Authentic Rice Pilaf Recipes

GRANDMA'S ARMENIAN RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Soak rice in a bowl of water for 10 minutes. Drain.
• Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add vermicelli; cook and stir until brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add rice; cook and stir until combined, about 1 minute. Pour into boiling broth. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Season rice with salt and pepper; fluff with a fork.

PERFECT RICE PILAF RECIPE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, add the chicken broth, butter, salt, garlic powder, pepper, paprika, and onion powder. Once the mixture starts to simmer, reduce to low heat.
• In a large skillet set over medium-low heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the vermicelli and cook until brown, about 4-6 minutes. Add the rice and cook until it turns bright white, about 5-7 minutes.
• Pour the warm broth mixture into the skillet, stir to combine. Once the mixture simmers, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the cover, add the parsley, cover and continue cooking for 5 minutes or until all of the broth is absorbed. Serve immediately.

RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Lightly grease casserole dish with butter or cooking spray and set aside.
• Add butter to large skillet over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add rice and stir well. Cooking, stirring frequently, until rice is lightly browned.
• Pour chicken broth into skillet. Stir to incorporate, then bring to boil. Once rice mixture begins to boil, transfer mixture to greased casserole dish.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil and place in oven. Bake 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, remove casserole dish from oven and uncover. Add celery, parsley, carrots, and sliced almonds. Season with pepper to taste, then stir well to distribute ingredients.
• Cover dish with foil and return dish to oven, baking another 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, remove dish from oven and uncover. If desired, squeeze lemon juice over pilaf then stir to incorporate. Garnish pilaf with additional sliced almonds (optional) and serve immediately.

EASY PILAF

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare a 1 quart baking dish with butter.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the onion in the butter until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the rice; cook until the rice is slightly golden. Pour in the chicken broth. Season with the salt. Simmer another 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the broth is completely absorbed, 35 to 40 minutes. Fluff with a fork to serve.

PLOV

Steps:

• Place the basmati rice in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside.
• Wash the garlic heads. Cut the top of the heads (¼ inch / 5 mm). Set aside.
• Toast cumin, coriander seeds and peppercorns in a pan for a few minutes.
• Grind in a mortar or spice grinder. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Add the lamb, turning occasionally until the lamb is evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the lamb pieces and set aside.
• Stir in onions and cook, until onion is soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in carrots and cook, until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add the lamb and mix.
• Sprinkle the mixture of cumin, coriander, peppercorns and add the barberries.
• Add the whole garlic heads, stirring to distribute the ingredients. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• Wash and drain the basmati rice in hot water. Pour the rice over the lamb mixture in an even layer.
• Slowly pour the boiling water (or vegetable broth). The rice should be covered with about ½ inch of water. Do not stir.
• Season with salt and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.
• Mix the ingredients as you serve the dish on a platter. Garnish with the garlic heads.

RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Add rice to a fine mesh strainer or colander and rinse really well, until the water runs clear. Set aside to drain.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until lightly golden. Add onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until onion has softened.
• Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover pot with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat to a simmer. (Do not ever remove the lid from the pot during cooking!) Cook for 15-18 minutes. Remove pot from heat and allow to rest, with the lid still on, for 10 minutes.,
• Remove lid and gently fluff the rice with a fork. Gently stir in chopped parsley.

ANN'S RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Dissolve chicken bouillon in water in a bowl.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir vermicelli pieces until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Pour bouillon mixture into the skillet with the vermicelli.
• Stir rice, black pepper, salt, and Greek seasoning into the vermicelli mixture and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

VERMICELLI RICE PILAF

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add vermicelli; cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Add rice, broth, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes., Fluff with a fork. If desired, top with chives.

CLASSIC RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until onion is lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Combine rice and onion mixture in a 9x13-inch casserole dish placed on a baking sheet. Stir thoroughly to coat the rice.
• Combine chicken stock, salt, saffron, and cayenne pepper in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Pour chicken stock mixture over rice in the casserole dish and stir to combine. Spread mixture evenly along the bottom of the pan. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove foil and fluff with a fork to separate the grains of rice.

