Middle-Eastern Rice Pilaf
Rice pilaf is a staple for Middle-Eastern cuisine. It's very easy to make, delicious and is finished in under an hour. The way we make rice pilaf is we include vermicelli noodles that are sauteed in oil or shortening. The noodles add just a bit of a differentiating distinct flavor to the rice. It's such a wonderful combination. If you're serious about learning Middle-Eastern cuisine, then this is a great dish to start with. It's a base for so many recipes, but it also accompanies other dishes as well. For example, in Lebanese cooking, we use rice pilaf as a side dish for chicken entrees, bbq, kafta, and more. We also use it as a base for dishes such as bazella, fasolia, kafta bi-siniyyeh, and more. Those are just a few examples and that's just from Lebanese cooking. All over the Middle-East, rice pilaf is used in a variety of ways. It's so important to nail this if you want to continue on your journey in successfully learning to cook Middle-Eastern cuisine. Fear not, it's much easier than you think. I'm going to show you use how easy and quick this staple dish comes together.
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. I could have actually gone darker than what I have pictured, but oh well.
Once the sauteeing 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.
Middle-Eastern Rice Pilaf
Delicious Middle-Eastern Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
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 sauteeing 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.
Notes
It's important to use a liquid measuring cup to measure both the rice and the water.
Store in a container, covered in the fridge. It will last for about a week, but it's best within a few days.
