Sehriyali Pilavi --Turkish Style Rice and Orzo Pilaf

Turkish Cuisine is largely the heritage of Ottoman Cuisine which can be described as a fusion and refinement of Central Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European Cuisine. Ingredients like lamb, beef, rice, fish, eggplant, onion, peppers, garlic, lentils and tomatoes are frequently used. Nuts like Pistachio, chestnuts, almonds and walnuts together with spices have special place in Turkish Cuisine and used extensively in desserts like Baklava and Honey cakes

Plain rice pilaf is often the primary side dish to any Turkish meal. It is made with  sauteing rice with butter until properly toasted and simmered with veg or chicken stock. Turkish rice / pilaf is buttery, soft and stable food of Turkish Cuisine. Little brown bits like Sehriye otherwise called as Orzo is a small kind of pasta which adds great texture and flavor to the dish. The rice used for this pilaf is Baldo Rice, a short grain rice similar to Italian Risotto rice. Today I will be preparing this simple yet delicious recipe with Basmati rice and Vermicelli in place of Baldo rice and Orzo. I have garnish the rice with chopped pistachio and cranberry just to give it a nice look, you can totally skip adding them too. This rice is accomplished with grilled meat, vegetables, salads, yogurt or any gravy.

Turkish Style rice -Sehriyali Pilavi goes to day 16 of Mega Marathon theme " Biryani / Pulao / Kichidi with Grains".




Ingredients:


Basmati Rice 1 cup
Vermicelli / Orzo 1/4 cup
Black pepper powder 1/4 spoon
Salt to taste
Dried Cranberries  1/4 cup ( optional )
Chopped Pistachios 1/4 cup ( optional )
Vegetable stock / Water 2 cups
Butter 2 tbsp





Preparation:


Wash Rice thoroughly and soak for 20 minutes.
Heat oil / butter in a cooking pan.
Add vermicelli and saute till nice golden brown.
Now add soaked rice without water and saute for a minute or two.
Add salt, pepper powder and mix well.
Add the vegetable stock and cook on high till the water boils.
Lower the heat and cover to cook till done.
Switch off flame add chopped pistachio and cranberries, cover to set aside for 5 minutes.
Serve hot with any veg or non veg curry.



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10 comments:

Suma Gandlur said...

Rice and orzo together in a dish sounds interesting. With a dash of color from the nuts and dry fruit decoration, the simple pulao looks inviting.

vaishali sabnani said...

We have a similar rice from Lebanese Cuisine , just that the garnish is different . The rice looks beautiful and very well made . The vermicelli and the nuts both add on to the flavours and delicacy .

Sharmila Kingsly said...

Yummy looking rice .the vermicelli perfectly blends with the rice and give a great texture.. lovely share .

Gayathri Kumar said...

I remember making this long back and loved the combination of rice and vermicelli. The pistachio topped pilav looks absolutely yum.

Harini R said...

Wow! that is a unique combination of rice and orzo. Love the color of the final dish and the garnish is definitely extra special.

Srivalli said...

This is surely such a different combination, the plating looks fabulous!

Srividhya said...

Learning something new today. Heard about Turkish pulao but the combination of rice + orzo + vermicelli is definitely new.

Swati said...

Very innovative recipe, loved how you have adjusted the ingredients as per your availability and preferences.It is so well presented. Very nice share.

cookwithrenu said...

I love the way the rice is cooked and so very well plated. Just feeling like grabbing the plate.

Kalyani said...

this combo of orzo + rice cooked in that wonderful stock is something we would relish... pistachios take it to another level...