Grainy Traditional Turkish Rice Pilaf With Vermicelli
Tasty, flavorful, grainy Turkish rice pilaf with vermicelli
Equipment
- 1 saucepan (with sloped sides)
- 1 spoon (wooden and middle-sized)
- 1 cup 200 ml
- 1 strainer
- 1 deep container (to be placed on bottom of strainer)
- 1 plate (deep and round)
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice (middle-sized-Baldo type)
- 2 tbs vermicelli
- 1 tbs butter (full spoon)
- 2 tea spoon salt (to be used while cooking the rice)
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1/4 lemon (4-5 drops )
- 1 tbs olive oil (full spoon)
- 3 cup water (2 cups to cover the rice to remove the starch and 1 cup to cook the rice)
- 2 tbs salt (to be used during the starch removal step)
Instructions
- Pour 1 cup of rice into the round plate.
- Add 2 tbs of salt on rice.
- Add 2 cups of water at room temperature to cover the rice.
- Add 4-5 lemon drops within the water, stir and let them rest for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, pour the rice into a strainer and wash under flowing cold water for 2 minutes without touching the rice.
- Place the strainer on a bigger container and let it drain for 10 minutes.
- Shake the strainer continiously to be sure that no water or starch drops fall anymore.
- Put 2 tbs of vermicelli into the saucepan.
- Add 1 full tbs of olive oil.
- Cook the vermicelli using a wooden spoon until its color turns into golden brown.(nearly 2,5-3 minutes) on medium heat.
- Add the drained and rested rice into the saucepan; add 2 tea spoon of salt.
- Add 1 full tbs of butter.
- Add 1 tea spoon of white sugar.
- Cook the rice during 5 minutes with continious and circular motions.
- Add 1 cup of boiled water and wait until everything gets boiled (no pot cover)
- When boiled, decrease the heat to minimum and put the saucepan lid on top.
- Let the rice cook for 12 minutes. (Never open the lid during these 12 minutes.)
- Check with help of spoon if all the water has been absorbed by the rice.
- Place the saucepen far from heating space.
- Put a paper towel on the saucepan and place the lid on top.
- Let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Fluff the rice and serve.
Notes
1.The rice and water (used when cooking) ratio for the traditional Turkish rice recipes is 1:1. This is the awarded pro-chefs' ratio and this ratio is valid with the starch removal process of the traditional style of cooking Turkish rice.
The point is to cook the rice mostly with its own vapeur and with zero starch to get the best taste and not with too much water.
2.Prefer to use the same cup for measuring the rice and adding water.
1:1 ratio gives the wished result when you use the same cup for the rice and water amounts.
3. After serving, restore the leftover ( if there is any:)) Turkish rice pilaf into a vacuum container and keep it in the fridge to microwave later.
For the best consumption, please be sure not to keep cooked rice in room temperature with no pot cover on it more than 2 hours after cooking.