Auntie's Armenian Rice Pilaf
photo by Boomette
- Ready In:
- 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 6
- Yields:
-
4 cups
- Serves:
- 6
ingredients
- 1⁄4 cup butter
- 1⁄2 cup vermicelli
- 1 cup rice
- 2 1⁄2 cups low sodium chicken broth, preferably homemade, heated till boiling
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground pepper
directions
- In 2-qt. heavy saucepan with tight-fitting lid, melt butter over medium heat until foam subsides.
- Add vermicelli noodles and saute until dark and reddish in color.
- Stir in rice and saute in butter until rice is fragrant and nutty in aroma.
- Raise heat to medium-high; pour in boiling chicken broth and stir.
- Add salt and pepper, tasting a bit of the broth to ensure desired seasoning.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to keep broth at a simmer and cook for exactly 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, remove cover and taste a few grains of rice for doneness. If still a bit hard, replace cover and cook for two additional minutes.
- When rice is tender, remove pot from heat. Place a paper napkin directly on top of the pilaf and replace cover; let sit undisturbed for 5 minutes.
- After rest-time has elapsed, remove cover, discard the paper napkin, and stir the pilaf before serving.
Reviews
-
This was excellent. The quality of the broth really makes all the difference with a recipe like this. I used a full-flavored chicken/pork broth that was left after cooking a pork roast. I left out the salt and pepper as it wasn't needed with the broth I used. Served with chicken, this was a lovely lunch today. Thanks for sharing!
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Tweaks
-
After making this a few times, I started doing the the following: I use orzo a lot simply because they never have vermicelli at my grocery store, but always have orzo. Sometimes I put a little Turmeric in the broth to enhance the color. (1/4 to 1/2 tsp). It gives the rice a very nice color, and gives a bit of depth to the flavor.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Rosie Posie 88
Northridge, 43
<p>I'm a mom of two teenage daughters, married to a great man for 26 years now, but he has huge dietary issues, so I'm always looking for ways to get around his restrictions (can't eat garlic, onions, cabbage, broccoli, spicy foods, the list goes on and on). Been cooking since I was 5, love recipes, food, drink, and everything having to do with it. I'm a former librarian, and still find the smell of books intoxicating. I listen to music all the time when I cook, love 'Taste of Home' magazine, and believe the simplest foods are the best.</p>