How to Make Lebanese Rice with Vermicelli (Riz bi Sh’arieh)

Riz bi sh’arieh (rice with vermicelli) is the everyday rice of Lebanon. Thin vermicelli noodles are toasted in fat until they turn the color of hazelnuts, then rice is stirred in and cooked by absorption until each grain is separate and tender. The toasted noodles give the rice a nutty flavor and the speckled look that tells you it is Lebanese.

It goes under bamia, fasoulia, spinach stew and molokhia, next to grilled chicken, and it is the base for festive rice with meat and nuts. Families use butter or ghee for richness, but olive or vegetable oil makes it fully vegan, and broth instead of water makes it more savory.

Ingredients

• 400 g (2 cups) long-grain white rice, such as Egyptian long grain, jasmine or basmati
• 50 g (1/2 cup) fine vermicelli (sh’arieh), broken into 2 to 3 cm (1 inch) pieces
• 3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil (or 2 tablespoons butter plus 1 tablespoon oil)
• 720 ml (3 cups) boiling water or vegetable broth
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• Optional garnish: 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds

Instructions

1. Put the rice in a bowl and rinse it in several changes of cold water, rubbing gently, until the water is nearly clear. Cover with fresh water and soak for 15 minutes, then drain well in a sieve.
2. Heat the oil in a medium heavy pot with a tight lid over medium heat. Add the vermicelli and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until it turns an even deep golden brown. Watch it closely, as it goes from golden to burnt in seconds.
3. Add the drained rice and stir for 1 to 2 minutes so every grain is coated in oil and starts to look translucent at the edges.
4. Pour in the boiling water or broth and add the salt. Stir once, then bring back to a boil over high heat.
5. As soon as it boils and small holes appear on the surface, about 2 minutes, turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover tightly and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
6. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for 10 minutes so the rice finishes steaming.
7. Fluff gently with a fork, lifting from the bottom. Top with toasted nuts if you like and serve hot.

Tips for the best riz bi sh’arieh

• For soaked long-grain rice, use 1 1/2 cups liquid for every cup of rice. Unsoaked basmati may need a little more.
• Use boiling liquid. Adding cold water to the hot pot lowers the temperature and the rice cooks unevenly.
• Wrap the lid in a clean kitchen towel if it does not seal well. The trapped steam does the cooking.
• Toast the vermicelli darker than you think. Pale vermicelli adds no flavor.

Variations

• Egyptian short-grain rice: use 1 1/4 cups water per cup of rice and cook 12 minutes; the result is softer and stickier, which some families prefer.
• Riz a djej style: cook the rice in chicken broth with 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon and allspice, and top with fried nuts and shredded chicken.
• Add a cinnamon stick and a bay leaf to the water for a subtly spiced rice.

How to serve and store

Serve with any Lebanese stew, grilled meats or a simple plate of laban (yogurt). Cool leftovers quickly and keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat with a splash of water, covered, until steaming hot all the way through.

Lebanese mills and pantry producers make this easy to stock: Al Najjar Modern Mills packs grains in the Bekaa, and pine nuts from Terroirs du Liban make a fine garnish.

Frequently Asked Questions