Turkish Wedding Pilaf Dugun Pilav Recipes

RICE WITH TOMATOES (TURKISH DOMATESLI PILAV)

Steps:

• Place rice in a bowl, add 1 tablespoon salt, and cover with hot water; stir and let sit until cooled; drain and set aside.
• In a heavy skillet, cook tomatoes in butter, stirring over medium heat, until it forms a paste, about 30 minutes.
• Add broth, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 2 minutes.
• Add rice, stir once, cover and cook on high heat, without stirring, for 5 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and cook until rice absorbs all the broth, about 15 minutes; remove from heat.
• Uncover, place a napkin over saucepan, replace cover, and leave in a warm place for 40 minutes before serving.

ARMENIAN WEDDING PILAF

Steps:

• Put rice and broth into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer. Cover until the liquid is gone (about 20 min).
• In a saute pan, melt the butter and add the dried fruit and nuts. Be careful not to burn the butter.
• When the rice is done, put it in a large bowl and top it with the fruit and nut mixture.
• Optionally, you may want to toast the nuts in a dry pan to help bring out more of their flavor.

TURKISH SHRIMP PILAF

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large nonstick fry pan.
• Fry the onion, peppers and garlic over low heat for 10 minutes until softened but not browned.
• Add the rice, spices and mint or basil.
• Stir over the heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then add enough water to cover the rice.
• Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until rice is just tender, but still has a little bite to it.
• Add the shrimp, currants and a little salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook for about 4 minutes more, until the shrimp are heated through, then add the lemon juice and chopped parsley.
• Serve pilaf warm or cold with salad greens.

TURKISH PILAF WITH VERMICELLI (SEHRIYELI PILAV)

Steps:

• Wash the rice several times with warm water and drain. Cover the rice with warm water and leave it for 15-20 minutes and drain. If you do not have time for this, just wash the rice and then drain.
• Place the butter and oil in a saucepan or pot and add the vermicelli or orzo. Over low-heat, fry until their color starts changing to golden brown. Do not over fry, take the pot from the stove as soon as you see the golden brown color and add the rice. Then, again place the pot on the stove and stir for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
• Finally, add the hot chicken stock / water (If you leave the rice in water before cooking, use 1 ½ cup hot water otherwise use 2 cups). Add the salt and close the lid and cook over low heat, until the rice absorbs all the water. Meanwhile you can stir once or twice.
• Let the pilaf stand for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
• Pilaf goes well with any kind of dish.
• P.S: You can also add 1 tsp of lemon juice with the water, to make the pilaf shine.

TURKISH WEDDING SOUP (DUGUN CORBASI)

Steps:

• Combine 2 to 2 1/2 pounds either lamb stew meat, neck slices, ribs or shoulder and water in a large kettle. Peel and cut onion into quarters; peel carrot and cut into several pieces. Add to kettle along with salt. Simmer over very low heat for 3 to 4 hours, or until meat falls from the bones. Skim soup frequently. Let cool until fat hardens and skim off all fat. Strain the broth.
• Cut the meat from bones and trim off all fat. Cut meat into 1/2 inch cubes. Discard bones and onion and carrot. Melt butter in a large kettle; stir in flour and brown lightly. Stir in the broth and cook, stirring constantly, until soup thickens slightly.
• Beat egg yolks and lemon juice together. Spoon in a half cup or so of hot soup, mix well and then stir into soup. Add meat cubes and heat just until soup is ready to simmer; do not allow to boil.
• Meanwhile, for garnish, cream together butter and paprika; add a dash of cayenne. Spoon soup into cups or soup plates. Top with creamed butter and paprika. Serve at once. Or chill until very cold and serve cold. Makes 8 to 10 servings for opening course, about 6 whole meal servings. Serve with crisp bread sticks or flat Armenian or Turkish bread, if available.
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