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Pilaf

Ready in 30 mins

Recipe by Graham 

The English term Pilaf is borrowed directly from Turkish, which in turn comes from Classical Persian, Urdu and Hindi. Many people spell it Pilaff.

Do I care? Not a bit... I only know it's a great way to serve rice that is slightly seasoned to add depth.

Preparation Time

10 Minutes

Cooking Time

20 Minutes

Ingredients for Pilaf

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4:

2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 cup long grain rice
1½ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 oz blanched whole almonds
1 oz raisins
1 teaspoon salt
3 tomatoes

How to Cook Pilaf

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pan, then add the rice, the water and the salt. Bring to the boil, cover tightly and simmer for about 15 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
  2. Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion, peel and finely slice the garlic and skin, deseed and chop the tomatoes. Heat the other tablespoon of oil in another pan, add the onions, garlic and almonds and fry on a medium heat until they are a golden brown. Add the raisins and chopped tomato flesh and cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Transfer the rice to a warmed serving dish, flaking with a fork to separate the grains. Pour the onion and tomato mix from the other pan over the top and mix with a fork until well blended. Serve hot.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
To remove the skin from a tomato, place it in very hot water (close to boiling) for about one minute. Remove the tomato from the water and you'll find that the skin peels away easily, leaving the flesh perfectly intact.