Lebanese Vermicelli Rice (Riz b Sh3eriye)

Lebanese vermicelli rice is best eaten with stews, or as we call them 'yekhneh' in Lebanon.

Once you know how to make perfect rice (from my previous post) then you can upgrade and add some vermicelli.

You can source broken up vermicelli (or baby pasta as my son like to call it) from most Middle Eastern stores, avoid the thick ribbony ones that come in little bundles because who wants to break them up when you don't have to.

Best ratio of rice to water

Now lets talk ratios, if we agree that the perfect water to basmati rice ratio is 1.5 to 1, then adding some vermicelli is obviously going to require more water.

I found that with 1.5 cups of rice and half a cup of vermicelli (total 2 cups of rice and vermicelli) require 3 cups of water.

Therefore the vermicelli should be treated the same as the rice regarding water ratios. I've used basmati rice which separates nicely though you can also use short grain rice which might need a bit of extra water.

Tips for making the best vermicelli rice

The only extra step you have to do is sauté the vermicelli in some oil before adding the rice and salt.

You want to achieve a good golden colour on the vermicelli without burning it and if you under sauté, it will come out faded and there won't be a lovely contrast with the rice.

Though there isn't a huge difference in taste compared to normal rice but it gets addictive, plus, it's nice to add some extra depth with a few minutes extra work.

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Lebanese Vermicelli Rice Recipe

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups basmati rice
• ½ cup of fine vermicelli strands
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 cups boiling water

Instructions

1. Wash the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear, drain and set aside
2. Boil 3 cups of water
3. In a pot, add the vermicelli with the vegetable oil and sauté for a few minutes until golden making sure you stir all the time
4. Add the rice and salt to the pot and sauté for another few minutes
5. Add the boiling water, bring to the boil then down to a simmer
6. Put on a lid and time for 15 minutes exactly
7. Once cooked fluff with a fork before serving with your favourite curry or stew.

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Loubia b'zeit (Lebanese green bean stew)

Bamia bi lahme (Okra stew with meat)

Sheikh el Mahshi (Stuffed eggplant)

Lebanese mloukhiya

Lebanese rice with mince and peas