Perde Pilavi(Drape Pilaf)

Turkish Kitchen has wide range of various foods, and rice takes an important place here. Perde pilavi is one of the best rice dishes, especially cooked in the eastern part of Turkey, and is a popular dish for weddings.

All ingredients in drape pilaf have a meaning. Rice symbolizes fertility, currant symbolizes future children, and crust symbolizes protection and privacy.

After cooking it for the first time I wanted to share this with you. Although it looks difficult to make, it is not that hard.

Enjoy!!


Ingredients
1 gl of rice (200 gr)
100 gr boneless chicken
10-15 almond
10-15 pine nuts
15-20 currant
1 tb spoon butter
3 gl chicken broth
salt
black pepper


For the dough
2 gl flour (350-400gr)
2 eggs
2 tb spoon yoghurt
2 tb spoon oil(i put sunflower oil)
1/3 tb spoon salt
1 tea spoon baking powder

Boil the chicken, cut into small pieces after it get cool. Keep chicken broth for the rice later. For the dough; add flour, 1 egg, yoghurt,oil,salt and baking powder into a deep bowl. Mix all well, knead until it takes rough ball form. Let it rest for 20 min.
Wash rice, then soak it for 15-20 min. Drain rice, melt butter over medium heat. Add pine nuts and cook for 3-4 min, then add rice&currants and cook for 3-4 min more.
Stir chiken broth. Cook it over low heat for 10 min until it becomes undercooked.
Then add black pepper, and chicken, mix and let it rest for sometime.
Flatten the dough a bit bigger than container. Lay some oil into your tray , and stick some almonds. Lay the dough out inside the tray , add the rice on it. Close top of it with the dough part which is bigger than the tray.Lay 1 egg yolk,trim on it with some alomonds.
Cook it in a preheated oven 200 C till it gets lightly brown, around 20 min.

Bon appetit..