This is much less a recipe to me, and more of a staple that has been by my side my whole life. For celebrations- pilaf, for funerals- pilaf, for weeknight meals and leftovers, pilaf- always pilaf.
If I had to compare it, maybe it would be to me what a Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich is to an American kid. It is the ultimate comfort food and always available and ready to be made. It is loved by even the pickiest eater in the house and because of it, my mom made it at least once a week for dinner. Her go-to dinner was always chicken and pilaf. Even writing those words, I hear her voice saying them again- “I think I’ll just make chicken and pilaf for dinner.” It was easy and a crowd-pleaser in the house. In less than 30 minutes, she would have pilaf, breaded chicken, and a vegetable on the table for us.
Pilaf has been the clutch in our lives through the thick and thin, the ultimate comfort food that makes the house smell like home again and fills you up pretty good. I suppose if we had the Sunday lunch dinners that Italian families traditionally have, we would replace the pasta with Pilaf. That’s all my brothers and I crave when we come back home and we can recognize it’s buttery scent right when we walk in the door.
Armenian Pilaf
Serves 6-8
- ¼ cup butter or margarine
- 2 cups fine egg noodles
- 2 cups medium grain rice (we use Mahatama)
- 5 cups water or chicken broth
- 4-5 cubes chicken bouillon (only if using water)*
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