Lebanese Rice
Golden vermicelli tangled into steamy, fragrant basmati, this Lebanese rice is cooked in savory veggie stock and kissed with just enough garlic and onion. It’s buttery (without the butter), nostalgic (without the baggage), and shockingly easy to get just right. One pot, no stress, all reward. You’ll start making it for the shawarma, but end up eating it straight from the pot!
Servings: 6 Cups
Calories: 208kcal
Cost: $2.50
Equipment
- Wide pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup aged basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ⅓ cup durum wheat vermicelli
- ½ cup onion small diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups unsalted vegetable stock or water
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Optional garnishes:
- Fried onions
- Parsley leaves chopped
- Mint leaves
Instructions
- Submerge the rice in a bowl of cool water and squeeze it in your hands to release starch.
- Drain and rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under cool water until the water runs clear. Let it drain and dry thoroughly for a few minutes.
- Set a wide pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. After 90 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the vermicelli. Stir-fry continuously until the noodles turn deep golden brown.
- Add the diced onion and garlic and continue cooking over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the rice to the pot and stir to coat it evenly in the oil. Pour in the vegetable stock or water, then add the salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 17 minutes without lifting the lid.
- After 17 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and gently fluff the rice with a fork.
- If using garnishes, top the rice with fried onions, chopped parsley leaves, and mint leaves before serving.
Notes
🌀 Splish Splash, I’ve Been Taking a Bath:
Don’t just splash and go—soak, swish, and rinse that rice until the water’s clear. It’s the difference between clumpy chaos and perfect, separate grains.
🔥 Don’t Vermi-Sell Yourself Short:
Keep stirring and go for gold. The deeper the toast (but, like without burning), the nuttier and more iconic your rice will taste.
🥷 Lid and Let Die:
Do. Not. Peek. That trapped steam is doing all the work, and if you let it out early, you’re shortchanging your grains.
Nutrition
Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 223mg | Potassium: 62mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.4mg