What Type Of Rice Is Used In Lebanese Cooking

A staple with every Lebanese family, vermicelli rice (aka Lebanese rice) uses but 3 ingredients and is easy to make. It's the perfect side of rice to back-trail so many foods such every bit stews, curries, braised vegetables, and more than. Vegan friendly.

a close up of vermicelli rice in a bowl — Buttery vermicelli rice

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❔What is vermicelli rice?
🍚Ingredients
🔪Step-By-Footstep Guide
⭐Pro Tips
🍚Variations
🍴Serving Suggestions
🍚Related Recipes
❓FAQ
📖 Recipe
💬 Community

This Lebanese rice is and then versatile, it can be enjoyed every bit a side with near meals or can be a smashing part of your meal prepping routine which can exist achieved with a vegan meal prep delivery or cooked on your own.

In that location's also a expert reason why kids beloved this, it'southward buttery and flavorsome on its own.

As a kid, I would mix this with evidently yogurt and happily swallow information technology.

My son did the same thing and at present I watch my nephews and nieces practice information technology too. I love how they refer to this equally rice with noodles recipe.

It's swell for those fussy kids.

If you lot're Lebanese (or Middle Eastern) yous know what I am talking about.

However, this bones Lebanese rice is an everyday go-to and not necessarily intended every bit per the higher up.

It's always found ready in the refrigerator. And it's served as a side of rice.

No wearisome manifestly rice here. You will note I refer to this recipe extensively throughout Plant Based Folk.

For example, nosotros e'er have it with Fasolia.

Lebanese Rice is known in Arabic as Riz Bi Sha'rieh. Riz meaning "rice", bi significant "in" and Sha'rieh" meaning angel pilus pasta (vermicelli pasta) as technically sha'rieh is referencing "hair"

❔What is vermicelli rice?

Vermicelli rice is commonly referred to every bit Lebanese rice but is also known every bit Center Eastern rice, Arabic rice or rice pilaf with vermicelli.

It is eaten as a side.

Why is it called vermicelli rice? This is due to the feature of pan-fried golden chocolate-brown vermicelli pasta, which is thin pasta (fabricated into modest bales) resembling tiny spaghetti.

🍚Ingredients

White basmati rice (long-grain or jasmine are good too) I personally adopt basmati as it cooks fast and is very difficult to non cook correct.

Vermicelli pasta (aka angel hair pasta, be sure to cheque it doesn't comprise egg to make sure this remains a vegan recipe) will be crushed by paw into pocket-size pieces.

Vegan butter (or olive oil) traditionally butter or ghee is used. This is used to brown the pasta.

Filtered water is best, however, y'all can apply whatever cooking water you adopt.

🔪Step-By-Step Guide

Step one - Heat vegan butter (or olive oil) in a pot over med-high heat. Add together crushed vermicelli and continuously stir until golden dark-brown.

Footstep 2 - Add together rice and stir through, coating it inside the vegan butter.

Pace 3 - Add water and salt. Bring it to a boil then plow heat to low and allow to cook for virtually 10-12 minutes. One time cooked, allow information technology to sit (covered) for nearly x minutes and then fluff with a fork and serve.

a navy bowl of rice with vermicelli through it

⭐Pro Tips

Avoid short-grain white rices

If yous are using white rice other than basmati, I recommend you wash it (until it runs clear) to rid backlog starch, as this will aid with alleviating clumps.

Beat out vermicelli bales with your easily into seize with teeth-sized pieces (don't over beat out) earlier pan-frying.

The more golden the pasta is, the bolder the season is. It'south worth trying to get it as golden as possible.

Practise not open the lid immediately afterward cooking. Allowing it to sit helps the heat to steam a picayune scrap more.

When frying vermicelli, be sure to watch and continuously stir it, equally it heats upwards quickly and can hands burn toward the terminate.

To alleviate any burning of the pasta, when it turns golden, add rice immediately. This volition help diffuse the heat.

The water line above the rice should exist approximately 2.5cm (if y'all demand to add a picayune chip more water, practice so at the commencement.

This is done when the water evaporates.

The cooked vermicelli will mostly sit down on the top of the rice. This is normal and is mixed through when fluffing.

Salt - you tin can adjust the common salt to your liking. I much adopt to under salt my Arabic rice as it will be used with other foods which already comprise salt in them likewise.

