Sultan Resat pilavi (Sultan Reshad pilaf)

Ingredients

• 2 cups rice
• 5 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 3 cups water
• For the meatballs, 200 gr. ground meat, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons margarine, 2 medium tomatoes, 1 small onion, a slice of bread (not too fresh), pepper, 2 tablespoons water, salt.

Directions

Rice: Put the rice into a bowl and pour in enough hot water to cover the rice. Set aside till the water is cool, drain and wash the salt away.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the rice and cook for 10 minutes over moderate heat. Heat the water and pour it into the saucepan with a pinch of salt. Cover and cook the rice over first high and then moderate heat until the water is absorbed. Lower heat and simmer the rice.

Meatballs: Soak the bread in cold water and drain. Grate the onion. Make sure that the meat is ground very fine. Put the bread, onion and meat with some pepper and salt on a tray and knead for 5 minutes. Form nut-size balls of meat with moist hands. Heat the butter in a pan, add the meatballs and fry, shaking constantly till the meatballs turn golden. Pare the tomatoes, and dice. Put first the tomatoes and 5 minutes later the water into the pan and cook for 15-20 minutes.

When the meatballs are ready, stir the simmering rice well and put it on a round serving plate. Make a hole in the middle of the rice and put the meatballs with the sauce into this well and serve.