Armenian pilaf with raisins

We prepare dried fruits: we thoroughly rinse dried apricots and seedless raisins with warm water. Fill them with boiling water for a couple of minutes, then drain the water, and put the dried fruits on a towel and dry. If the dried apricots are too large, cut them into small pieces, approximately proportional to the raisins.

Peel the onions, wash, dry and cut into thin half rings. In a cauldron, we heat up such an amount of vegetable oil so that it covers the bottom by a centimeter and a half. Heat the oil until hot and pour the onions into it. Fry over medium heat until light blush. Do not forget to interfere periodically.

When the onion begins to turn golden, pour the prepared dried fruits into it, mix and continue cooking for three to five minutes. Dried apricots and raisins should warm up well and soften. Raisins by this time are usually inflated and regains their "grape" shape.

Let's take up the rice. Place it in a bowl and rinse it in several portions of water. The last water should drain from the cereal completely clean and transparent, without signs of starch.

We spread the washed rice in a cauldron on top of dried fruits, level it. Pour in hot water in such an amount that it covers the rice by three to four centimeters. Add salt to taste. We increase the fire and achieve a rapid boiling of the liquid. After boiling, reduce the fire and evaporate the water with the lid open. When almost all the water disappears from above and remains only inside the pilaf, cover the rice with an inverted flat plate of the appropriate diameter and close the cauldron with a lid. This is necessary in order to provide the pilaf with the necessary moisture and slow steaming. We cook pilaf for another ten to fifteen minutes until the rice is fully cooked. Do not mix.

We remove the finished pilaf from the stove, open it and lay it out on portioned plates. Serve hot.