Arabic recipesMain dishes
Riz bil Shaarieh: Fluffy Arabic Vermicelli Rice
Riz bil Shaarieh is the everyday staple side dish of Levantine and Egyptian home cooking, pairing medium-grain rice with broken wheat vermicelli toasted golden in ghee. Rinsing away surface starch, coating the grains in warm fat, and steaming with boiling water yields separate, fragrant grains in 20 minutes.
Also known as:Lebanese vermicelli riceEgyptian roz bil shaariehMiddle Eastern rice with toasted noodles
Servings4
Prep time15 min
Cook time20 min
Ingredients
Add ingredients to cart- 400 g (2 cups) Egyptian medium-grain rice
- 90 g Arabic wheat vermicelli (shaarieh), broken into short strands
- 2 tbsp ghee (samna) or 1 tbsp ghee plus 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 720 ml (3 cups) boiling water or light stock
- 1 level tsp salt
Preparation Steps
- 1Rinse the rice under cold water several times until the water runs completely clear, soak in lukewarm water for 15 minutes, then drain thoroughly.
- 2Melt the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and stir the vermicelli continuously until evenly golden brown.
- 3Add the drained rice and salt, folding gently for 1 minute so every grain is coated in warm ghee before adding liquid.
- 4Pour in the boiling water all at once, let it return to a brisk boil, immediately reduce to the lowest flame, and steam tightly covered for 16 to 18 minutes.
- 5Turn off the heat, rest covered for 5 minutes without lifting the lid, then fluff gently from the edges inward with a fork.
