🍚 Lebanese Rice with Vermicelli
Lebanese rice with vermicelli is the everyday Levantine side dish: short pieces of vermicelli are toasted golden in butter, then cooked with rice and salted water until fluffy. The toasted noodles add a nutty flavour and flecks of brown to the white grains. It is served alongside stews, grilled meats and vegetable dishes cooked in tomato sauce.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 30 g butter
- 60 g vermicelli, broken into short pieces
- 300 g long-grain or Egyptian rice, rinsed and soaked 15 minutes
- 600 ml boiling water
- 1 tsp salt
Method
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat and fry the vermicelli, stirring, until deep golden.
- Add the drained rice and stir for a minute to coat.
- Pour in the boiling water and salt, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low 15–18 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, rest covered 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.
How to make it lighter
- Halve the butter; 1 tbsp of butter is about 100 kcal.
- Use less vermicelli and more rice, or the reverse—both are similar in calories, so watch the portion instead.
- Serve one scoop alongside a large portion of vegetable stew.
History
Rice with toasted vermicelli is cooked in homes across Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan, and is equally common in Egypt and Turkey. It is the default rice served with most Levantine stews today.
Count it in one photo
Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Lebanese Rice with Vermicelli and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.
Download on the App StoreSimilar dishes
Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →