Şehriyeli Pilav (Turkish Butter Rice with Orzo)
شہریلی پلاؤ (سویوں والا ترکی مکھن پلاؤ)
Turkish pilav is very different from a Pakistani pulao. There are no whole spices and no browned onions, just rice, butter, salt and stock, cooked so carefully that every grain is glossy and separate. The most popular version adds a handful of fine noodles (*şehriye*), toasted golden in butter before the rice goes in, which give little brown flecks and a nutty taste. It's the rice served with kuru fasulye, köfte and kebabs.
- ⏱ Total: 50 min
- Prep: 25 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Soak the rice in hot water with a teaspoon of salt for 20 minutes. Drain, then rinse in cold water until the water runs clear. This removes the surface starch that makes rice sticky.
Melt the butter with the oil in a over medium heat. Add the vermicelli and stir constantly for 2–3 minutes until it's an even golden brown.
Add the drained rice and stir gently for 3 minutes, until the grains turn translucent at the edges and are coated in butter.
Pour in the hot stock and salt, stir once, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid, until the liquid is absorbed and small holes appear on top.
Turn off the heat. Lift the lid, lay a clean kitchen towel over the pot, put the lid back on and leave for 10–15 minutes. The towel absorbs steam so the grains stay separate. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Serve with beans, köfte, kebabs or stews.
Kitchen notes
Don't stir once the stock is in. Stirring breaks the grains and releases starch.
The resting stage with the towel (called 'demlendirmek') is what gives Turkish pilav its fluffy texture. Don't skip it.
Pakistani fine seviyan, broken into short pieces, works just like Turkish şehriye.
The side dish of Turkey
In Turkey, pilav is a side, not a centrepiece. It comes with beans, stews, kebabs and köfte, a bit like how plain boiled rice goes with daal in Pakistan, but much richer, with butter and stock. The version with toasted noodles is the most common one in homes and restaurants.
The Turkish method
Soak and rinse. Soaking in hot salted water, then rinsing until clear, removes surface starch. This is the first secret of separate grains.
Toast the noodles, then the rice. Fine vermicelli fried in butter until golden gives colour and a nutty flavour. Stirring the rice in the butter for a few minutes coats each grain, which helps them stay apart.
Measure the liquid. Turkish rice needs about 1½ times its volume; basmati needs a little less.
Rest under a towel. After cooking, a towel under the lid absorbs condensation for 10–15 minutes. It’s a small step that makes a big difference.
Pakistani notes
Basmati works well and gives longer grains than Turkish baldo rice. Fine seviyan, the kind used for sheer khurma, is the perfect substitute for şehriye.
Serving
Serve with kuru fasulye, karnıyarık, izgara köfte or tavuk şiş, with a bowl of yogurt alongside.
Questions people ask
How is Turkish pilav different from Pakistani pulao?
Pakistani pulao is cooked in a spiced meat yakhni with whole spices and browned onions. Turkish pilav is plain: butter, salt and stock, served as a side dish rather than a main.
Can I make it without vermicelli?
Yes. That's plain sade pilav. Use the same method and toast the rice in butter for an extra minute.
Why is my pilav sticky?
The rice wasn't rinsed enough, there was too much water, or it was stirred while cooking.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 330
- Protein
- 6 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
