Vərə Pıla- Talysh Cuisine

Vərə Pıla ( lamb Pilav) is a fancy dish and usually associated with higher social strata. This particular dish is commonly prepared in special occasions such as wedding and parties like circumcision ceremony.
Vərə Pıla ( lamb Pilav) is often served without any stews and usually accompanied by Olive or Marinated Olive (زیتون پرورده), and yoghurt.

 

 

There are two recipes presented in this article. The first recipe is from a 'Talysh Cuisine" Book written by Mr Ali Abdoli. Mr. Abdoli's description of the food is more general and doesn't include details. Moreover, his recipe for this particular food is of traditional way of preparing it where fire and wood is used. The second recipe is from a Telegram channel here which is relatively detailed description of food recipe. I hope you enjoy it. 

    1. Recipe One by Ali Abdoli

Ingredients:

1- Rice, Sadri rice is often used as it has pleasant aroma.  
2- Lamb, could be whole lamb or chunk of its meat.
3- Butter or animal based fats that often is produced in local farms in Talysh.
4- Fragrant edible vegetables

Instruction:

Cleaned and already rinsed rice is boiled in a pot that is often made of copper known as Patla (Tly:Patla- پاتْلَه ) in Talyshi. The rice is cooked till it is half-cooked and then strained with colander.
In a separate pot, Lamb chunks are cooked in a mixture of water, salt, turmeric and pepper.
Next, the half-cooked rice and lamb meat will be cooked together is a large copper pot known as Qazon (Tly:ğəzon - غَزون ).
First, bottom of the pot is coated well with oil (animal fat or butter). Then, a layer of rice is poured into the pot, followed by a layer of lamb meat and fragrant vegetables. This continues in an alternative manner. However, the top last layer in the pot must be rice. Ultimately, a chunk of animal fat that is already melted is poured on top multilayered pilav, the pot is sealed and put on stove to be cooked.
For sealing, a big tray that is the size of pot diameter is used. Often the tray is filled with burning charcoal (Tly: cik - جیک ) so the pilav receives heat from down and top and is well cooked.

2. Recipe two: Vərə Pıla Vara Pila ( Lamb Pilav) Recipe for three person

Ingredient:
 

1- 350 grams Lamb meat with fat
2- Mix of Chopped vegetables including : parsley, Tareh, coriander green, dill, balash,Khulivash , Mint
3- 1 onion
4- Salt and turmeric

P.S.
1- Khulivash (xulivāš) in Talyshi , sometimes called Khal-vash, is a fragrant vegetable commonly used in Gilan and Talysh cuisine and also have numerous medical benefits. It is kind of mint grown naturally & is native to Talysh and Gilan.
2- Balash (bələš) in Talyshi, is a fragrant vegetable commonly used in Gilan and Talysh cuisine and also have numerous medical benefits.
3- Tareh is kind of fragrant vegetable that belongs to Leek family and used in foods for its nice smell.

Instruction:

Fry the mutton in a pot with its natural fat and without additional oil till the meat color changed to brownish. Next, add chopped onion and turmeric and let it fry together for a while. Then add three mugs of water, put the lid and allow mutton to cook well.
In the meantime, chop parsley, tareh, coriander green, dill, balash, khulivash, Mint and finally blend them. You May use dried vegetables if you can't find fresh one.

In another pot, boil rice with enough water till it is half cooked and then strain it with colander.
Now, grab an empty pot and coat the inner bottom with oil. Start with pouring some rice into pot followed by layer of cooked mutton on top of the rice, and finally cover it with a thin layer of mixed chopped vegetables. Repeat stage one by adding another layer of rice and so on. Finally, put some animal-based fat or farm butter on top of the last layer- must be rice- and put the pot on a stove with burner on a very low flame. For better results, you may wrap the lid with a clean cloth or towel then seal the pot with it and let the steam do the work. It should be ready in 20-30 minutes. 

Acknowledgment

 This is a translation work and is done upon request and suggestion of Husein Kazimov.