Tel Şehriyeli Pirinç Pilavi by Ebru

Ebru takes us to festive times in her motherland Turkey, particularly around the celebration of Bayram when this flavourful and textured rice dish is made and served. From the slaughtering of the animal, all the way down to distribution of the meat, there is immense care and mindfulness in the consideration of food, as well as an awareness of the importance of fostering community through food preparation and sharing.

This is a traditional food that we make at home in Turkey. We toast the vermicelli with butter, to get the darker tones. For the rice, I’ve used Basmati here in Canada. When we have guests over, we usually serve this rice and vermicelli with meat. The meat is also really special, and the preparation of this food coincides with festivals, where the cow or sheep is sacrificed in the morning. The meat is cooked right away, and is totally fresh. It can be eaten with eggs for breakfast, popped into a sandwich, or eaten with rice and vermicelli in this way. Since we cook this meat during the festival in the morning, and guests come to our homes throughout the day, they all get to eat and enjoy it. The meat is also shared with those communities that are economically unhealthy. ~ Ebru

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp of semolina wheat

• 1 packet of vermicelli

• ½ cup of rice

• ½ cup of water

• 1 tbsp of butter

• 1 tsp of olive oil

• Stock of your choice

• Salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions

• Mix olive oil and butter in a wide pan

• Add salt and vermicelli, fry until golden brown

• Rinse the rice a few times, stir fry for 3 mins

• Add water, cover and boil for 1 min

• Cook for 16-20 mins on low heat

• Do not uncover

• After cooking, let it rest for 15 mins, and your rice is ready

Notes: This dish can be eaten with meat and/or yogurt

Chinese + Pakistani Chicken, Egg and Vegetable Fried Rice by

Lubna

“Cooking Up Feminism” workshop participant Lubna cooks up a marriage of Chinese and Pakistani food cultures with this delicious Chicken Egg Fried Vegetable Rice. Chinese food is widely available and thoroughly enjoyed across the provinces of Pakistan. The urban centers especially, have a large presence of Chinese restaurants, salons, chiropractor clinics and other bustling businesses. It is not uncommon to serve Chinese food at birthday parties, weddings and other get-togethers in Pakistan.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs

• 1½ cup of boiled rice

This is my chicken egg fried vegetable rice. It’s a fusion of Chinese fried rice and our own Pakistani style of making rice. This is a rice dish that we consume quite regularly in our home. This kind of rice dish is often also served at formal occasions for guests, because it is a very special rice dish and has a complex technique behind cooking it. I learnt this dish from a Chinese lady back in Pakistan who taught a course on Chinese Cuisine. I must say I learnt some very interesting dishes from her. ~ Lubna

• One breast of boiled and shredded chicken

• Green, yellow and red pepper cut into small cubes, 1 green onion, cubed. Handful of baby carrots, cubed

• ½ cup of soya sauce. Salt and black pepper, as desired

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a wok or pot

• Fry the shredded chicken

• Add beaten eggs and continue stir frying. Add salt and pepper

• Add the boiled rice, stir fry for a few mins. Add the soya sauce

• Serve hot

There are so many varieties of rice out there that we can cook, harvest and share. It’s important to know where they’re coming from and why.

~ Lady P