring lightly with a spatula.
Step 11
Grind the zira with your fingers or a pestle. Add to the pilaf zirvak along with the barberries and salt to taste.
Step 12
You can add a little more salt than you are used to: the excess will be absorbed by the rice.
Step 13
Rinse the rice again and allow to drain. Place the rice in an even layer on the pilaf zirvak and increase the heat to maximum. Peel the garlic from the top peel, but do not separate into cloves. Drown in the rice and pour boiling water into the kazan with a skimmer so that it covers the rice with a 1 cm layer. Flatten the surface, cover the pilaf with a large flat plate and cover with a lid.
Step 14
Reduce the heat to low and leave the pilaf on the fire for 30 mins.
After stirring everything in the kazan and serve the guests. Bon appetit!