Turkish Beef Mince with Rice (Kiymali Pilav)

Serves: 4-6/ Prep time: 10 minutes/ Cook time: 25 minutes/ Difficulty: Easy

Turkish food, like Italian food, is often very simple and emphasises the use of high-quality ingredients. ‘Kiymali Pilav’, meaning ‘Beef Mince with Rice’ is a Turkish classic, prepared with almonds, pomegranate, parsley and numerous warming spices. Sounds good, right?!

Made with Tropical Sun USA Rice, which is steamed before it is milled to reduce cooking times, Meliz Cooks’s recipe makes this dish even quicker and simpler to prepare, perfect for anyone with limited time but high standards.

Ingredients:

For the Rice

300g Tropical Sun Easy USA Cook Rice

1 Tropical Sun Chicken Stock Cube

750ml boiling water

3 tablespoon Tropical Sun Sunflower Oil

50g short vermicelli

½ teaspoon salt

For the Mince

3 tablespoon olive oil

500g beef mince

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely choppes

1 teaspoon Tropical Sun Ground Mixed Spice

1 teaspoon pul biber

1 teaspoon Tropical Sun Ground Cumin

½ teaspoon Tropical Sun Ground Cinnamon

½ teaspoon Tropical Sun Smoked Paprika

¾ teaspoon Tropical Sun Paprika

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon Tropical Sun Coarse Black Pepper

200ml water

25g fresh flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped

80g pomegranate seeds

50g blanched almonds

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180° fan/ 200°C/ 382°F.
2. Wash the rice in a sieve under cold running water until the water runs clear, then leave the rice in the sieve to drain for a few minutes.
3. In a jug, dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water and leave to one side.
4. Heat up the sunflower oil in a large saucepan, and once hot, add the vermicelli and cook for a couple of minutes until the strands change to a golden brown colour then take the pan off the heat. Let the pan cool down for a minute, then stir the drained rice into the vermicelli. Pour the stock into the pan, season with the salt, give it all a good stir, then place the pan back on a medium heat and bring it up to the boil. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to a light simmer and cook the rice for 9-11 minutes until most of the water has evaporated and bubbles start forming on the surface of the rice. Take the pan off the heat, cover it with a tea towel, followed by the lid, and leave it to one side until you are ready to serve.
5. Place the almonds on a tray lined with baking paper and pop them in the oven for 7-9 minutes until they are all a light golden brown colour. Take the tray out of the oven and let the almonds cool down.
6. To make the mince, heat up the olive oil in another large pan on a medium heat, and once hot, add the onions, then turn the heat down a little so that they cook and caramelise slowly. Stir regularly, for 12-15 minutes until the onions are a lovely golden brown colour, then add the garlic and cook for a minute or so before adding all of the spices (minus the salt and pepper), stirring well so that they release their aromas. Turn the heat back up a little, add the mince to the pan, and brown for 6-7 minutes, breaking it down with the back of a wooden spoon as it cooks and season with the salt and pepper. Add the water to the pan and cook for around 8-10 minutes until the water reduces down. Take the pan off the heat and stir through half of the chopped parsley.
7. Take the lid and tea towel off the rice, fluff up the grains a little, then spoon it onto a large platter. Top the rice with the mince, then with the remaining parsley, pomegranate seeds and toasted almonds.