GREEK STYLE RICE RECIPE (GREEK PILAF)

Steps:

• Peel and chop the onion into small chunks then peel and mince the garlic.
• Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large saute pan/ deep frying pan (Use one you have a lid for)
• Add in the onions and cook over low heat for 4-5 minutes until soft, Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
• Pour in the rice and stir to coat in the olive and onion mixture.
• Add the zest and juice of one lemon, the dried oregano and then pour in the hot vegetable broth.
• Bring to a simmer then cover and cook for 15 minutes over low heat.
• Once the time is done, remove the pan from the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes.
• Once this time is done, remove the lid and squeeze over the juice of the remaining lemon.
• Taste the rice for salt, then garnish with your fresh herbs and finish with extra virgin olive oil and plenty of black pepper and salt if needed.

UZBEK BEEF PLOV - RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Trim any excess fat off the beef and cut into bite-sized pieces. Heat a large non-stick pot or dutch oven over high heat. Add the cooking oil. Once oil is hot add the beef and sear uncovered for about 7 minutes until meat is nicely browned. Stir often.
• Turn heat to medium and add chopped onion. Cook for about 5 minutes until onions soften.
• Stir in carrot matchsticks (you could shred the carrots but the matchstick size leaves more bite and texture), 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin and bay leaves and cook for another 5 minutes until carrots soften.
• Add 1 3/4 cups of boiling water, cover and simmer over medium low heat for 45 minutes until the meat is soft.
• In the meantime using a strainer rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear (this is essential for fluffy rice otherwise you risk ending up with sticky rice mush). Spread the rice over the meat, sprinkle with 1 1/2 tsp salt and add 4 cups of boiling water (do NOT stir!). Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Once boiling reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered until most of the water is absorbed (10 minutes).
• Cut the bottom off the garlic head to expose the cloves. Press garlic head into the center of the rice. Sprinkle the rice with 1 tsp coriander. Poke 8-10 holes into the rice to let the steam to escape and cover. Turn heat to low and cook until rice is soft.
• Remove garlic and bay leaves, stir gently to combine everything. Serve (with dill pickles) and enjoy!

BASMATI RICE PILAF WITH INDIAN SPICES AND RAITA

Steps:

• Wash rice by rinsing in cold water. Then soak in cold water for about 30 minutes. Drain.
• In a large nonstick saute pan over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add onion and cook, stirring, until onion is tender. Add garlic, and saute for about a minute. Add cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Saute for another minute and add the rice. Saute until rice is translucent and begins to brown. Add water, bay leaf and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partly covered, for about 10 minutes. Most of the water will evaporate and steam holes will show through rice.
• Add peas, but do not stir. Cover tightly and let simmer for 5 minutes more. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, covered.
• Prepare the raita: In a bowl whisk together the yogurt, cucumber, mint, cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper.
• Uncover the pilaf, season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon stick. Turn pilaf out onto a serving platter and pour half of the raita over rice. Pass remaining raita.

LEMONY GREEK RICE PILAF (PILAFI) RECIPE WITH CHICKEN LEGS

Steps:

• To prepare this Greek rice pilaf recipe with chicken legs, start by washing thoroughly the chicken legs and pat them dry with some kitchen paper. Drizzle the chicken legs with olive oil, season well with salt and pepper and rub using your hands.
• Heat a large pan over medium high heat and place the chicken legs inside. Let them colour and cook for about 6 minutes on each side, until the skin is nicely coloured and crispy. Remove the chicken legs from the pan and set side.
• Now it's time to prepare the Greek rice pilaf. In the same pan add 1-2 tbsps olive oil and the chopped onions and sauté until soft. Add the butter and rice and sauté the rice until translucent. Pour in the chicken stock and lemon juice and deglaze. Add the chicken legs (skin side up) and season well with salt and pepper.
• Place the lid on, turn the heat down and simmer the Greek rice pilaf for about 15 minutes, until the chicken and rice are cooked and all the liquid has been absorbed.
• Finish off the Greek rice pilaf with a last minute squeeze of lemon juice, crumbled feta cheese and freshly ground pepper. Enjoy!

AUTHENTIC RICE PILAF

Steps:

• Melt butter in 2 qt saucepan.
• Crumble vermacelli and add to melted butter.
• Saute until vermacelli is golden brown.
• Add rice, broth, water.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to simmer.
• Cover and cook for 25 minutes.
• DO NOT PEEK!