The next dish from Armenia is this simple yet tasty rice pilaf. I am taking part in blogging marathon, in which we blog thrice a week on a particular theme. For this week, I have selected European cuisine in which I have selected Armenia. After yesterday’s Lavash Cracker recipe, today is one more staple food of Armenia. This rice pilaf is rice and pasta cooked in chicken broth. Nothing fancy. And this is served as a side with meat, kebob.
I made a vegetarian version using a spiced vegetable broth. Vermicelli is the often used pasta in this pilaf. Other small pastas like orzo can also be used. The vermicelli and rice are sautéed in butter and then cooked in the broth. So the rice is quite flavourful and I served it along with another simple Armenian dish. My hubby wanted me to make raitha and so I made onion raitha. And he also had some mushroom gravy for the side. Finally, this Armenian dish turned into Indian dish with all the side dishes. All of us liked the pilaf and we had a filling lunch two days back.
Ingredients:
Butter – 1/4 cup
Long Grained Rice – 1 cup
Vermicelli – 1/2 cup
Salt – to taste
Pepper to taste
Vegetable Broth – 4 cups
For The Broth:
Onion -1
Garlic – 2-3 pods
Ginger – 1″ piece
Cinnamon – 1 small piece
Star Anise – 1
Button Mushroom – 3-4
Tomato – 1
Coriander Leaves – 2-3 tbs
Mint Leaves – 1 tbs
Water-4 1/2 cups
Procedure:
In a pressure cooker, add all the ingredients for the broth and pressure cook for 3 minutes.
Once cool, strain the broth.
In a pan, heat butter.
Add vermicelli and roast until golden.
Add the rice and sauté for a minute or two.
Now add the broth, salt and pepper and cook it covered on medium flame until 90% done.
Finally cover the pan with a foil and cook on low flame for another 3 minutes.
Serve hot.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#62

Armenian Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Butter - 1/4 cup
- Long Grained Rice - 1 cup
- Vermicelli - 1/2 cup
- Salt - to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Vegetable Broth - 4 cups
For The Broth
- Onion -1
- Garlic - 2-3 pods
- Ginger - 1" piece
- Cinnamon - 1 small piece
- Star Anise - 1
- Button Mushroom - 3-4
- Tomato - 1
- Coriander Leaves - 2-3 tbs
- Mint Leaves - 1 tbs
- Water-4 1/2 cups
Instructions
Procedure
- In a pressure cooker, add all the ingredients for the broth and pressure cook for 3 minutes.
- Once cool, strain the broth.
- In a pan, heat butter.
- Add vermicelli and roast until golden.
- Add the rice and sauté for a minute or two.
- Now add the broth, salt and pepper and cook it covered on medium flame until 90% done.
- Finally cover the pan with a foil and cook on low flame for another 3 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Sounds like a very flavorful rice. Addition of pasta is very interesting.
Looks like an interesting rice pilaf, addition of vermicelli sounds too fabulous. Lovely pick Gayathri.
That surely is a very different pilaf to indulge in..must be interesting to try!
You made the broth at home! The pulao must definitely be very flavorful with that homemade broth.
Wow this is delicious Gayatri. Love it
Simple yet flavorful looking Armenian pilaf.
I am sure the broth in there added to the flavor. Very interesting blend of grains.
Such a simple and flavorful Armenian rice dish.
Adding vermicelli to pilaf looks interesting…have never tried that.