Lebanese Vermicelli Rice

4.98 from 71 votes

Vermicelli rice is a staple in Lebanese cuisine and the perfect side dish, made with just three simple ingredients. It features soft, buttery toasted vermicelli noodles intertwined with perfectly cooked, fluffy rice grains.

Prep Time5

Cook Time12

Total Time17

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Lebanese, Middle Eastern

Diet: Vegan

Servings: people

Calories: 323kcal

Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

1 cup Basmati Rice or any white long grain
½ cup Vermicelli Pasta or angel hair pasta
1½ tablespoon Olive oil or dairy free butter
½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
1½ cups water or make sure the water line is about 2 cm above the rice

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Rinse the rice under cold water to expel excess starch until the water runs clear, drain and set aside.
1 cup Basmati Rice
Heat olive oil (or butter) in a saucepan over high-medium heat. Add crushed vermicelli and continuously stir until golden brown.
1½ tablespoon Olive oil, ½ cup Vermicelli Pasta
Add the rinsed rice and stir through, coating it with the buttered vermicelli.
Add water and salt. Bring it to a boil and then turn the heat to low and allow to cook for about 10-12 minutes. Once the rice is cooked, allow it to sit (covered) for about 10 minutes (see notes below), and then fluff with a fork and serve.
½ teaspoon Salt, 1½ cups water

Video

Notes

Do not over-crush the vermicelli noodles, small pieces tend to burn fast, especially toward the end of frying them.

Do not open the lid immediately after cooking. Allowing the pot to sit helps the heat to steam the pilaf a little bit more.

Garnish suggestion - top with toasted pine nuts and chopped fresh parsley.

Sabanekh wa Riz is another Lebanese stew made of spinach which is often paired with this vermicelli rice recipe and a dollop of plain yogurt.

Next time, you might want to try this other Lebanese rice recipe called Mujadara rice made with lentils or this spiced Lebanese rice with nuts that's filled with vegetables and topped with toasted nuts. These two rice dishes are consistently praised for their flavors.

Nutrition