Browned rice with vermicelli, fried onion, tahini, and juicy tomatoes – when the side dish is so delicious, it becomes a star in its own right. That’s what happened to me with this dish.
This is a simple and traditional recipe from the Sephardic-Jerusalem kitchen, which works great as a side dish to rich stews. This time, we’ll add fried onion and tahini to turn it into a wonderful vegan meal.
Rice with Vermicelli
Recipe by: Orly Pely-Bronstein
30 minutes of work, easy to prepare, serves 4
Ingredients:
2 onions, cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, sliced
5 tablespoons olive oil
200 grams thin vermicelli
1½ cups basmati rice
2½ cups chicken broth or hot water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
To finish the dish:
½ cup raw tahini
¼ cup water
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 garlic clove, crushed
A little salt
1 large ripe tomato
A handful of chopped cilantro or parsley leaves
Preparation:
How to make rice with vermicelli?
1. Heat a pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fry the onions for about 10 minutes over medium heat until deeply golden. Add the garlic, fry together for another minute, remove, and set aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the pot and fry the vermicelli for about 3 minutes while stirring, until golden. Add the rice, salt, and cumin, and continue to fry while stirring, until the rice and vermicelli are browned.
3. Add half of the fried onions and the boiling water to the pot. Taste to check if the water is salty enough. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Open the pot, place a clean towel under the lid, close it again, and cook for another 15 minutes without opening.
5. Meanwhile, mix the ingredients for the tahini: raw tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, and a little salt.
6. Sprinkle the dish with the remaining fried onion, drizzle with tahini, squeeze the tomato over it, and scatter the chopped cilantro.
Orly Pely-Bronstein, in collaboration with Sugat