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Author Archive | Ozlem Warren

Turkish style rice pilaf with orzo or vermicelli – Sehriyeli Pirinc Pilavı

By on December 13, 2023 in Pilafs and Rice 2

Pilaf, or pilav as we call, is an important dish for us, Turks. It accompanies almost every Turkish meal, including our casseroles, meatballs. The iconic Turkish bean stew, kuru fasulye is always served with pilav, the combination referred as “kuru fasulye – pilav”. Combined with chickpeas, Nohutlu Pilav is another delicious variation and a much loved street food- a meal in itself with pickles, tursu aside.

Turks are passionate about making pilav. Proper Turkish pilav needs to be grainy, “tane tane pilav” as we say, and mastering to make it properly is a real test, traditionally, for a Turkish lady before marriage. Rinsing then soaking the rice in warm water is an important stage, as it helps to get rid of excess starch and make the rice grainy. We also use either chopped vermicelli like tel sehriye or orzo like arpa sehriye which is sautéed in our rice, which adds additional texture and flavour.  Short grain baldo rice is the preferred choice in Turkiye, though I prefer the more widely available long grain rice. Make sure to let your rice rest for 10 minutes, covered with sturdy paper towel and lid, before serving – paper towel will absorb any excess moisture and make your rice grainy, “tane tane.”

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Turkish style rice pilaf with orzo or vermicelli – Sehriyeli Pirinc Pilavı
 
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Pilaf, or pilav as we call, is an important dish for us, Turks. It accompanies almost every Turkish meal, including our casseroles, meatballs. The iconic Turkish bean stew, kuru fasulye is always served with pilav, the combination referred as “kuru fasulye - pilav”. Combined with chickpeas, Nohutlu Pilav is another delicious variation and a much loved street food- a meal in itself with pickles, tursu aside. Turks are passionate about making pilav. Proper Turkish pilav needs to be grainy, “tane tane pilav” as we say, and mastering to make it properly is a real test, traditionally, for a Turkish lady before marriage. Rinsing then soaking the rice in warm water is an important stage, as it helps to get rid of excess starch and make the rice grainy. We also use either chopped vermicelli like tel sehriye or orzo like arpa sehriye which is sautéed in our rice, which adds additional texture and flavour. Short grain baldo rice is the preferred choice in Turkiye, though I prefer the more widely available long grain rice. Make sure to let your rice rest for 10 minutes, covered with sturdy paper towel and lid, before serving – paper towel will absorb any excess moisture and make your rice grainy, “tane tane.” Afiyet Olsun.
Author:
Recipe type: Pilaf, vegetarian, vegan
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Ingredients
  • 200g long grain rice
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 3tbsp orzo (or tel sehriye, chopped vermicelli)
  • 420ml hot water
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Place the rice in a strainer and rinse under running warm water, until the water runs clear. Then place the rice in a bowl and cover with warm water with a pinch of salt and set aside for 15 minutes – this will help get rid of the excess starch.
  2. Pour in the olive oil in a medium size pot and stir in the orzo or tel sehriye, vermicelli, sauté over medium to high heat for 3-4 minutes, until it starts to turn dark golden. Drain the excess water in the rice bowl using a strainer and stir the rice into the pot. Stir and combine for 1 – 1 ½ minutes, so that the rice grains coat with the oil too.
  3. Stir in hot water, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix to combine. Cover, bring the pot to the boil, and then turn the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, covered; during this cooking time, do not stir the rice. Turn the heat off once the rice is cooked and water is absorbed. Now place 2 sturdy paper towels or clean tea towel over the pot and put the lid back on to seal, and leave to rest for 12-15 minutes. The paper towels will absorb any excess moisture and make your rice grainy, “tane tane pilav”, as we say in Turkish. Fluff the rice with a fork, check the seasoning and add more salt or pepper to your paste and serve. We love pilav rice with pickles, tursu and a dollop of yoghurt aside, as well as along with casseroles.
 

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Easy one pan chicken with vegetables – Sebzeli, tavuklu türlü

By on September 18, 2023 in Casseroles and Stews, Gluten-free recipes 0

 

This is another easy, delicious, nutritious one pan dish, perfect for week day meals – leftovers make a lovely lunch or another supper the next day. Türlü is a popular stew of meat and vegetables at home, traditionally cooked on the stovetop, and sometime baked. Green beans, potatoes and peppers are lovely here though you can use other veg in hand – beets, squash, carrots, leeks can be fantastic options for cooler temperatures. Marinating chicken in yoghurt and spices add a lot of flavour and tenderizes chicken – gut friendly too. You can prepare this dish a head of time, it also freezes well.

Another version of this dish, using aubergines and peppers and baked in the oven, Baked aubergine kebab with yoghurt and spices marinated chicken, Patlicanli Kebap, is also at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table. Signed copies are available at this link.

