Mediterranean Ground Beef and Rice (Lebanese Hashweh)

Hashweh means “stuffing” in Arabic, and this rice is exactly what Lebanese cooks pack inside a roast chicken or a whole lamb. It is so good on its own that most families serve it as a dish in its own right, piled on a big platter with chicken on top for Sunday lunch, or simply with yogurt and a salad on a busy weeknight. You will also hear it called riz bi lahmeh (rice with meat).

What makes it Lebanese is the seasoning: cinnamon and baharat (seven spices) instead of cumin and paprika, ghee or butter for richness, and a generous scattering of pine nuts and almonds fried until golden. The rice cooks right in the pan with the meat, so every grain picks up the flavor.

Ingredients

For the rice

• 300 g (1½ cups) basmati or long-grain rice
• 2 tbsp (30 g) ghee, butter or olive oil
• 1 medium onion (150 g), finely chopped
• 500 g (1 lb) ground beef, 15 to 20 percent fat
• 1½ tsp Lebanese seven spices (baharat)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 600 ml (2½ cups) hot water or chicken stock

For the topping

• 1 tbsp (15 g) butter or olive oil
• 40 g (¼ cup) pine nuts
• 40 g (⅓ cup) slivered or blanched almonds
• 2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold water until it runs almost clear, then soak it in fresh water for 15 minutes. Drain well.
2. Heat the ghee in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft and lightly golden, about 6 minutes.
3. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon and cook until no pink remains and the bits start to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Spoon off excess fat if there is a lot.
4. Stir in the seven spices, cinnamon, pepper and salt and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
5. Add the drained rice and stir for 2 minutes so every grain is coated in fat and spice.
6. Pour in the hot water or stock, taste the liquid and adjust the salt (it should taste slightly salty). Bring to a boil.
7. Cover tightly, turn the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 18 minutes without lifting the lid.
8. Turn off the heat and let the pot rest, still covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork.
9. While the rice rests, melt the butter in a small pan over medium-low heat. Fry the almonds for 2 minutes, add the pine nuts and stir for another 1 to 2 minutes, until both are golden. Watch closely, pine nuts burn fast. Tip them onto a plate.
10. Pile the rice on a platter, scatter the nuts and parsley on top and serve hot.

Tips for the best hashweh

• Brown the meat properly. Those caramelized bits are where the flavor comes from.
• Do not stir the rice once the lid is on, or it turns sticky.
• Fry the nuts separately and add them at the end so they stay crisp.
• No seven spices? Use ½ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp more cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg and a pinch of clove.

Variations

• Riz a djej: serve the rice topped with shredded poached chicken and the nuts, the classic Lebanese festive platter.
• With vegetables: stir 150 g (1 cup) frozen peas and a diced carrot into the rice before adding the water, the way it is done for ouzi. Cut green beans also work.
• Lamb: replace half or all the beef with ground lamb for a deeper flavor.

How to serve and store

Serve with plain yogurt or cucumber yogurt sauce and a sharp salad such as fattoush. Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water, covered, so the rice steams instead of drying out.

For the spice mix, a Lebanese blend like Abido Spices seven spices is the shortcut most home cooks use. For the topping, Terroirs du Liban sells pine nuts from Lebanese villages.

Frequently Asked Questions