Simple Middle Eastern Chickpea Pilaf

Traditional pilaf gets new life with the addition of chickpeas in this revamped Middle Eastern recipe. Pilaf, also known as pilav, is a traditional rice dish that is widely popular across the Middle East, East Africa, and in Southern and Eastern Asia. Basic pilaf is a simple recipe that calls for cooking rice in a seasoned broth, but most important to this cooking method is that each grain of rice remains separate when cooked. This results in plump individual grains rather than the all too typical sticky rice mush. Historic Arabic texts referring to pilaf date all the way back to the 13^th century.

Though there are literally hundreds of pilaf recipes with origins from Turkey to Turkmenistan, there are some common additions. In some cases, the rice is given extra flavor and color with the addition of onions that have been sautéed until slightly brown along with other local spices. Depending on the region and local culinary traditions, pilaf can also be made with meat, fish, vegetables, or even dried fruit making it a very adaptable dish that can be served as a side dish or entrée.

The type of rice used to make pilaf varies along with the recipe, but most consider long-grain basmati rice a perfect choice. In this recipe, chickpeas offer fantastic flavor and texture and the use of canned chickpeas takes an already simple recipe to another level of ease. Try some with your next meal of chicken or lamb. Nothing goes more perfectly together!