Lebanese Bizella (Beef, Pea and Carrot Stew)

 There are few dishes as comforting, healthy, and tasty as Lebanese Bizella which is a pea and beef stew typically served over rice. It's incredibly easy to make and gives you a hearty meal in under an hour. I'm not a pea fan typically, but with this stew, it just works. Give this a try and I know you'll love it like I do.

How to Make Lebanese Bizella (Beef, Pea and Carrot Stew):

Prep and Make the Rice:

• You can find the full recipe and instructions here about how I make my Middle Eastern-style rice.
• I usually get the rice done and then move on to the rest of the dish.

Make the Beef Stock:

• I place the beef cubes in a medium-sized stock pot with cold water. I bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to low to simmer for around 45 minutes. Halfway through, skim any fat that floats up to the top.

• Once the beef is cooked, I drain the pot of stock into a large separate bowl so I can get the beef cubes in a sieve and the stock ends up in a large bowl. The sieve will not only catch the beef cubes but also any remaining fat that we don't want in our stock. Then, I set the beef aside and pour the stock back into the same pot I originally cooked the meat in. Sometimes, I have to first wipe it down so there's no fat clinging to the sides.
• Note: I sometimes cut the beef cubes using kitchen shears into smaller cubes. This is our family's preference, but it's not required. For instance, my mom always leaves them as they are so we have larger cubes of meat in the dish. It's totally up to your family's preference.

Make the Stew:

• Place the beef back into the stock along with one beef bouillon cube (optional). Also, add in the tomato paste and stir. Add in your sliced carrots. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, cooking uncovered, and then turn the heat back down to a low to simmer. Cook for around 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, add in the frozen peas, garlic, salt and black pepper. Cook for another 20-30 minutes. Taste to see if the broth is seasoned well and if the peas and carrots are cooked through. Add more seasoning and/or cooking time if either isn't achieved.

Garnish and Enjoy:

• Lastly, once the stew is cooked, add in roughly chopped cilantro and stir. Enjoy warm!

MORE GREAT LEBANESE RECIPES:

• Lebanese Stuffed Vegetarian Grape Leaves (Warak Enab)
• Mom's Lebanese Rice with Minced Meat (Tidbeha)
• Mom's Lebanese Lemon and Garlic Chicken

SHOP MY BAKING ESSENTIALS:

https://www.amazon.com/shop/fayesfood

Lebanese Bizella (Beef and Pea Stew)

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Lebanese

Ingredients

  

Rice:

• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 cups very warm water or enough to just cover the rice by an additional ¼"
• ¾ cup Crisco shortening or vegetable oil
• 1 cup vermicelli noodles
• 4 cups cold water
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt or to taste

Bizella (Beef and Pea Stew)

• 4 cups cold water or enough to cover beef well
• 1 ½ cups stew beef
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 large carrots washed, peeled, sliced
• 1 bag frozen sweet peas
• 1 beef boulion cube optional
• 1 head garlic cloves finely chopped
• ½ tablespoon salt start there and add more to taste
• ½ tablespoon black pepper start there and add more to taste
• 1 bunch cilantro washed and roughly chopped

Instructions

 

Rice:

• Place the rice in a large bowl. Pour very warm water over the rice just until the water covers the rice by about a ¼". Allow the rice to soak for about 30 minutes.
• Pour the rice and water mixture through a strainer and wash the rice thoroughly with warm water. Place the strainer over a bowl to allow the excess water to drip for about ten minutes.
• After the excess water has drained, place the shortening or oil in a pot over high heat. If you're using the shortening, stir until it's fully melted. Pour the vermicelli noodles into the pot. Stir frequently. After about 5 minutes or once the noodles have gotten to more of a brownish color, add the rice to the noodles and cook both for a couple more minutes. We just want to toast the rice for a couple of minutes and this will also finish off cooking the noodles to a color we're satisfied with. The noodles should be browned, but not burned. They're naturally golden in color and will darken as you cook them.
• Once the sautéing is done, pour cold water into the pot. Add in the vinegar and salt. Stir just a little bit until the rice is fully covered by the water. Cover with the lid and cook on high heat until most of the water is soaked up from the top. This takes about 5 minutes or so on high heat. Make sure to check to see if the water is soaked up just enough. Some water should be visible, but most of it should be soaked up from the top. It's important not to overdo it or the rice will be overcooked.
• Turn the heat to low. Cover the pot with layers of paper towel and place the lid on top of the paper towels. Cook on low for 20-25 minutes.
• Remove the lid and paper towels from the pot. Use a big fork to fluff the rice up a bit.
• Serve and enjoy! This rice is delicious on its own, but it's also great as a side dish or as a base for many wonderful Mid-East dishes.

Make the Beef Stock:

• I place the beef cubes in a medium-sized stock pot with cold water. I bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to low to simmer for around 45 minutes. Halfway through, skim any fat that floats up to the top.
• Once the beef is cooked, I drain the pot of stock into a large separate bowl so I can get the beef cubes in a sieve and the stock ends up in a large bowl. The sieve will not only catch the beef cubes but also any remaining fat that we don't want in our stock. Then, I set the beef aside and pour the stock back into the same pot I originally cooked the meat in. Sometimes, I have to first wipe it down so there's no fat clinging to the sides.
• Note: I sometimes cut the beef cubes using kitchen shears into smaller cubes. This is our family's preference, but it's not required. For instance, my mom always leaves them as they are so we have larger cubes of meat in the dish. It's totally up to your family's preference.

Make the Stew:

• Place the beef back into the stock along with one beef bouillon cube (optional). Also, add in the tomato paste and sliced carrots and stir. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, cooking uncovered, and then turn the heat back down to a low to simmer. Cook for around 15 minutes.
• After 15 minutes, add in the frozen peas, garlic, salt and black pepper. Cook for another 20-30 minutes. Taste to see if the broth is seasoned well and if the peas and carrots are cooked through. Add more seasoning and/or cooking time if either isn't achieved.

Garnish:

• Lastly, once the stew is cooked, add in roughly chopped cilantro and stir. Enjoy warm!

Notes

Best served the day of, but will last in the fridge covered for up to a week.