Here’s how to make perfect Turkish rice everytime in less than 30 minutes! With easy steps for the most delicious fluffy flavorful rice layered with toasted orzo pasta. Serve with falafel, salad and cacik yogurt dip for the perfect meal!
I absolutely love Turkish food and it's one of my favorite cuisines. I had a Turkish friend in school and loved going to her house afterschool and trying the yummy food her mama would make us. When it comes to rice, it’s actually a staple dish I make every week - my husband actually calls me the "Rice Queen"! I have a Persian background so have grown up eating rice on most days. Now Turkish rice is a little different to Persian rice, but they have many similarities...they both are very fluffy and light but Turkish rice has its own uniqueness to it.
The rice is cooked with broth instead of water, giving it so much flavor and my favorite part are the golden bits of sauteed orzo pasta throughout it, yum! Unfortunately there aren't any Turkish restaurants where I live, so I love to remake dishes such as lentil soup - mercimek corbasi, gozleme and cilbir which are Turkish eggs to name a few.
You can enjoy this delicious rice pilav on the side of any meal really with your favorite protein, stews, and even with grain bowls like my Mediterranean bowl. Whilst I haven't been to Turkey yet, it's definitely on my bucket-list. I made sure to check out a Turkish restaurant during our recent trip to Germany, where there's a large Turkish community and of course ordered this yummy pilaf - see pic below...
Table of Contents
What is Turkish Rice?
Its Turkish name is şehriyeli pilav (şehriye translates to orzo and pilav to rice) and is a staple dish in Turkish cuisine. The rice is traditionally cooked with chicken or vegetable broth giving it extra flavor. It’s also layered with golden toasted orzo pasta for a delicious nutty flavor or sometimes also broken up pieces of toasted vermicelli pasta.
Turkish rice is commonly made with baldo rice which is a short-grain rice with a slightly starchy feel that becomes fluffy and absorbs the flavors. You can substitute with arborio rice or basmati rice which is also popularly used.
Why I love this recipe
- Quick & Easy: With easy steps and made in less than 30 minutes in the one-pot
- Flavorful: Features fluffy grains cooked in vegetable or chicken stock and layered with toasted orzo
- Budget Friendly: Using pantry staples you can achieve a delicious rice dish
- Versatile: Absolutely delicious served alongside any meal or protein
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Rice (pilav) - when it comes to the type of rice, baldo rice is the traditional rice used in Turkish pilaf recipes. It’s a short-grain rice with a slightly starchy feel that cooks up soft, fluffy and absorbs the lovely flavor, similar to arborio rice, which can be substituted. Basmati rice is also commonly used and easier to find. I've used a short-grain basmati rice in my recipe and it works great
- Orzo pasta (sehriye) also known as risoni, is the most important ingredient giving the classic Turkish feel. The orzo pasta actually looks like rice grains however once toasted in oil or butter, they become nutty and golden brown. Many recipes use vermicelli noodles, known as tel şehriye, and break them into short strings before cooking
- Vegetable broth / stock replaces water and adds a rich, savory flavor to the dish. You can also use bouillon stock cubes which everyone always has in their pantry. If you aren't vegetarian/vegan, swap for chicken broth or beef stock
- Extra virgin olive oil helps toast the pasta and coat the rice for the best flavor. Substitute with butter for extra richness
How to make Turkish Rice
This is how to make perfect fluffy Turkish rice everytime in 30 minutes. Follow my simple steps below (note quantities are listed in the recipe card below)
Step 1: Wash the rice 4–5 times until the water runs clear
Step 2: Soak in a bowl of water for 20–30 minutes, then drain (optional, but improves texture)
Step 3: Sauté orzo in olive oil over low-medium heat
Step 4: Stir constantly until it turns golden brown - watch closely, it can burn fast
Step 5: Add the drained rice, increase heat to medium and sauté for 3 minutes
Step 6: Pour in vegetable broth and water, add salt and pepper, and stir. Bring to a light boil
Step 7: Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and cook for 12 minutes
Step 8: Taste for doneness, rice should be soft and tender. If still undercooked, add 2 tablespoons of broth or water and cook a few minutes longer
Step 9: Cover with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel, place the lid on top and let it steam off the heat for 5–10 minutes
Step 10: Fluff with a fork and serve warm with your favorite protein, falafel, or cacik dip
Tips and Tricks
- Always rinse your rice well to remove excess starch. Go a step further and soak the rice for 20 minutes if you have the time for an even better texture
- Keep an eye when toasting the orzo or vermicelli pasta as it can burn very quickly, you want it to be beautiful and golden brown
- For even more flavor, use 100% vegetable or chicken broth instead of one part water
- Stir gently when mixing the rice and pasta to avoid breaking the grains
- Finish cooking the rice, then quickly place a kitchen or paper towel under the lid and allow it to rest. This improves the overall texture along with fluffing the rice with a fork at the end
Storage Instructions
- Store leftover cooked rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days
- Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water or chicken broth to loosen it up, or you can also microwave until warmed through
- Freeze in air tight containers or up to 2 months. Reheat straight from frozen or its best to let it thaw overnight or for a few hours
Serving Suggestions
The options are endless really! Here are some of my favorites:
- Falafel or air-fryer falafel
- Marry me chickpeas
- Red pepper hummus or classic hummus
- Cauliflower steaks
- Mediterranean bowl and Greek bowls
- Honey halloumi and halloumi bites
- Cacik cucumber yogurt dip
- Shirazi salad
- Roasted and steamed vegetables
- Kebab, grilled meats or chicken
FAQs
Turkish rice traditionally use chicken or vegetable broth giving it extra flavor along with toasted orzo pasta for a delicious nutty flavor
Traditionally recipes use baldo rice, but you can also substitute with basmati rice, arborio rice or any long-grain white rice
The brown bits come from toasted orzo pasta sautéed in oil or butter or sometimes from broken up toasted vermicelli noodles
More Turkish Recipes
More Rice Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I love seeing your creations and remakes, so be sure to rate the recipe, comment and share your photo on Instagram so I can share the love!
Recipe
Turkish Rice (Pilaf with Orzo)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups b
lado rice or basmati rice - I've used short grain basmati rice - ⅓ cup orzo pasta / risoni
- 2 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth + 1 cup water (you can also use a bouillon cube)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Wash the rice thoroughly about 4-5 times until the water runs clear and isn't murky anymore
- Soak the rice in a bowl of water for 20-30 minutes - this is optional but recommended for the best texture. Then drain the rice
- In a medium non stick pot, add the olive oil and orzo pasta and saute for a few minutes over low-medium heat, continuously stirring until the orzo becomes a beautiful golden brown color - it can burn quickly so keep your eyes on it
- Add the drained rice, increase to medium heat and saute together for 3 minutes
- Pour in the vegetable broth and water with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir through and wait for liquid to come to a light boil
- Once you see bubbles starting to appear and the water is slightly simmering, place on the lid and reduce to low heat and cook for 12 minutes
- At 12 minutes, remove the lid and taste the rice to ensure its cooked (it should be soft and tender). Place a clean kitchen towel or paper towel over the pot and place the lid back on and allow it to steam for 5-10 minutes off the heat(If the rice isn't cooked or is still crunchy, add 2 tablespoons of water or extra broth and allow it to cook for a few more minutes)
- Once ready, take off the lid, remove the towel and gently fluff the rice with a fork. Serve up your delicious Turkish rice pilaf on the side of your favorite protein or falafel and cacik yogurt dip and enjoy!
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