One of the main accompaniments to almost any dish in Turkish cuisine is undoubtedly pilav or rice, a highly beneficial food and one of the oldest in the world, whose origins as a crop can be traced back to Asia ten thousand years before Christ. In fact, 92% of the rice we eat comes from that continent, and today it is the main food in the world, especially in the countries of Southeast Asia, where it is the main food in the diet of some 2 billion people.
Rice has long formed part of the diet of the Turkic peoples who lived in Central Asia, and when in the 10th century the first Seljuk Turks (the ancestors of the Turks who today live in Turkey) migrated from the Aral Sea towards the Middle East they took it with them, although in reality it had already been known in the region since at least the time of Alexander the Great. However, for the Greeks and the Romans and even during the Middle Ages, rice was considered an exotic, luxury food from the Far East and was only consumed by the wealthiest members of society.
Ingredients (for 4 persons)
- one cup of rice
- two tablespoons of oil
- 100 grams of fine noodles (the thinner the better)
- 100 grams of butter
- one lemon
- one teaspoon of sugar
- a pinch of fine salt
- cinnamon
Firstly, put the olive oil in a small pan, making sure it covers the bottom well, and the fine noodles, and fry until golden (be careful not to burn it). We will have previously prepared a cup of rice with a little salt, which we will pour in when the noodles are ready. We stir the mixture a little so that the rice also browns slightly (carefully), and then add the water, which will be twice the amount of rice we have put in (two cups in this case), and wait for the water to boil.
Once it starts to boil, add a teaspoon of sugar, the butter, and a lemon, peeled and finely chopped, which we will have prepared beforehand (the lemon is used to give flavour and colour to the rice, but it is not obligatory if you don’t want it). Leave it to cook over medium heat until all the water has evaporated, stirring the rice well and making sure it doesn’t stick.
Once most of the water has evaporated, turn off the heat and, after removing the pan, sprinkle a little cinnamon over the rice (not too much, it’s just to give it a touch of flavour), stir the rice and leave it to rest for just under ten minutes. Then, it is ready to serve.
If we want to prepare a more substantial dish and not just a side dish, we can add something to the rice: for example, boneless and finely chopped chicken meat; chopped and fried aubergines; cooked chickpeas; peeled and diced tomatoes; natural yoghurt… All of these are ingredients that in Turkey are commonly mixed with rice. In the Black Sea region it is also typical to prepare ‘hamsi ve pilav’, where rice is accompanied by fried anchovies.
If we don’t add anything to the rice, remember that pilav on its own is a side dish that is served to accompany the main course… Afiyet olsun!!
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Funda is a master of Turkish cuisine. Her cooking skills have led her to participate in all kinds of contests and competitions, and she has won numerous awards for her recipes. If you try one of her dishes… Say goodbye to your diet!
