Turkish rice is fluffy, buttery, rich and very tasty, perfect with roasted meats and vegetables dishes.
Turkish rice is a wonderful fluffy rice with a slightly nutty flavour. It absorbs flavours well making it a perfect accompaniment for meats, stews, vegetables (including stuffed vegetables), salads and alongside Turkish yogurt, cacik.
It is very easy to make, requiring the same amount of time to cook as basmati rice.
We love this rice because it is so tasty and has a very satisfying texture.
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Selecting the right rice
So what kind of rice should you use?
In Turkey, pilav is most commonly made using Baldo rice. This is a plump short grain rice, similar to the Italian Arborio or risotto rice, but with a shorter cooking time.
If you cannot find Baldo, Arborio rice will work just as well. It holds its shape well when cooked – also making it ideal stirred into soup.
Sauté rice in butter
Many years ago I found a tatty old Turkish cookbook which suggested sautéing the rice first in butter. It creates a wonderful nutty aroma and the grains remain fluffy without sticking together.
I have been using this technique ever since and it makes a perfect bowl of rice every time!
How to cook baldo rice
Baldo rice absorbs more water than basmati, so use double the amount of water to rice. Use the ratio of 1:2 rice to water.
For 1 cup Baldo rice, use 2 cups water
Turkish rice should not be sticky so rinse the rice till the water runs clear to remove the starch. This will prevent it from becoming sticky.
How to prepare it
This recipe uses Orzo pasta, but you could use small strand vermicelli.
Note: vermicelli needs to roast for half the time and be careful as it burns quickly.
- Brown the orzo in the butter and oil taking care not to let it burn, then add the drained rice.
- Sauté the rice till it changes colour and the grains are coated in butter then add hot water and salt.
- Stir, cover and simmer over a low flame for 10 minutes. While the rice is cooking do not remove the lid and do not stir.
- Remove from the heat and keep the lid on so it continues to steam for another 10 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork before serving.
Serving
Serve warm with Turkish Kuru Kofte meatballs, or this tasty Lamb and Eggplant dish.
Storing leftovers
Turkish rice will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir into soup, mix with salads or serve warm with meat or vegetable dishes.
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Recipe
Turkish Rice – Sehriyeli Pilav
Ingredients
- butter - Add ½ tablespoon more if you like it very buttery. 1 tablespoon
- olive oil 1 teaspoon
- orzo pasta - ¼ cup 50 g
- baldo rice - 2 cups, or Arborio rice, rinsed and drained 400 g
- water - 4 cups, freshly boiled or chicken stock 950 ml
- salt - adjust according to taste if using stock 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan on low-medium heat in and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Stir in 50 g orzo pasta and cook for 1 minute till it darkens very slightly (be careful not to let it burn).
- Add 400 g baldo rice and stir till it is lightly golden and the rice is coated in butter.
- Pour in 950 ml water or liquid, add 1 teaspoon salt and stir. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Do not uncover and do not stir during this time.
- Remove from heat, keep the lid on and leave it to rest for 5 mins. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Notes
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Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically per serving and accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
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Sovery says
Recipe description said “Use the ratio of 1:2 rice to water.”, but actual recipe said “400 grams baldo rice 2 cups” and then “950 millilitres water 2 cups”.
Is that because you are converting the gram amount of rice into milliliters or converting the milliliter amount of water into grams?
If so, it may be a bit confusing for some of us (namely, me – haha!)
Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Nicole Shroff says
Hi Sovery, you will need double the amount of water to rice so that would be: 2 cups rice to 4 cups water or 400g rice to 950ml water. I hope that helps.
Lynn Masuhara says
can you use a rice cooker for this recipe?
Nicole Shroff says
Yes Turkish rice can be made in a rice cooker.
Paul says
My go to rice recipie for most Mediterranean recipies now esp Turkish Greek or serve with Ratatouille. Brilliant!
Nicole Shroff says
Thanks so much for your lovely comment, that’s so nice to hear!
Nejat says
soak rise in salted boiled water for about 20 minutes .1 tea soon salt good amount. baldo rise 1 cup rise 1 /2 boiled water . also when you cook first 4 minute high heat ,than 4 minute medium heat ,than 10 munity very low heat .rest 20 minute. other wise I like your recipe. WELL DONE
Ramona says
We absolutely love this rice and my kids always order extra whenever we go out to Turkish restaurants. It’s simply delish. Great to have the recipe to make it the right way at home now.
Nicole says
Thanks Ramona, it’s so tasty and has a great texture. I hope you find Baldo rice near you.
Lesli says
This really sounds delicious! I’m going to try out this Turkish rice recipe for sure!
Nicole says
Thanks Lesli, I hope you like it
Amanda says
Love how easy to follow this recipe is! Thanks for sharing!
Nicole says
Thanks Amanda, so easy and really tasty!
Sasha says
My rice always ends up extremely sticky and soggy. I have tried making it on several occasions. I use Baldo rice that I bought, and for 2 cups rice I used 3 cups hot water. I sauted the rice in butter and did everything to the T but for some reason I just have really bad luck 🙁
Nicole Shroff says
I’m sorry to hear that Sasha. I notice you use 2 cups of rice to 3 water. I use a 1:2 ratio of rice to water/stock, as Baldo rice tends to absorb more water than a rice like Basmati. After adding the liquid, I only stir it once and then cover and leave it to cook for 10 minutes on a medium-low heat. By this stage it might still be slightly moist so allowing it to rest for a further 5 minutes gives a fluffy rice. Let me know how you get on.
Caroline says
I’ve had something similar to this, if not this dish itself, from local food trucks and agree it’s a tasty base to your main. Must see if I can find any Baldo rice!
Nicole says
Thanks Caroline, it absorbs flavours of accompanying dishes so well. I hope you manage to find some Baldo rice.
Beth says
Rice is one of my favorite side dishes! This rice looks extra fluffy!
Nicole says
Yup, fluffy with a really satisfying texture, so good!