Pilav

Pilav

Pilav is the most basic meal of Turkish cuisine and can be made from rice, bulgur and arpa sehriye (noodles). You can also cook various kinds of pilav such as plain, with tomatoes, with meat and chicken stock. Iç pilav, or pilav with almond and raisins are for more stylish tables. In short you can create several cold and warm pilavs.
In order to cook delicious rice pilav first of all you should use good quality Baldo type rice. In principle the measurement for rice pilav is set 1.5 glass of water for 1 glass of rice. For bulgur and arpa sehriye pilavs use 2 glasses of water instead. Be careful when purchasing bulgur, it should be for "pilav" otherwise you cannot succeed when if you buy small grained bulgur used for Çig Köfte.

Useful tip: If you add a few drops of lemon over pilav, the rice will be snow white.

White Pilav (4-6 servings)
2 cups rice
3 cups water
1 tablespoon butter (if you wish use olive oil)
Salt, pepper, cube bouillon
Soak the rice in hot water and leave it for an hour. Then drain and rinse the rice with cold water. Put 3 cups water, salt, pepper, cube bouillon in the pan (it can be Teflon). When boiled add the rice, cover the pan and cook over high heat until the fluid is absorbed. Lower the heat, add butter and cover the pan. Let the pilav simmer for 15-20 minutes and then mix lightly preferably with a wooden spoon.

You can create variations upon this main pilav recipe. For example you can add cooked peas and carrots together with butter and have a colorful pilav or add some sliced fresh mushrooms. With cube tomatoes and fresh pepper you can create a good alternative as "summer pilav". However be careful since tomatoes can spoil the water measure. Roast a handful of noodles (tel sehriye) and add it to white pilav. Well all depends on your imagination.

Bulgur Pilavi (3-4 servings)
1 cup bulgur (there are two kinds of bulgur the thin ones are not for pilav)
1 cup water
1 cup tomato juice
1 Table spoon margarine or butter
1 cube bouillon
1-2 fresh pepper
Salt, pepper
Chop the onion and stir in shortening until brown. Pour the water to a pan; add cube bouillon, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; and add the bulgur (washed several times). Cover the pan and cook over high heat for 5 minutes then lower the heat and after 10-15 minutes add sliced fresh pepper stir. The bulgur pilavi is ready to serve after 5-7 minutes.
If you put cubed and cooked meat it becomes a main course of "raki" tables and called "Meyhane pilavi".

Noodles (arpa sehriyesi) Pilavi (3-4 servings)
1 cup arpa sehriyesi (noodles)
1,5 cup water
2-3 tomatoes
1 tablespoon butter
fresh pepper, mushroom (optional)
1 cube bouillon
salt, pepper
Put the pan over medium heat add the noodles and stir with a wooden spoon until the color of the noodles turns to light brown. Add cubed tomatoes, water, bouillon, salt and pepper and cover the pan. Cook over high heat for 5 minutes, add the butter, stir lightly and lower the heat. Add fresh pepper and mushrooms during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Ali Pasa Pilavi (4-6 servings)
This pilav has three layers: Meat, vegetables and rice
750 gr. small chunks of veal
1 medium onion
1 medium tomato
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
salt, pepper

Put the pressure cooker over heat and brown meat lightly. Add chopped onion, tomato, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper and pour water just to the level covering the meat and cover the put the cover. Cook for about 25-30 minutes. Take off the bay leaves and drain the meat. Cook the pilav with this stock according to "White Pilav" recipe. On the other hand prepare 1.5 - 2 cups mixed vegetables - boiled peas, carrots and corns. Lay the meat on a deep pyrex then the vegetables and the pilav on top. Heat bain-marie method. Before serving turn the meal about to the plate.