Delicious, flavorful 3-ingredient Middle-Eastern vermicelli rice cooked perfectly every single time - this dish is perfect for serving alongside stews, curries, and even with yogurt!
Rinse the rice until the water runs clear If doing so in a bowl, then you may need to do this 3-4 times (this water can be used to water plants). Alternatively, place the rise in a sieve and rinse under running water.
Either way, make sure to rub the rice between your fingers to rub off all the excess starch from the rice. This will stop it from clumping up, for fluffy rice.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the vermicelli. Stir fry on medium heat (avoid high heat as they'll burn easily) for about 1-2 minutes until the vermicelli becomes a deep golden brown. Stir constantly so they don't burn on one side.
Add the rice and stir well to incorporate it. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
Add the water and salt. Stir well and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat, cover the saucepan and simmer for about 15 minutes until all the water is absorbed.
As an optional step, once removed from the heat, place a clean dish towel between the lid and pot and leave to steam for a further 5-10 minutes. The tea towel will absorb all the excess steam so it doesn't drip down onto the rice. Thus super fluffy rice. However, I say this is optional - as it doesn't always need it.
Serve Immediately!
How To Store
Any vermicelli rice leftovers will keep fresh in an airtight container within the fridge for 3-5 days. You can also freeze it for two months in the freezer.
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Notes
Top Tips
Make sure that you toast the vermicelli noodles for long enough. They need to be a deep brown color for the truly nutty, buttery, rich flavor. They go from deep brown to burnt quickly though so keep an eye.
As soon as the noodles have gotten dark, add the rice immediately. This will cool down the pan and stop the noodles from burning.
I don't soak the rice for this recipe, just rinse it. The key is to rub the rice with your hands while rinsing. This will help to remove the starch from the outside of your rice with no soaking required. That way you won't get any rice clumping or becoming stodgy.
Ignore the package instructions when it comes to the rice to water ratio. A 'normal' 2:1 water ratio is far more likely to leave you with stodgy, clumpy rice. I err to the side of slightly below 1:1.5 ratio for perfectly fluffy grains every time.