AI-generated image
Firik pilavı
Smoky green wheat pilaf
Firik pilavı: Gaziantep's smoky green-wheat pilaf with onion, tomato paste and chickpeas
Each June farmers around Gaziantep cut wheat while it is still green and burn off the husks in the field, which gives firik its gentle campfire smell. Cooked as a pilaf with onion, pepper paste and a handful of chickpeas, it has a chewy, nutty bite that sits well beside grilled kebabs or simply a bowl of ayran and a tomato salad. It is the everyday grain of the region's home kitchens, cheaper than rice and more filling. Rinse the grains well: grit and bits of chaff are common in firik. Chef's tip: let it rest under a tea towel for ten minutes after cooking; the steam finishes the grains and they separate beautifully.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 9 oz freekeh (cracked smoked green wheat)rinsed and drained
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 1 long green pepperchopped
- 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 7 oz cooked chickpeasdrained
- 2 ½ cups hot vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo chilli flakes) (optional)
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (1)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Warm 3 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat and soften 1 onion and 1 long green pepper for 6 minutes, until sweet and lightly golden.
6 minStep 2: Stir in 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste and 1 tbsp tomato paste and fry for 1 minute, until the oil turns brick red.
1 minStep 3: Add 9 oz freekeh (cracked smoked green wheat) and stir for 2 minutes to toast the grains in the oil.
2 minStep 4: Add 7 oz cooked chickpeas, 2 ½ cups hot vegetable stock, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer on the lowest heat for 20–25 minutes, until the liquid has gone and small holes appear on the surface.
25 minStep 5: Turn off the heat, lay a clean tea towel under the lid and rest for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and scatter with 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo chilli flakes) if you like.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 60 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 13 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does firik pilavı take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of cooked chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Paneer biryaniRice and moong dal in coconut milk
A mild, creamy biryani: rice and husked green gram roasted in ghee, then cooked in coconut milk with peas, carrots, potatoes, peanuts and cashews, and finished with soft fried paneer and a fresh coriander yogurt. Serve hot, garnished with more fried cashews and paneer.
Indian
Khao kluk kapiShrimp paste rice
Everything on this central Thai plate is arranged in little heaps around a mound of rice tossed with garlic and fermented shrimp paste: sticky caramelised pork (moo wan), threads of sour green mango, shallots, chillies, sliced long beans, crisp dried shrimp and ribbons of thin omelette. You mix a bit of each into every spoonful, so salty, sweet, sour and hot arrive together. It's a favourite at Bangkok's curry-and-rice shops and a clever way to use up yesterday's rice at home; lime wedges and cucumber cool it down. Chef's tip: use day-old jasmine rice straight from the fridge, because freshly cooked rice clumps and smears the shrimp paste instead of coating each grain.
Thai
Hyderabadi chicken dum biryani
Hyderabad's biryani grew up in the kitchens of the Nizams, and the kacchi style is its proudest form: the chicken goes into the pot raw, in a thick yogurt, mint and fried-onion marinade, and cooks only in the steam trapped under part-cooked basmati. In the old city it is wedding and Eid food, ordered in huge copper deghs, and at home it's the Sunday showpiece, served with mirchi ka salan and a cooling raita. Because the meat cooks without being stirred, small bone-in thigh and drumstick pieces work best. Chef's tip: marinate overnight in the fridge — the yogurt tenderises the chicken and the flavours go right to the bone.