Safflower Rice

Sample Dishes from Turkish Cuisine

Safflower Rice (Aspurlu (Haspirli) Pilav)

Ingredients	Measure	Amount
Onion	4 medium size	300 gr.
Minced Meat (rough)	1 cup	175 gr.
Margarine	6 table spoons	60 gr.
Carrots	5 small	265 gr
Rice	2 cups	360 gr.
Salt	2 desert spoons	15 gr.
Safflower	1 desert spoon	0,4 gr.
Water (hot)	4 cups	800 gr.

Preperation

Peel and roughly slice the onions and place in a sauce pan on low heat, together with the margarine and the minced meet. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes until the meat juices are reduced. Wash and peel the carrots, cut into match sticks and add to the meat mixture and let marinate for about 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Wash and drain the rice and add to the saucepan and turn over once. Add salt, safflower and water, stir. Cook for about 15-20 minutes first on medium and later on low heat until water is totally absorbed. Cover with a dishcloth and leave to rest for about 20 minutes.

Servings: 6

Nutritional Value
(in approximately one serving)

Energy	400 cal.
Protein	9.9 g.
Fat	14.8 g.
Carbohydrate	56.0 g.
Calcium	44 mg.
Fe	1.34 mg.
Phosphorus	132 mg.
Zinc	2 mg.
Sodium	1025 mg.
Vitamin A	4892 i.u.
Thiamine	0.11 mg.
Riboflavin	0.10 mg.
Niacin	2.70 mg.
Vitamine C	4 mg.
Cholesterol	21 mg.

Notes

Safflower rice is served with garlic added yogurt. Safflower which gives its name to this dish and whose scientific name is "Carthamus tinctorius" is also known as "false saffron" or "parrot seed". As its flowers resemble saffron, they are often confused. Safflower is called "haspir" around the Gaziantep region. It is used in dishes such as potatoes with yogurt, keme with yogurt (tuber mushrooms), plain graupel pilaff, rice pilaff with carrots, vegetable stew and fresh broad - beans with yogurt.