🍚Variations

A combination of vegan butter with olive oil can be used for browning. You lot could even try using vegetable ghee.

Whilst my family doesn't ever garnish this side, you can top it with toasted nuts or sliced fresh herbs, or green onions

🍴Serving Suggestions

Here are typical foods eaten with this;

Kidney bean stew Lebanese fasolia - super like shooting fish in a barrel to make and very filling, it'southward the perfect comfort food

Lebanese Spinach Stew Sabanekh wa Riz - a lovely and light spinach stew

Bamia - Okra Stew - A Lebanese stew in a tomato sauce

Mujadara recipe - the famous and delicious Middle Eastern lentil pilaf, my family unit'southward recipe is a must-try!

Lebanese rice vegan - filled with vegetables and topped with toasted nuts - this is a family favourite

Maqlouba (Maklouba) - Arabic Rice
Vegan Chocolate-brown Rice and Chickpea Salad
Vegan Stuffed Peppers (Lebanese Blimp Capsicum + Gluten Costless)
Blimp Silverbeet (Mahshi Selek)

❓FAQ

What is a practiced culling to vermicelli?

Affections pilus pasta or capellini pasta brand great alternatives. Nevertheless, depending on which state y'all are located in, some of these pasta may be referred to each other interchangeably.

Can I refrigerate vermicelli rice?

Yes, only permit it to absurd to room temperature earlier storing it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to v days. Reheat as needed.

Is vermicelli rice gluten-free?

No, rice with vermicelli isn't gluten complimentary. As the vermicelli is made from wheat which contains gluten.

Is vermicelli pasta the same equally vermicelli noodles?

No, vermicelli pasta and vermicelli noodles are two different foods. Pasta is generally made of wheat and noodles are fabricated of rice. Vermicelli noodles will not yield the same result.

Did you bask making this vermicelli rice recipe? I would love to hear from you lot, go out me a annotate beneath and give me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating. This will help me sustain Plant Based Folk.

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📖 Recipe

Lebanese vermicelli rice

1 cup Basmati Rice or any long grain rice
½ cup Vermicelli Pasta or affections pilus pasta
1½ tablespoon Vegan butter or olive oil
½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
1½ cups h2o or brand certain the water line is virtually 2 cm in a higher place the rice

Cook Way Preclude your screen from going nighttime

Heat vegan butter (or olive oil) in a pot over med-loftier estrus. Add crushed vermicelli and continuously stir until golden brown.

one½ tablespoon Vegan butter, ½ cup Vermicelli Pasta
Add together rice and stir through, blanket it with the buttered vermicelli.

1 cup Basmati Rice
Add water and salt. Bring it to a boil and and so turn heat to low and permit rice to melt for about 10-12 minutes. Once rice is cooked, let it to sit (covered) for about 10 minutes and and so fluff rice with a fork and serve.

½ teaspoon Salt, ane½ cups water

Avoid short-grain rice

If you are using white rice other than basmati, I recommend yous launder the rice (until it runs clear) to rid excess starch, as this will assist with alleviating clumps.

Crush vermicelli bales with your hands into bite-sized pieces (don't over beat) before pan-frying.

The more golden the vermicelli is, the bolder the flavor is. Information technology's worth trying to get it as golden as possible.

Do non open the lid immediately subsequently cooking. Allowing it to sit down helps the heat to steam a petty bit more.

When frying vermicelli, be sure to watch and continuously stir information technology, as it heats up chop-chop and can easily burn down toward the end.

To alleviate any burning of the vermicelli, when it turns golden, add rice immediately. This will help distribute the heat off the noodles

The water line higher up the rice should be approximately 2.5cm (if y'all need to add a footling bit more water, do so at the start.

Rice is done when the water evaporates.

The cooked vermicelli will mostly sit on the summit of the rice. This is normal and is mixed through when fluffing.

Salt - you can adjust the salt to your liking.

Serving Suggestions

Kidney bean stew Lebanese fasolia - super easy to make and very filling, information technology'due south the perfect condolement nutrient

Lebanese Spinach Stew Sabanekh wa Riz - a lovely and lite spinach stew

Bamia Okra Stew - this is a hearty stew

N.B., diet info is an guess based on an online nutrition reckoner. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you utilize.

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