Turkish Pilaf With Vermicelli Sehriyeli Pilav Food

SEHRIYELI PILAV: TURKISH-STYLE RICE PILAF WITH ORZO

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• In a shallow saucepan, melt the butter and oil together. Add the orzo and stir continuously over medium heat until the pasta turns a dark golden color. Be careful and keep stirring so the butter and orzo don't burn.
• Add the uncooked rice and stir thoroughly until the grains are coated with the oil. Add the chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and then bring to a boil. If you are using chicken bouillon in place of stock, cut down on or omit the salt.
• Cover and reduce the heat to low. Let the rice slowly simmer until the liquid is absorbed, 20 minutes.
• Without removing the cover, take the pan from the heat and put it aside to cool down for 5 minutes, keeping the lid on at all times. If too much condensation forms on the inside of the lid, open it and cover the top of the pan with a few paper towels, then replace the lid. This will absorb excess moisture and allow the rice to continue steaming at an even pace.
• Before serving, open the lid and gently stir the rice to loosen the bottom and separate the grains.
• You can use a small dessert bowl or ramekin as a mold to ​give it that signature rice pilaf look. Fill the bowl with the rice and use the back of a spoon to pack it down tightly. Invert the bowl onto a serving plate. The pilaf will pop out and should remain in the molded shape.

TURKISH PILAF WITH VERMICELLI (SEHRIYELI PILAV)

Steps:

• Wash the rice several times with warm water and drain. Cover the rice with warm water and leave it for 15-20 minutes and drain. If you do not have time for this, just wash the rice and then drain.
• Place the butter and oil in a saucepan or pot and add the vermicelli or orzo. Over low-heat, fry until their color starts changing to golden brown. Do not over fry, take the pot from the stove as soon as you see the golden brown color and add the rice. Then, again place the pot on the stove and stir for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
• Finally, add the hot chicken stock / water (If you leave the rice in water before cooking, use 1 ½ cup hot water otherwise use 2 cups). Add the salt and close the lid and cook over low heat, until the rice absorbs all the water. Meanwhile you can stir once or twice.
• Let the pilaf stand for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
• Pilaf goes well with any kind of dish.
• P.S: You can also add 1 tsp of lemon juice with the water, to make the pilaf shine.

TURKISH WEDDING PILAF (DUGUN PILAV)

Steps:

• Wash rice until water runs clear.
• Drain well.
• Heat olive oil in a pan and add drained basmati and pine nuts.
• Stir over medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Add stock and salt to taste.
• Check until boiling then reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes and check to gauge when cooked.
• Turn off heat, place paper towels over rim of pan and replace lid tightly.
• Leave at least 10 minutes before removing lid. May be left up to 30 minutes without spoiling, depending of course on the quality of the grain.
• Fluff with fork and serve, or spoon into an oiled mould, press firmly and unmould onto serving dish.

PILAF WITH TOMATO TURKISH-STYLE (DOMATESLI PILAV)

Steps:

• Drain the rice in a fine mesh strainer for 1 full minute under cold water. Set aside to drain. This is best done first thing in the early part of the day.
• Grate the tomato into a glass measuring cup. I used a cheese grater and grated the toms down to their skin, then discarded.
• Add enough water to the tomato to equal 2 cups.
• Pour the mixture into a medium sized pot; add the butter and salt.
• Bring to boil and stir in the rice.
• Cover and cook on low heat. This will take about 15-20 minutes. If for some reason the rice starts to dry out, add about 1/4 cup more water and cook an additional 5-10 minutes.
• Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with *fresh* parsley. This side dish works well and is a perfect accompaniment to a heavily seasoned/more intensely flavored main dish because the flavors won't compete.