Eriste Pilavi: Turkish egg noodle pilaf

The Turkish version of egg noodles: today we serve Eriste Pilavi! A few weeks ago, we ordered again from our favorite village store. As it is particularly well known for its excellent Erişte (Turkish egg noodles), we naturally ordered a kilo straight away. Today we used the eriste for the first time and prepared an eriste pilavi as a noodle side dish. Muh-te-şem. Grandiose.

What are eriste?

Eriste have made a name for themselves in the German online cooking world over the last two years. The reason for this is the Yogurtlu Eriste, which have gone "viral". Unfortunately, most recipes do not use real eriste, but classic pasta. 

So what's the difference?

Eriste are a type of egg pasta. The classic pasta, as you know it, is also available in Turkey and is called "makarna". Eriste, on the other hand, are often prepared in summer and then enjoyed throughout the winter. A dough is kneaded from lots of eggs and wheat flour. This is rolled out thinly with a Turkish rolling pin, the oklava*, and then dried very briefly over a low heat on the sac* ("the flatbread maker").

Alternatively, the rolled-out sheets of dough are left to dry in the open air or cut directly. Eriste are cut by hand into noodles approx. 2-5 cm long and a few mm thick. This is why eriste are also called "kesme", meaning "cut/sliced". Pretty similar would be these traditional egg noodles*.

In the photo you can see the classic eriste and next to it square eriste that have been dyed with vegetable puree. We bought both directly from the farm from a farmer's store.

Eriste are now often offered in colorful versions with vegetable puree or with wholemeal flour. Once ready, eriste can be used as a soup garnish, as a main course with yoghurt or cheese, for salads or as a classic pasta side dish - eriste pilavi! And for some reason, eriste is particularly popular with small children. 

What is eriste pilavi?

You often hear the term "pilav" in Turkish cuisine. It is used when a dish is prepared from any grain or pasta. Examples of this are bulgur pilavi (bulgur with tomatoes and peppers, a side dish) or enginarli pilav (rice with artichokes, a main course). So our Eriste Pilavi = noodle pilaf describes Eriste prepared with noodles as a side dish. And it's really, really simple!

Eriste pilavi is one of the simplest Turkish side dishes you can make. The only danger is that your eriste will get soggy. This is because, unlike classic pasta, eriste are not really firm due to the high egg content. Instead, they are reminiscent of the layers of dough from a good su böregi (water börek). With our recipe, however, nothing should go wrong and you will have delicious pasta on your plate as a side dish within 15-20 minutes.

And how does the noodle pilaf taste?

Quite honestly: like German spaetzle! The egg flavor in the noodles paired with the butter, which is a must with Eriste Pilavi, could easily replace the spaetzle next to our beloved veal cream goulash. Nevertheless, the Eriste are also completely different due to their consistency. Therefore: give it a try! 

You can find eriste in any Turkish supermarket. Alternatively, you can even make the eriste yourself and enjoy it twice as much. 

We served the eriste pilavi as a side dish with et sote (a simple dish with meat, tomatoes and peppers). Afiyet olsun!

Eriste Pilavi recipe: Turkish egg noodles pilaf (side dish)