Vermicelli Rice (Arabic Rice)

Name: Vermicelli Rice (Arabic Rice)
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 as a side
Ingredients: 1 cup long grain rice (I used basmati); ¼ cup broken dry vermicelli pasta (see my notes); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 tablespoon pine nuts; 2 cups chicken stock; ½ teaspoon fine salt

User Reviews

5.0

3 reviews

Excellent

Total Time
35 mins
Servings
4 as a side
Calories
250 kcal
Course
Side Dish
Cuisine
Middle Eastern

Vermicelli Rice (Arabic Rice)

Zara Shaw

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Vermicelli Rice (Arabic Rice) is a Middle Eastern dish that includes vermicelli pasta that has been fried until golden brown then cooked with the rice.

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Ingredients

Servings

1 cup long grain rice (I used basmati) rinsed and well drained
¼ cup broken dry vermicelli pasta (see my notes) angel hair/capellini pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon pine nuts
2 cups chicken stock
½ teaspoon fine salt

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Instructions

Heat olive oil in high-sided pot over medium heat. Add pine nuts and fry until golden brown, then remove to a plate (leaving oil in pot).
Add broken vermicelli pasta to the same pot. Fry over medium heat until golden brown (watch carefully as it can brown very quickly).
Then add rinsed rice and stir to coat in oil.
Add chicken stock and salt and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, turn heat down to very low then cover and cook for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let the rice sit for another 10 minutes (without lifting the lid).
Gently fluff the rice with a fork, top with reserved pine nuts and serve.

Notes

*Please note that the amount of calories per serve is provided as a guide only, as ingredients and cooking methods can vary greatly*
You can occasionally buy vermicelli pasta already broken into short lengths. It's usually called "short cut angel hair pasta" or something similar. If this isn't available just use long vermicelli (angel hair) pasta and snap it into 3cm lengths.
Rinsing the rice in cool water helps to keep the rice grains nice and separate in the finished rice. Separate (not sticky) grains are the hallmark of a rice pilaf.
Watch the vermicelli carefully when you are frying it - because it's so thin it can go from brown to burnt really quickly! This isn't the time to be multitasking!