Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Famous Uzbek chef and restaurateur Bahriddin Chustiy held an online master class on cooking an Uzbek wedding pilaf as part of a humanitarian campaign of compatriots "Solidarity with Uzbekistan", Dunyo reports.

The organizers of the exciting event were the Embassy of Uzbekistan in the UK, the British-Uzbek Friendship Society, the Uzbek cultural center Bilim, the brand of Uzbek national cuisine OshPaz, and our compatriot, senior banker of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Kamola Makhmudova.

The culinary class was attended by over 80 people from different parts of the world. Special guests were staff and management at EBRD headquarters in London.

During the online lesson, the Uzbek Jamie Oliver, as Bahridina Chustiy is called in the Western media, shared with the secrets of cooking the main Uzbek national dish, showing in detail the process of frying meat and onions, cooking “zirvak”, laying rice and, finally, serving the dish properly on the lagan . He also explained in detail how best to choose foods and ingredients for pilaf, depending on the taste and dietary preferences of the consumer.

Especially for the foreign audience, the chef told various legends and stories about the appearance of the dish, its role and significance in the traditions of the Uzbek people, when all the important events, whether it’s a wedding, a child’s birth or a wake, none of which are complete without pilaf. The participants were keenly interested in the information that pilaf was included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage Sites, as well as the largest pilaf prepared in Uzbekistan, which was included in the Guinness Book of Records in 2017.

Enthusiastic responses and applause of the participants were caused by a surprise prepared by the organizers - “pilaf dance” performed by the soloist of the State Song and Dance Ensemble “Navbahor” S. Kenjebaev and virtuoso playing on the doira by the musician of the group U. Makhkamov.

At the end of the culinary online class, Bahriddin Chustiy handed over to the organizers the book “365 days of the sun” signed by him, which includes the best examples of national cuisine and exclusive recipes of famous chefs of Uzbekistan. The book will be put up for online auction, and the proceeds from its sale will be used to support the Solidarity with Uzbekistan campaign.

As part of this humanitarian action, the efforts of the Uzbek diaspora in Europe, the USA and Canada raised more than 20 thousand euros. The organizers intend to increase this amount to 50 thousand euros and apply for a grant from the EBRD in order to double the collected charitable funds to 100 thousand. All the money received will go to Uzbekistan to help doctors and people in need.