Turkish rice pilaf (gluten-free and vegan)

For a New Year’s resolution, I’ve decided to try and master some basics of cooking. Risotto has been at the top of my list, but first I wanted to try rice pilaf. It’s a simple dish, but delicious, and pairs well with your favorite vegetables.

This recipe comes from the Turkish American Society of Michigan, who offers excellent cooking classes. This method of cooking rice is interesting because it relies less on cooking the rice, and more on soaking it.

Fun fact: because I used corn orzo, it smelled like popcorn when I sautéed it.

Available at your local Kroger’s or Meijer.

Ingredients

2 cups rice (baldo or calrose)

1/3 cup orzo pasta

2 tbsp butter (if vegan, use Earth Balance)

1 tbsp oil (if olive, use a dash of sugar)

1.5 cups hot water or vegetable broth

salt, to taste

 

1. Wash the rice several times and drain. You want to remove as much starch as possible, so the rice won’t be sticky. (Make sure you use a mesh colander for this! Or you will get rice everywhere.)

2. Cover the rice with warm water and leave for 30 minutes, then drain.

3. Then, heat the oil in a cooking pot. (You want to be able to add the broth later.) Sauté the orzo in the oil until it starts to darken. Then add the butter and let melt.

4. Add the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes, until the oil has evenly coated all the grains.

5. Add the hot water or vegetable broth. (Imagine does a good “chick’n” broth, and for this recipe, I used Edward & Sons chick’n bouillon cubes.)

6. Bring the liquid to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and cook on simmer until the rice absorbs all the water.

7. Take the pilaf off of the heat and let set about 15 minutes before serving.

A tip on serving: pressing the pilaf into a small bowl is an easy way to make a mould for your pilaf. Just invert the bowl over the serving plate, and the pilaf should come out smoothly.

 

Rice pilaf

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 1 hour 15 mins
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

2 cups rice (baldo or calrose)

1/3 cup orzo pasta

2 tbsp butter (if vegan, use Earth Balance)

1 tbsp oil (if olive, use a dash of sugar)

1.5 cups hot water or vegetable broth

salt, to taste

 

1. Wash the rice several times and drain. You want to remove as much starch as possible, so the rice won’t be sticky.

2. Cover the rice with warm water and leave for 30 minutes, then drain.

3. Then, heat the oil in a cooking pot. (You want to be able to add the broth later.) Sauté the orzo in the oil until it starts to darken. Then add the butter and let melt.

4. Add the rice and stir for 2-3 minutes, until the oil has evenly coated all the grains.

5. Add the hot water or vegetable broth. (Imagine does a good “chick’n” broth, and for this recipe, I used Edward & Sons chick’n bouillon cubes.)

6. Bring the liquid to a boil. Then, reduce the heat and cook on simmer until the rice absorbs all the water.

7. Take the pilaf off of the heat and let set about 15 minutes before serving.

A tip on serving: pressing the pilaf into a small bowl is an easy way to make a mould for your pilaf. Just invert the bowl over the serving plate, and the pilaf should come out smoothly.