 


Easy one pan chicken with vegetables – Sebzeli, tavuklu türlü
 
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This is another easy, delicious, nutritious one pan dish, perfect for week day meals – leftovers make a lovely lunch or another supper the next day. Türlü is a popular stew of meat and vegetables at home, traditionally cooked on the stovetop, and sometime baked. Green beans, potatoes and peppers are lovely here though you can use other veg in hand – beets, squash, carrots, leeks can be fantastic options for cooler temperatures. Marinating chicken in yoghurt and spices add a lot of flavour and tenderizes chicken – gut friendly too. You can prepare this dish a head of time, it also freezes well.
Author:
Recipe type: One pan stews
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • Chicken marinade:
  • 800g chicken breast, cut in 4cm chunks
  • 3 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp pul biber
  • 1 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp pepper paste, biber salcasi
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • For the rest:
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut in small – 2 cm – chunks
  • 1 medium potato, cleaned, halved and thinly sliced (1/2 cm thick)
  • 250 g green beans, trimmed
  • For the sauce:
  • 1 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
  • 170 ml water
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. First marinade the chicken. Place all marinade ingredients in a bowl and with clean hands, combine well. Cover and keep in the fridge for 30 minutes (or more, if you can).
  2. Pour 2 tbsp olive oil in a large wide pan and stir in the marinated chicken. Sauté for about 6 minutes over medium to high, stirring often, to seal the juices of the chicken. Remove the chicken to a plate, keep the oil in the pan.
  3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the pan and stir in the onions, peppers, potato. Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 6-7 minutes over medium to high heat. Now return the chicken to the pan and combine well for a minute. Also introduce the green beans to the pan and mix well.
  4. Combine sauce ingredients in a jug, mix well for the tomato paste to dissolve. Pour over to the pan, season with salt and pepper, combine well. Cover, bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 35-40 minutes, until everything is cooked and sauce thickened.
  5. Serve hot with drizzle of extra – virgin olive oil over and some rice or chunks of bread aside. Cacik dip of yoghurt and cucumber goes well with this dish too.
 

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Chicken, vegetables and bean stew – Sebzeli tavuklu türlü

By on June 7, 2023 in Casseroles and Stews 0

This chicken, vegetables and bean stew is a delicious and easy all in one pot, versatile meal. I used courgettes, peppers, chard in mine, though you can use other vegetables in hand – aubergines, runner beans, kale or spinach would be lovely here too. Türlü is our traditional stew, where vegetables and sometimes meat are cooked together over stove top or baked, with spices, tomato and sometimes pepper paste (though optional, biber salcasi, Turkish pepper paste add oodles of flavour; if you prefer a milder flavour, you can substitute with an additional tablespoon of double concentrated tomato paste). I always keep good quality precooked dried beans and chickpeas in my pantry and add to my stew and casseroles – they not only add extra layer of flavour and wholesomeness but make your stew go further too. You can prepare this stew ahead and it freezes well. Simply omit meat for vegetarian option and replace with more beans or perhaps small chunks of potatoes.

You can serve this delicious Türlü with Cucumber and yoghurt Cacik dip and Bulgur pilaf with caramalised onions from Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book; signed copies available here.

Chicken, vegetables and bean stew – Sebzeli tavuklu türlü
 
Print
This chicken, vegetables and bean stew is a delicious and easy all in one pot, versatile meal. I used courgettes, peppers, chard in mine, though you can use other vegetables in hand – aubergines, runner beans, kale or spinach would be lovely here too. Türlü is our traditional stew, where vegetables and sometimes meat are cooked together over stove top or baked, with spices, tomato and sometimes pepper paste (though optional, biber salcasi, Turkish pepper paste add oodles of flavour; if you prefer a milder flavour, you can substitute with an additional tablespoon of double concentrated tomato paste). I always keep good quality precooked dried beans and chickpeas in my pantry and add to my stew and casseroles – they not only add extra layer of flavour and wholesomeness but make your stew go further too. You can prepare this stew ahead and it freezes well. Simply omit meat for vegetarian option and replace with more beans or perhaps small chunks of potatoes.
Author:
Recipe type: Chicken and vegetable stew
Cuisine: Turkish cuisine
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 700g skinless chicken breast fillets, cut into 6x4cm chunks
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 medium courgettes, trimmed and sliced into 1cm width circles
  • 3 pointy or 2 red bell peppers, deseeded, cut into 2cm chunks
  • 100g chard or kale, cut into 2cm slices
  • 2tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
  • 1tbsp Turkish red pepper paste, biber salcasi (optional)
  • 200g chopped tomato in can
  • 400g/ 1 can of pre-cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1tsp pul biber
  • 4tbsp olive oil
  • 350ml water
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Pour 2 tbsp olive oil over a wide pan and stir in the chicken, tomato paste, pepper paste, cumin and pul biber. Season with salt and ground black pepper and combine the chicken pieces with the pastes and seasoning. Sauté over high heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring continuously, which helps seal the juices and lightly browns the chicken. Then place the chicken on a plate and leave the remaining marinade in the pan.
  2. Pour in the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil into the pan and stir in the onions, courgette and peppers. Sauté over high heat for 8 minutes, combining with the lovely marinade left in the pan, stirring often. The vegetables will soften and shrink in size at the end of this period. Stir in the chard and 150ml of the water and cook further 3 minutes, stirring often.
  3. Stir the chicken back into the pan, along with the chopped tomato and the remaining 200ml water, season and combine well. Cover, bring to the boil then turn the heat to low and simmer for 35 minutes.
  4. Stir in the rinsed cooked beans, combine well. Cover and simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve warm with Cacik dip of yoghurt with cucumbers and with rice or bulgur pilaf aside.
  5. Afiyet Olsun.
 

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