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The Middle East's way of cooking rice is irresistibly delicious. Here I'm delighted to share a simple recipe for this seasoned rice which can be a star side dish to accompany your favorite grilled meats or stews.
So let me tell you a little bit about Arab rice!
Jump to:
What is Arab Rice?
Rice is an essential dish in the Arab world. In many parts of the Middle East, it is eaten on a daily basis.
There are many ways of cooking Arab rice although very often they are similar. For example a Lebanese rice recipe may differ from a Syrian rice recipe, or Turkish rice. However typically the same type of rice and ingredients may be used, but the quantities and techniques of cooking the rice may differ.
Most often long-grain rice or basmati rice is used (especially in the Persian rice dishes). Butter, oil, and salt are also very common ingredients, and sometimes saffron is added to the rice to turn it a beautiful yellow color.
And here, we have a magnificent version that includes vermicelli pasta.
Why You Will Love This Arab Rice Recipe
Here's why you are going to LOVE LOVE this arab rice recipe!
- This recipe will give you the fluffiest and tender rice and vermicelli!
- The taste of this rice is both buttery and salty and it's truly hard to stop eating it once you get started. 😃
- The ingredients you need are easy to find at most grocery stores.
- It's super easy to make! The hardest part is preventing your vermicelli and pine nuts from burning...but I'll address that part so no worries!
So I hope you are ready to make some delicious Arab rice!!
🥘 Ingredients
The ingredients required for this dish are few and simple. You will need the following for this most delicious of Arabic dishes:
- Vermicelli pasta (select vermicelli that is sold in small pieces, see below)
- Basmati rice (can sub long grain white rice, but basmati rice is highly recommended)
- Water (can sub chicken stock)
- Ghee (can sub butter, but ghee is highly recommended)
- Salt
- Pine nuts (used as a garnish)
- Fresh parsley (used as a garnish)
You should be able to get all or most of these ingredients at your local grocery store. There's no need to shop at a Middle Eastern grocery store unless you prefer to. The possible exception is ghee, to which I have included a link for purchase at Amazon for convenience sake.
Be sure to use vermicelli pasta, and not the Asian style vermicelli rice noodles. The vermicelli noodles are used in dishes like the delicious Singapore Noodles. Vermicelli pasta is typically sold as pasta that is broken up into small pieces. If the vermicelli that you purchase is spaghetti-like with long strands, then you will need to break up the pasta into small pieces.
So now I will show you step by step how to make this Easy Arab Rice Recipe!
🔪 Instructions
Begin by melting 1 tablespoon of ghee (or butter) on medium heat in a saucepan. Add the vermicelli and fry until you get a nice deep golden brown color. This should take around 7 minutes and you will want to stir often and keep a close eye on it so that it doesn't burn.
Now add the rice and stir to combine. You'll want to coat the rice in the melted fat when combining.
Please note: You can rinse the rice if you like, to rid it of excess starch. I don't typically rinse but feel free to do this.
Add 2 cups of water (or chicken stock) and salt and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat to low, and cover your saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Cook for 20 minutes, without removing the lid. I know it's tempting to peek, but it's best not to. 😊
During this time you can toast the pine nuts. Toasted pine nuts are mouthwateringly delicious and you'll definitely want to include these as garnish for your arab rice!
Melt 1 ts of ghee (or olive oil) on medium low heat in a small pan. Once melted add the pine nuts and cook until they turn golden brown. Be sure to keep a close eye on them and stir very frequently to prevent them from burning. This may take around 4-5 minutes.
After 20 minutes, remove the saucepan with the rice and vermicelli from the heat and let the rice rest for 10 minutes without disturbing. Keep the lid on the saucepan during this time.
Now add the remaining 2 tablespoon of ghee to the top of the rice, and place the lid back on the saucepan. Allow to rest for another 2-3 minutes and during this time the ghee will melt.
Fluff the cooked rice with a fork and then taste and add an extra pinch of salt if you prefer a saltier dish. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and some minced Italian parsley and enjoy!
Enjoy This Most Delicious Of Arabic Rice Recipes!
This Middle Eastern rice dish is the perfect side dish to accompany Middle Eastern stews or your favorite meat dishes. Truthfully, I could gobble up spoonful after spoonful of this rice on its own...it's SO SO GOOD!
I hope you will enjoy this delicious and simple rice dish soon!
You will find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
FAQ
Most typically basmati rice or long-grain rice are used for rice dishes in the Middle East.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator and consume within 4 days.
Arab rice is the perfect accompaniment to Middle Eastern stews, grilled meats, and salads.
Some Other Middle Eastern Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other recipes that you may enjoy:
- Easy Middle Eastern Chicken With Lemon and Olives Recipe
- Middle Eastern Pizza - Lahmajoun
- Easy Foul Recipe Using Canned Fava Beans
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Cheers!
Grace
Easy Arab Rice Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 cup vermicelli pasta noodles about 3 oz of vermicelli
- 1 cup basmati rice can sub long grain white rice
- 2 cups water can sub chicken stock
- 3 tablespoon ghee split 1 tablespoon to fry the vermicelli and 2 tablespoon added at the end; can sub butter
- ½ ts salt
Garnishes
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 ts ghee can sub olive oil if you prefer
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon of ghee on medium heat in a saucepan. Add the vermicelli and fry until you get a nice deep golden brown color. This should take around 7 minutes and you will want to stir often and keep a close eye on it so that it doesn't burn.
- Now add the rice and stir to combine. You'll want to coat the rice in the melted fat when combining.
- Add water (or chicken stock) and salt and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat to low, and cover your saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Cook for 20 minutes, without removing the lid. During this time you can toast the pine nuts (see below).
- After 20 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat and let the rice rest for 10 minutes without disturbing. Keep the lid on the saucepan during this time.
- Now add the remaining 2 tablespoon of ghee to the top of the rice, and place the lid back on the saucepan. Allow to rest for another 2-3 minutes and during this time the ghee will melt.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and then taste and add extra salt if you prefer a saltier dish. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and some minced Italian parsley and enjoy!
Toasted Pine Nuts
- Melt 1 ts of ghee (or olive oil) on medium low heat in a small pan. Once melted add the pine nuts and cook until they turn golden brown. Be sure to keep a close eye on them and stir very frequently to prevent them from burning. This may take around 4-5 minutes.
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