Cranberry Almond Rice Pilaf Recipe (2025)

FAQs

What makes a pilaf a pilaf? ›

Pilaf (US: /ˈpiːlɑːf/), pilav or pilau ( UK: /ˈpiːlaʊ, piːˈlaʊ/) is a rice dish, usually sautéed, or in some regions, a wheat dish, whose recipe usually involves cooking in stock or broth, adding spices, and other ingredients such as vegetables or meat, and employing some technique for achieving cooked grains that do ...

The main difference between “rice” and “rice pilaf” is the cooking technique. Rice is typically cooked in boiling water without any flavorings added. Rice Pilaf, by definition, is sautéed with aromatics before cooking in broth to create seasoned rice with more defined rice grains.

noun. a Middle Eastern dish consisting of sautéed, seasoned rice steamed in bouillon, sometimes with poultry, meat or shellfish. rice cooked in a meat or poultry broth.

The pilaf technique is important, but to guarantee perfect texture, it's also necessary to use the right kind of rice. The best choice is long-grain white rice.

The general consensus is that pilaf originated in Persia, where it's first mentioned in recorded history. Pilaf follows the migration patterns of ancient Persians through the Middle East, Asia and Europe. From there, colonization brought pilaf to the Americas.

Glycemic response to rice Is low. The glycemic load, or GL (the blood sugar response to a food based on the grams of carbohydrates it contains) for white and brown rice does not raise red flags for carb-concerned eaters.

A cup of rice contains about 250 calories and 53 grams of carbohydrates, putting it ahead of its pasta rival in calories and carbs. Compared to pasta, rice—brown and white—contains far less protein (roughly 2 grams per serving compared to pasta's 8 grams) and fiber (1 gram for brown rice, .

The Bottom Line. Whole grain rice is a nutrient-dense food that is anti-inflammatory and packed full of phytochemicals that combat oxidative stress and help support a healthy gut microbiome.

If your rice has absorbed too much liquid, the grains may have split and the starches may have given the rice a soft, gluey consistency. One way to fix that? Add even more liquid. Pour in some milk, a dash of vanilla, and spoonful of sugar, and suddenly your mushy rice is a rich rice pudding.

Basmati is a go-to choice for pilaf, biryani, plov, the classic Persian dish called chelow and as a base for curry. Jasmine is a top pick for fried rice, com do (Vietnamese red rice) and hung kao mung gati (Thai coconut rice).

Is rice pilaf healthier than mashed potatoes? ›

Overall, potatoes contain more vitamins and nutrients than rice. And if given the choice between rice or potatoes, 9 times out of 10, we would certainly go with potatoes simply because they are more versatile and can be made in many different ways.

Pilaf and similar dishes are common in West Asia and usually rechristened pulao back home in India. It is a staple food and a national dish in Afghanistan, Turkey and many other countries.

The word pilaf itself stems from the Turkish word pilav which derives from the Persian word pilaw, reflecting the widely accepted notion that pilaf has origins in Persia. During the 8th and 9th centuries, pilaf was made over a fire and with barley — a dish favored by nomadic sheep herders.

Rice pilaf—long grain rice and a handful of thready, busted-up pasta, toasted in butter, cooked with chicken stock—is absolutely fundamental to diasporic Armenian cuisine. "Diasporic" is an important qualifier, since, as with most things having to do with Armenian culture and history, it's complicated.

A pilaf is a grain that has been prepared in a very specific way. If a grain has been cooked using the "pilaf method", it has been sautéed in some butter, oil or other fat before the liquid is added. Frequently onions and possibly some garlic or spices are cooked in the fat before adding the grain.

Pilaf is so universal, it has adapted to Chinese, Far East, Indian, Middle East, Latin American and Caribbean cuisines. Plain boiled rice is grainy and sticky tasting. Frying it first to a slightly golden brown creates a nutty flavor.

It can be said that today there are 5 basic “schools” for the preparation of pilaf. These are Iranian, Central Asian, Turkish, Indian and Caribbean.