Turkish braised leeks (Zeytinyağlı pırasa)

Unique, tangy dish from the Turkish cuisine.
Turkish braised leeks in bowl, seen from above
Turkish braised leeks in bowl, seen from above

Zeytinyağlı pırasa (literally “leeks with olive oil”) is a Turkish dish of leeks braised in a tangy sauce. The key ingredient of the sauce is a good quality extra virgin olive oil, and just enough lemon juice to make it tangy without getting too sour.

Leeks in Turkish cooking

Leeks are widely available in Turkey during the winter season. Yet, when consulting my Turkish cookbooks, recipes containing leeks are few and far between.

Like so many other ingredients in Turkish cuisine, leeks are primarily bound to one style of cooking. And unlike many Western dishes, it isn’t as one of many dishes in a stew or soup.

Rather, the leek is the star of the meal. As it should be.

Vidar Bergum holding a bunch of leeks
Photo: Bahar Kitapcı

How to make leeks the star of the dish

It’s easy to look at leeks as just another type of onion. An ingredient to bolster the flavour of a stew or soup where other ingredients are more important.

Apart from a “burnt leek” craze among Western chefs a few years ago, seeing leeks occupy the centre stage in cooking isn’t all that common. Turkish grandmas beg to differ.

Although an uncommon sight at restaurant menus, braised leeks are in fact among the most favoured dishes of many Turks. And no wonder!

Leeks are sweeter and less pungent than most other types of onion, though I’d argue it’s got more character. Where yellow onions, red onions or shallots are happy to blend in, the presence of leeks in a dish is always obvious.

The key to making leeks the star of the dish, therefore, is to bring out the natural sweetness and deliciously soft texture.

Turkish braised leeks in bowl, seen from eye level

How to make zeytinyağlı pırasa

Nothing brings out the natural flavours of the leeks better than the Aegean cooking style known as zeytinyağlı in Turkish. You may know the technique from Greek lathera or arabic bil zayt, which are the equivalents in Greek and Middle Eastern cuisines respectively.

For this type of dishes, you braise the main ingredient slowly in copious amounts of good quality olive oil. Other ingredients are added only to bring out the flavour of the main ingredient, and never to overpower it.

In other words: This is not the time to be heavy handed with spices or other pungent ingredients!

The end result is delicate and absolutely delicious.

Turkish braised leeks in bowl, seen from above

With leeks, a good squeeze of lemon juice is a great way to balance the sweetness. For this dish, you need enough lemon juice for the sauce to become tart.

In fact, some Turks refer to this dish as ekşili pırasa. Sour leeks. In some regions, they use grape vinegar instead of lemon juice.

While leeks, extra virgin olive oil and lemon are by far the most important ingredients in this dish, a few supporting ingredients help elevate the dish. Tomato paste for umami, rice for texture and fresh herbs for, well, freshness, all contribute to a beautiful dish.

How to serve Turkish braised leeks

In Turkey, zeytinyağlı pırasa is a comforting winter food.

It can be eaten as a main dish, with bulgur or rice alongside. If so, I’d add a few chickpeas to the rice for the extra protein. It’ll still be a light, but warming, winter dish.

Where it excels though, is alongside fish and even white meat. With the leeks bringing so much flavour, you needn’t do much with the fish or meat. Salt and pepper goes a long way.

You can also serve this dish as one of several dishes. 

The recipe makes for 3-4 servings.

Turkish braised leeks in bowl, seen from above

Turkish braised leeks (Zeytinyağlı pırasa)

Unique and delicious dish from the Turkish cuisine.
5 (3 ratings).
Main Course, Olive oil based dishes
Türkiye
1 hour
3 servings
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Ingredients

  • 750 g leeks
  • 75 ml olive oil, (I use a mild extra virgin)
  • 25 g tomato paste
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into thin discs
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 200 ml boiling water
  • 2 Tbsp rice
  • chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley, to serve (optional)
  • salt and pepper

How I make it

  • Cut the ends off the leeks. Remove the outermost layer, plus any other very thick layers. Cut into 3-4 cm (1-1 ½ in) slices, crosswise or diagonally. After this process, I'm usually left with around 500 g (slightly over 1 lbs) leeks. If you're left with a little more or less than this, that's perfectly ok.
  • Heat a thick bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and tomato paste and fry for a minute, stirring constantly. Add the leeks and carrot. Fry for another couple of minutes, stirring regularly.
  • Add the sugar, lemon juice, water and a little salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, place a lid on and turn the heat down to low. Leave to simmer until the leeks have nearly completely softened, half an hour or more, stirring a couple of times in the meantime.
  • Add the rice and stir well. Place the lid back on and leave until both the rice and the leeks are completely softened, 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on it, adding more water if it's starting to look a little dry. The dish should be saucy, but not overly so. Once done, take off the heat and leave for a few minutes. Season with more lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm with a scattering of chopped fresh herbs, if you fancy.

Tips & notes

In Turkey, they commonly use short grain Baldo rice for this recipe. However, since the amount is small, the type of rice matters less. Use whatever rice you have to hand.
Did you make this recipe?I’d love it if you’d be kind enough to leave a rating and a short comment.

Hey, there!

I’m Vidar, a Norwegian food writer based in Istanbul since 2015.

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Hey, there!

I’m Vidar Bergum, a food writer based in Istanbul since 2015. I’ve published three books on the food and cultures of Turkey and the Middle East in my native Norway.

This website and my newsletter Meze are the homes of my writing and recipes in English.

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