Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Turkish Tomato Rice - Domatesli Pilav



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Most Turkish food is mildly flavored and this lovely tomato rice is no exception. It lends beautiful color to a plate and it is a perfect foil to those dishes that are more highly spiced. It is wonderful accompaniment for Turkish meatballs, chops and kebabs. I have, of course, returned from our trip with recipes and cookbooks galore and have three possible versions of this dish on hand. I've chosen the easiest of them to share with you in order to keep translation to a minimum. Metric conversion is not the problem. Most Turkish recipes are written in the same way our grandmother's recipes were written and it is commonplace to see measurements given in forms that can bedevil an unsuspecting cook. A recipe may call for a tea cup of this or a coffee cup or glass of that. Then there is the distinction between the spoon, tea spoon, soup spoon and dessert spoon, each of which designates a unique quantity. At first, I thought it would be fun to post these recipes as they were written, but then realized the humor would be fleeting and your patience short-lived. So, I'll be translating the recipes I share with you and use measurements that you are more familiar with. Believe it or not, some of my new cookbooks actually have conversion tables to assist in this task. That's how I know a Turkish tea cup is equal to 4/5 of an American measuring cup, but only 2/3 of a British breakfast cup. I won't even go into the spoon thing because the conversion tables are contradictory. Fortunately, I brought home a complete set of Turkish spoons and will use them when there is confusion. The food makes all of this worthwhile and there are truly glories that come from the Turkish kitchen. I know those of you who try this recipe will really like this rice. Here's how it is made.

Turkish Tomato Rice - Domatesli Pilav...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Neset Eren

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups long grain rice
Salt to taste
4 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped
6 tablespoons butter
2-1/2 cups beef or chicken broth
Pepper to taste
Directions:
1) Place rice in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon salt and cover with hot water. Stir and allow to cool. Once it's cool, drain and set aside.
2) Cook tomatoes in butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan, stirring occasionally until a paste forms, about 30 minutes. Stir constantly towards end of cooking to prevent tomatoes from burning. Add broth, salt, and pepper, and boil for 2 minutes. Add rice while the broth is still boiling. Stir once, then cover and cook on high heat, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Turn heat down to low, keep covered, and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and discard tomato skins with a slotted spoon. Place a cloth napkin over saucepan, and then recover pan with lid. Let it sit, covered, for 40 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish. Yield: 6 servings.









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28 comments :

Ginny Hartzler said...

So pretty, and so easy! I had no idea that Turkish meals were ,mildly flavored.

Chiara said...

Turkish cuisine such as Greek cuisine is rich in flavor, I love them both! This rice is very versatile and can be served as an accompaniment to many dishes, thanks for sharing it, I wish you a good day Mary...

Anonymous said...

I know pilav ,we make it a lot in our home country.It is absolutely delicious;)

Simple cake recipes said...

looks lovely and I'm sure it's very tasty!

Alessandra said...

I rarely use cups, so difficult as they change size in many countries, so thank you for the conversion :-), and the rice looks delicious!

Ciao
Alessandra

Alicia Foodycat said...

This sounds so delicious! And I have all the ingredients in the house too!

jaz@octoberfarm said...

i can't wait to try this. thanks for the recipe!

JasmyneTea said...

That's really interesting, that a Turkish cup is only 4/5 of a cup. Love your recipe, I'll use it as a side dish :)

Unknown said...

Looks and sounds divine! I know I have said this before, but I really love finding new ways to be creative with rice! Thanks for sharing!

scrout1944@msn.com said...

That photo is ravishing! I suppose this is the sort of thing that every Turkish person puts his/her on spin on.

Kim said...

This is a great rice recipe to serve with lots of great meals, yummy!

What's Baking?? said...

I know what you mean about the measurement in tea cups etc. My late mom used that method and will always tell us to add in a certain amount of ingredients in tea cups, soup bowls, a handful of this and that. And amazingly, her cooks and her bakes always turned out to be perfect..! Your tomato pilaf looks lovely!

ucubakery said...

Very nice.
Turkis Tomato Rice
..can try you receipe
Already add your blog at my blog list..
TQ

David said...

Mary, We like rice served and flavored in many varieties... Thanks for the recipe! Glad you missed the earthquake in Turkey! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Barbara F. said...

Mary, this sounds so good, I can't wait to try it. I am also thinking of the people in Turkey where the earthquake hit, and so glad you are home! ((hugs)) xo

Only Fish Recipes said...

looks so colorful and amazing...loved it absolutely !

Kat said...

Looks great and easy too. Have a great day.

Andi said...

Hi Mary this is andi at the wednesday baker will you stop over please I have an award for you and your blogs. Thanks, andi

Susan Lindquist said...

This is such a pretty rice ... love that you have it molded onto such a pretty plate too! Mild sides like these are perfect for a spicier meat dish or a stew of spicy vegetables! Very nice post, Mary!

Bam's Kitchen said...

Dear Mary, You were one of the very first food writers I have met and you continue to inspire me. I always enjoy following your food explorations and your writing and of course all of your beautiful pictures. Take Care

SKIP TO MALOU said...

this is an interesting post. I don't remember having any Turkish dish yet. But I'm glad to know that the ingredients for this rice are basic/common ingredients, then probably I could come up with my first Turkish dish.
Thanks for the conversions that you've made here.
I hope you are having a wonderful week Mary!
Malou

Joanne said...

I think teh conversions would end up driving me crazy before I could even cook anything but I"m so glad you're doing the transcribing for us! This pilaf sounds delicious. The perfect vibrant side dish!

Alicia said...

Haha! Your post itself was so funny with comparison of all the different cups!

This recipe sounds very much like how we make Mexican rice, only we don't mold it like that, but I'm sure it could be done.

Looking forward to seeing what other recipes you've picked up on your travels!

Rachel said...

I just posted a tomato rice and am amazed how different regions adapt it to their region.

That Girl said...

The measurements are actually really interesting and reveal a lot about the culinary history of turkey,

Anna's kitchen table said...

Fantastic photo!

Claudia said...

You're sending my to the grocery store. I love the mildness, the color and always the rice. The measurements remind me of old recipes I have - such a connection we all share if we look.

Unknown said...

Want to cook the Turkish tomato rice but how much is one and a half cups of rice, and two and a half cups of chicken broth ?

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