The term pilaf, or pilau, is used to talk about a cooking method and the resulting dish. As a cooking method, it involves sauteing onion in butter or oil, adding uncooked rice, and then cooking it all in a broth, usually with chicken or fish, until all the water has been absorbed.
As a dish, the word pilaf is most often used to refer to rice prepared according to the method described above, although you can also make wheat pilaf.
The pilaf method is similar to the steaming method; however, the rice or grain is first sautéed, often with aromatics, before any liquid is added. For this reason, pilafs are highly flavorful. Pilafs frequently contain added ingredients to create a more substantial meal.
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(With risotto, after sautéing the onion and rice, hot stock is stirred into the rice a ladle-full at a time, rather than adding it all at once.)
Pilaf is one of those culinary words that refers both to the cooking method and to the food that is cooked by that method. Another is risotto, which by sheer coincidence happens to be another rice dish.
In fact, the pilaf and risotto methods are rather similar. They have more in common with each other than either one has with the standard boiling method of cooking rice, where rice goes in the pot with cold water, you bring it to a boil, cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed.
In both the pilaf and risotto methods, we first sauté some finely minced onion in butter or oil, then add the uncooked rice and sauté it until it until it gives off a faint nutty aroma. For pilaf, we then add hot stock, cover, and transfer to the oven where it cooks until the liquid is absorbed.
Cooking rice via the pilaf method gives you a firmer grain and develops additional flavor through the sautéing. It also helps keep the grains separate and generally results in rice thats less sticky than the regular kind.
Where Does Pilaf Come From?
Experts believe that pilaf was created either in India or Iran. Thanks to the Arab conquests during the Abassid dynasty (750 CE-1258 CE), the dish gained popularity across a vast territory that stretched from India to Spain. This explains why some consider Spanish paella, another iconic rice dish, a variation of pilaf.
The word “pilaf” itself entered the English language 19th century from Turkish, which in turn had adopted it from the Persians.
Rice pilaf: A simple and tasty side dish
FAQ
What is the meaning of pilaf?
What is the pilaf method equivalent to?
What is the difference between the absorption method and pilaf method?
What liquid is most often used to cook rice by the pilaf method?
What is the simplest version of pilaf?
Although thousands of variations on pilaf exist, from Turkey to Turkmenistan, taking in the plovs of central Asia and the pilaus of the Indian subcontinent, adding meat, fruit and vegetables, even substituting the rice for bulghur wheat, I’ve restricted myself to the simplest version. Lightly spiced, fluffy rice, with a crunchy toasted bottom.
What kind of rice do you use to make a pilaf?
To make this classic Rice Pilaf Recipe you will need some butter, rice, onions, garlic, a lemon and some pine nuts. Long-grain rice – We recommend using a Basmati Rice OR the brand Rice Select Texmati Rice is a great buy. We have found the Texmati Rice has very consistent results.
How do you make a good pilaf?
To make the best rice according to Turkish people, one must rinse the rice, cook in butter, then add the water and let it sit until it soaks all the water. This results in a pilaf that is not sticky and every single rice grain falls off of the spoon separately. Lithuanian pilaf is often referred to as plovas.
Where did the pilaf technique come from?
The first descriptions of the pilaf technique appear in the 13th-century Arabic books Kitab al-Tabikh and Kitab al-Witsla ila al Habib, written in Baghdad and Syria, respectively. They show the technique in its entirety, including the cloth beneath the lid, and describe still-current flavourings such as meat, pulses, and fruit.