Turkish Holiday Platter: Lamb Pilaf with Herbs and Yogurt

About This Recipe

İç pilav — rice pilaf studded with currants, pine nuts and often liver or lamb — is a celebratory dish served across Turkey at holidays and special occasions, particularly alongside roasted meats. This platter builds a full holiday spread around that same pilaf, pairing it with pan-seared lamb, a tangle of fresh herbs, and a garlicky yogurt sauce, arranged together the way a Turkish table would present it for a gathering.\n\nThe pilaf technique here follows the traditional method: rice rinsed until the water runs clear to remove excess starch, then toasted in butter along with pine nuts before hot stock goes in, so the grains stay separate and fluffy rather than clumping. The lamb is seared hard in a hot pan to develop a deep crust, then rested before slicing so the juices redistribute rather than spilling out onto the cutting board.\n\nArrange everything on one large platter — pilaf mounded in the center, sliced lamb fanned around it, herbs scattered generously, and the yogurt sauce served in a bowl alongside for spooning — this is how Turkish families present a special-occasion meal.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 700 glamb leg or shoulder steaks
• 1 tspground cumin
• 0.5 tspground allspice
• 4 tbspbutter(divided)
• 0.33 cuppine nuts
• 0.33 cupdried currants
• 1onion(finely diced)
• 1.5 cupslong-grain rice(rinsed until water runs clear)
• 2.25 cupshot chicken stock
• 1 cupGreek yogurt
• 2 clovesgarlic(grated)
• 0.5 cupmixed fresh herbs(dill, mint and parsley, chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the lamb

   Pat lamb steaks dry and season with cumin, allspice, salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature 15 minutes.

2. 2

   Make the garlic yogurt

   Stir yogurt, grated garlic and a pinch of salt together and refrigerate until serving.

3. 3

   Toast pine nuts and start the pilaf

   Melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add pine nuts and toast 2 minutes until golden, then add onion and cook 5 minutes until soft.

4. 4

   Cook the pilaf

   Add rice and currants, stirring to coat for 1-2 minutes, then pour in hot stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 15-18 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Rest covered off heat 10 minutes, then fluff.

   Rinsing the rice until the water runs clear removes surface starch that would otherwise make the pilaf gummy instead of light and separate.

5. 5

   Sear the lamb

   Heat remaining butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Sear lamb steaks 3-4 minutes per side for medium, then rest 5 minutes before slicing against the grain.

6. 6

   Plate the platter

   Mound the pilaf on a large serving platter, fan the sliced lamb around it, scatter with fresh herbs, and serve with the garlic yogurt on the side.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken thighs instead of lamb for a lighter, more everyday version of the platter.

• •

  Add dried apricots alongside the currants for extra sweetness in the pilaf, a common variation in some regions.

• •

  Swap the yogurt sauce for a simple cacık (yogurt with grated cucumber and dill) for a cooler, more refreshing side.

Storage

Refrigerate lamb, pilaf and yogurt sauce in separate containers for up to 3 days. Reheat lamb gently in a covered pan to avoid drying it out, and reheat pilaf with a splash of stock or water.

Frequently Asked Questions