Pilavs

Pilafs come in many forms and flavours from Turkey all the way east to India. They are essentially rice steamed with any number of different ingredients. At Moro we cook them to accompany simply cooked meat or fish. If you can follow this basic technique, it will open the door to limitless pilav possibilities. Most of the recipes here are Turkish in origin and therefore called ‘pilav’ as opposed to ‘pilaf’.

The way we wash rice for pilav has an element of ritual about it. Put your rice in a bowl and cover with cold water. Rub the rice with your fingertips until the water becomes cloudy with the starch. Strain off the cloudy water and repeat the process three times (or until the water runs clear). Finally pour off the water, replace with warm water and stir in a teaspoon of salt. The rice is then soaked in the fridge for at least 3 hours. The salt stops the rice from breaking up and the soaking reduces the cooking time by half. We have made successful pilavs without soaking the rice, but a little more water and time is needed when it comes to cooking the rice.