Sehriyeli Pilav (Turkish Rice Pilaf with Orzo)
The classic Turkish side dish: fluffy baldo rice studded with golden toasted orzo, cooked in butter so every grain stands separate. Foolproof method included.
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Ingredients
300g baldo rice
3 tbsp orzo (risoni) pasta
50g butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil
450ml hot chicken stock or water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper (optional)
Hot salted water, for soaking the rice
Alternative: use vermicelli (tel sehriye) instead of orzo
Instructions
- 1
Soak the rice in hot, lightly salted water for 15-20 minutes, then rinse under cold water until it runs clear and drain well.
- 2
Melt the butter with the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the orzo and toast, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes until deep golden brown.
- 3
Add the drained rice and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring gently, until the grains turn slightly translucent at the edges.
- 4
Pour in the hot stock, add the salt and pepper, and give it one single stir. Bring to the boil, then cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 12-14 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.
- 5
Turn off the heat, lay a clean tea towel or paper towel under the lid and rest the pilaf for 10 minutes.
- 6
Fluff gently with a fork from the edges inward and serve hot alongside kofte, chicken or beans, with ayran or yoghurt.
Sehriyeli pilav is the pilaf that sits beside almost every Turkish main course — next to grilled kofte, chicken stew, dried beans or roasted vegetables. Tiny orzo pasta (sehriye) is toasted in butter until deep golden, giving the rice its signature nutty flavour and those beautiful amber flecks, before short-grain baldo rice and hot stock go in.
The secret to grains that stand apart, tane tane as Turks say, is threefold: soak the rice in hot salted water to remove surface starch, never stir once the lid goes on, and let the pilaf rest under a tea towel for ten minutes after cooking. Follow those three rules and you will never serve sticky rice again.
Baldo rice, Turkish orzo and vermicelli, and proper butter are all part of the Turkish Online Market grocery range with UK-wide delivery — everything you need for a pilaf worthy of a Sunday table. Serve it with a cold glass of ayran or a bowl of garlicky yoghurt.
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