Savory Turkish Pilaf Recipes

TURKISH BULGUR PILAF RECIPE

Steps:

• Saute onion and tomato paste: Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in onion and green pepper and saute until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add in tomato paste and stir constantly for a minute or so.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients: Add in ground cumin, bulgur, tomatoes, chickpeas, and water (or stock). Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir & Bring it to a boil: Give it a stir, bring it to a boil, put the lid on, turn down the heat to low. Let it simmer for 10-12 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
• Let it rest & serve: Off the heat, allow it to rest for 10 minutes (with the lid on), fluff it with a fork, garnish with parsley, and serve.

BASMATI RICE PILAF

Steps:

• In a wide pan with a lid (like this one, this one, or this one), melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and just starting to brown, about five minutes. While onion cooks, rinse rice in a fine-mesh sieve until the water runs clear and shake out any excess water.
• Add garlic to pan and cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about a minute. Add rice and stir to coat with butter, then cook, stirring once or twice, for two minutes. Pour in stock and give it all a good stir. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then cover pan, lower heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until broth is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Off the heat, place a clean kitchen towel between the pan and the lid to absorb excess steam and let pilaf rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chives and almonds if using and serve.

TURKISH RICE PILAF WITH ORZO

Steps:

• Rinse the rice in cold water at least three times to remove any excess starch. (see note 4)
• Pour your broth into a small pan and heat until simmering. Or microwave it until steaming hot.
• Place a large skillet (one with a lid) or shallow pan (again with a lid) over medium heat.
• Add the butter and oil to the skillet to melt.
• Add in the orzo, stir to coat well, then cook the pasta for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well browned.
• While the pasta is cooking, peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.
• Reduce the heat under the skillet, then add the onion to the pasta and saute gently for 4 minutes.
• Add the garlic and the rice and stir together until the rice is bright white.
• Add the hot broth, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
• Remove from heat, but don't lift the lid. Let the finished pilaf stand for 5-10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
• Sprinkle the finished pilaf with lemon juice and serve.

WILD RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan, add the onion, and cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until translucent. Add 5 cups of water, 2 teaspoons of salt, and the wild rice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer, covered, for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the rice is tender. Drain well.
• Place the drained rice in a bowl, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, the scallions, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

TURKISH RICE PILAF WITH VERMICELLI

Steps:

• . Put the rice in a colander and rinse it under lukewarm running water until the water runs clear. Put the rice into a large bowl, cover it with lukewarm water, and mix in 1 tsp of salt. Let the rice soak for 30 min then drain using the colander again.
• . For this recipe you will need a wide non-stick pan that has a tight-fitting lid. The sides should be at least 8 cm (3 in) high. Place the pan on the largest burner and melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the pasta and sauté stirring often with a wooden spoon until the şehriye turn golden brown. It usually takes around 3 to 4 min.
• . Add the rice to the pan, stir until most of the grains are coated in butter and cook for 2 min. Add the stock into the pan and the remaining 1 tsp of salt, stir and increase the heat to quickly bring to a boil. Cover with the lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. For example, the heats of my induction stove go from 1 to 10 (10 being the hottest) and I lower the temperature to 4 when I cook Turkish rice pilaf. Cook the rice, covered, for 10 min. If the stock hasn't been completely absorbed by then, uncover the pan and keep cooking until it has. On the contrary, if the rice pilaf looks a bit dry and not completely cooked through (don't hesitate to taste but be careful not to burn yourself) add a splash of water and keep cooking covered until absorbed.
• . Turn off the heat, remove the lid and stir the rice gently with a wooden spoon. Lay a clean tea towel or several sheets of paper towels over the pan (it shouldn't touch the rice). Put the lid back on and let the rice sit for 10 min. Fluff the rice gently again and serve sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper and big spoonfuls of yogurt!

TURKISH SHRIMP PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large nonstick fry pan.
• Fry the onion, peppers and garlic over low heat for 10 minutes until softened but not browned.
• Add the rice, spices and mint or basil.
• Stir over the heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then add enough water to cover the rice.
• Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until rice is just tender, but still has a little bite to it.
• Add the shrimp, currants and a little salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook for about 4 minutes more, until the shrimp are heated through, then add the lemon juice and chopped parsley.
• Serve pilaf warm or cold with salad greens.

TURKISH PILAF

Steps:

• In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the green pepper and mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, stirring until blended. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated.

SAVORY TURKISH PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the butter over medium heat and sauté the lamb until brown.
• Remove the meat from pan and keep hot.
• In the same butter, cook the onion until it is soft but not brown.
• Add the nuts and rice and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the tomato through the bouillon; the dish will sizzle.
• Stir and cover tightly.
• Reduce heat to the lowest possible heat and cook until the rice is tender and all the liquid absorbed (20-30 minutes).
• Return the lamb to the rice and heat thoroughly.
• Let stand, covered, in a warm place 15 minutes without cooking.
• Sprinkle on parsley or mint.

TURKISH PILAF WITH SAFFRON & GOJI BERRIES

Steps:

• Finely chop the garlic and set aside to activate (see tip). Meanwhile, pour 2 tbsp boiling water over the saffron and set aside to infuse. Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large, non-stick sauté pan with a lid, then add the turkey and fry for 5 mins, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown.
• Stir the rice and cinnamon into the pan, then pour in 400ml boiling water and the bouillon, and stir well. Add the celery, thyme, goji berries and lots of ground black pepper. Cover the pan tightly to prevent steam escaping, and cook over a low heat for 20 mins.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a non-stick pan and add the onion. When it starts to soften, cover the pan for 5 mins to steam it a little more. Take off the lid and slowly fry for 12-15 mins until golden, stirring frequently.
• After the rice has cooked for 20 mins, check the water level - if the rice is still too nutty and the liquid has all been absorbed, add up to 100ml more water. Stir in the saffron, cover again, and cook for 5-10 mins until the rice is tender.
• Add the garlic and spinach, cook briefly to wilt the leaves, then turn off the heat. Toss through the fried onions and almonds. Cover the pan and leave to rest for 5 mins before serving.