Turkish Rice Pilaf (Pirinç Pilavı)

Ingredients

• 300 g white rice
• 50 g egg noodles, broken into small pieces
• 4 tbsp butter
• 5 dl chicken stock
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp pine nuts
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pinch ground turmeric

Method

1. 1.

   Soak the rice — Place the rice in a bowl, cover with warm water, and let it soak for 10 minutes. Drain well and set aside; this helps the grains cook up light and separate.

2. 2.

   Toast the noodles and nuts — Melt the butter with the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the broken egg noodles and pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3-4 minutes until both turn a deep golden brown.

3. 3.

   Coat the rice in butter — Add the drained rice to the pot and stir well to coat every grain in the buttery noodle mixture, cooking for 1-2 minutes.

4. 4.

   Simmer covered until absorbed — Pour in the chicken stock, add the salt, pepper and turmeric, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for about 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until all the liquid is absorbed.

5. 5.

   Rest and fluff — Remove from the heat, place a clean kitchen towel under the lid, and let the pilaf rest undisturbed for 10 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork before serving.