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Sweet Armenian pilaf with raisins and dried fruits

Sweet Armenian Pilaf with Raisins and Dried Fruit

A traditional Armenian Easter pilaf that's easy to make at home. This pilaf is one of the jewels of Armenian cuisine! On the brightest holiday—Easter—it sits alongside poached fish as a symbolic centerpiece: the fish stands for Christianity, while the raisin pilaf represents the earth God filled with people, and the raisins themselves are the chosen who overcame the doubts of Doubting Thomas and believed in Christ's Resurrection.

nasstin

Recipe author

Sweet Armenian pilaf with raisins and dried fruits

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Rice (long grain)

500

Raisins

100

Dried apricots

100

Prunes

100

Almonds

Hazelnuts

Cashews

Walnuts

Butter (ghee preferred)

100

Cinnamon stick

Cloves

Star anise

Thin lavash

Salt

Water

1.5

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 9 % 3 g

Fats 19 % 6 g

Carbohydrates 72 % 23 g

158 kcal

GI: 22 / 78 / 0

Cooking method

Step 1:

The ingredients you'll need.
Step 2:

Raisins are a must, since they carry a symbolic meaning.
Step 3:

You can vary the dried fruit however you like—dates, dried figs, cranberries, and so on.
Step 4:

Almonds are essential; the other nuts are optional and mostly for decoration—you can leave them out entirely and it'll still be delicious.
Step 5:

I added the spices myself—they weren't in the original recipe. But I think cinnamon, cloves, and star anise bring out the aroma of the dried fruit even more.
Step 6:

Put the water on to heat and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Use 3 times as much water as rice. I used two 250 ml cups of rice, so I use 6 of the same cups of water.
Step 7:

When the water boils, add the rinsed rice. Cook for 10 minutes, until half done.
Step 8:

In a saucepan, combine the raisins, dried fruit, almonds, a pat of butter, and half a cup of water, and set over low heat to soften for 20–30 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if needed so the dried fruit doesn't scorch.
Step 9:

After 10 minutes the rice is cooked to al dente, as the Italians would say. Drain it in a colander and rinse with cold water—this keeps the rice fluffy and separate.
Step 10:

Butter the bottom of a heavy pot and line it with lavash so the rice won't scorch.
Step 11:

Melt the remaining butter in the microwave or a double boiler. The original recipe uses ghee.
Step 12:

Skim off the white foam, just as you would when making real ghee.
Step 13:

Drizzle the melted butter over the rice.
Step 14:

Level it out.
Step 15:

Cover with a lid wrapped in a clean towel so the condensation doesn't drip back and ruin the rice.
Step 16:

Set the pot on a heat diffuser over the lowest flame. Hold it there for 1 hour; the rice will warm through and finish cooking.
Step 17:

Once the dried fruit is done, turn off the heat and wait for the rice to finish.
Step 18:

After an hour, mound the rice on a platter. You can see in the photo how fluffy it came out—grain by grain.
Step 19:

Top with the simmered dried fruit, raisins, and almonds, and garnish with the remaining nuts. Our Easter pilaf is ready! Enjoy!