Turkish Pilav Rice With Orzo
Turkish pilaf with orzo “Şehriyeli Pilav” is our favorite side dish at home that goes well with almost any Turkish dish. With browned orzo in butter, it has a nutty taste and with hints, it is very fluffy.
Pilav has an important role in Turkish cuisine. There is no good Turkish menu that is complete without having a nice fluffy, buttery pilav. Use the wide shallow pan as possible and a heavy bottom pan. In Turkey, we have pans that specially use for making pilav in good sizes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Baldo Osmancık, Calrose or similar long-grain rice that doesn’t contain too much starch
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups hot water to soak
- 4 tbsp orzo pasta
- 1 heaped tbsp butter
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
- 3 +1/4 cups hot water or you can use some chicken stock
Instructions
- Soak the rice in hot salty water for at least one hour or up to 4-5 hours. This step is important to have a fluffy nice pilav.
- In a wide pan melt the butter and olive oil, add orzo pasta and sautee stirring frequently until it has a golden to light brown color.
- Meanwhile, drain the rice from salty water and wash for 1-2 times until there is no starch left and the water is clear. Drain the water as much as you can. We have a rice drainer that is easier to drain but you can use colander too.
- Add the rice to the pan and continue to saute for about 4-5 more minutes. Add salt and hot water (u can use chicken stock for some of the water too )
- Close the lid and cook on a candlelight stove until the rice soaks all the water and soft for about 10-12 minutes. If the rice is still not soft after the water is finished you can drizzle more hot water over it, close the lid and continue to cook form more.
- Turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Open the lid and gently stir the rice from taking from the bottom and folding it to the top with a wide hand colander (better to see the video) and spread it evenly again. Wait for 5 more minutes and serve warm…
Video
Notes
