Rice with vermicelli is served alongside many Lebanese dishes. This is a gluten free recipe, but you can also make it with regular vermicelli. I will be mentioning this recipe a lot. So you might want to keep a copy of it in an easily accessible place. This is my son’s favorite rice. He loves it so much that he asks me to make it often. I’ll have to admit, I like it a lot as well even though rice is not my most favorite food in the world.
Jump to RecipeINGREDIENTS FOR RICE WITH VERMICELLI
- long-grain rice
- thin rice noodles broken into 1 to 1/2 inch pieces
- extra virgin olive oil will add an amazing flavor to this rice with vermicelli dish. I highly recommend that you do not skip it.
- water the amount of water you use to cook your rice with should be dependent on the type of rice you are using. That is why I cannot give you a specific amount.
- salt
UTENSILS
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Large fine mesh strainer
- Medium stockpot
- Wooden spoon
HOW TO PREPARE RICE FOR COOKING
The first thing you’re going to do is of course, rinse your rice. You’ll need to rinse it about 3 times. I find that over-rinsing it turns it a bit mushy.
After you rinse your rice, you’ll need to drain it. For this I like to use a really fine sieve where the grains of rice have no chance of escaping.
You’re not going to want to use a colander as most colanders have wide draining holes and you will quickly notice that you are loosing your rice. Unless of course it is a very fine colander.
Now that your rice is ready for making rice with vermicelli, we need to work on the noodles.
HOW TO PREPARE GLUTEN FREE NOODLES FOR RICE WITH VERMICELLI
What Type of Gluten Free Noodles Should You Choose to Make Rice With Vermicelli
My preferred noodles to use in this recipe are brown rice noodles.
In fact, those are my preferred noodles for most recipes. I find that they are very similar in taste and texture to what I remember what the wheat noodles tasted like. That is if my memory is correct.
However, you can use any type of gluten free noodles that you prefer as long as they are thin.
I have also tried the Asian rice noodles. Personally, they are not my favorite. What disappoints me about them the most is that the beautiful golden color that I have tried my best to get by frying them in the oil disappears after they get submerged into the water. Also the taste and texture isn’t exactly what I am looking for.
How to Prepare Gluten Free Noodles For Rice With Vermicelli
To prepare the noodles, we are going to break them up into 1 inch to 1/2 inch pieces. I personally do not like them to be any longer than that.
It is something about nostalgia, and remembering how the wheat vermicelli looked like and tasted in the rice. It is something that I will never forget.
I was very disappointed when I went gluten free that I could no longer have this type of rice. I have experimented for several years until I finally reached the point of satisfaction where I feel that it is the closest to what I remember.
HOW TO COOK RICE WITH VERMICELLI
How to Fry Vermicelli
After you break up the noodles, place as much extra virgin olive oil as you prefer into a medium pot. That would be between 2 to 4 tablespoons. I lean more toward the 4 tablespoons because I love how the oil coats the rice and the noodles.
The olive oil also adds a wonderful taste to this dish, but If you want to go on the healthier side, you can always use less oil.
Place the pot onto medium heat, and add in the noodles.
I like to stir the noodles very frequently so that they do not burn. Once the noodles start to fry in the oil, you will notice that first they are going to expand, turn into a whitish color, and then begin to brown.
You’ll want them to reach a beautiful golden brown color. I find that once they are at that point, they taste the best in the rice.
A word of caution however, If you’re rice is not ready, and you have to get it ready, remove them off the heat before they are completely golden brown. Otherwise, they will continue to brown in the hot oil even while they are off the heat, and they will be darker than you would like them to be.
How to Cook Rice
Once the noodles are golden brown, add in the rice and salt, and stir. Stir fry together for about 2 to 3 minutes. You don’t want the rice to sit in one spot for too long otherwise it will either burn or get overcooked.
Since this rice is not boiled, if it overcooks in the oil it will get hard and not expand after you boil it. You will find yourself adding tons of water just to get the rice to soften and expand, but to no avail.
So make sure that you do not over cook it. You will know this from the change of the color in the rice. Just make sure to keep stirring and don’t cook it any longer than 3 minutes. Also do not cook it on high heat.
You will notice that the rice is starting to clump up a little bit, and that is normal.
Add in the water. The amount of water you add should be depending on the type of rice you are using. Simply follow the instruction, then add about 2 to 3 tablespoons extra water to accommodate for the noodles. Gently stir to make sure that the clumps are somewhat broken up.
You do not want to over stir, otherwise the noodles will separate from the rice. If that happens to you, you could always come back before the water is completely evaporated, and stir it to mix in the noodles with the rice.
How to Cook Rice on an Electric Stovetop
Once you have added the water, you are going to cover the pot, turn up the heat onto high and bring the rice into a rolling boil.
If you have an electric stove, I would encourage you to turn on a second burner onto medium low. It is preferable if the burner is half the size of the diameter of your pot.
From what I have noticed, is that if your burner is the same size or bigger than your pot, it will dry out the water super quick. You will find that the rice grains have not fully cooked. So you will need to add more water until your rice is cooked. I find that this changes the texture and the taste of the rice and makes it undesirable.
Once the rice reaches a rolling boil, put it on the second burner that you have preheated onto medium low, and let it cook for 30 minutes or for the required time that the rice that you have chosen needs to cook.
HOW TO SERVE RICE WITH VERMICELLI
And that’s it. It’s simple, it’s easy, and it’s delicious. I love this rice just on it’s own like this. I personally do not like to add my rice to my bowl of soup or stew. I prefer it to be in it’s original form. I usually have a small separate bowl of rice, and a bowl of either soup or stew.
You can serve this rice with many Mediterranean dishes, or just on it’s own with some yogurt on the side. Preferably, lactose free yogurt for me, or even better, dairy free yogurt. Yum! Enjoy!
And don’t forget to share with us how your rice turned out, how do you like to eat it, and if you have any questions down in the comment section below.
Note: You could also use different types of rice other than long grain rice, but I find this type to be the best for this recipe.
Rice With Vermicelli
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Measuring cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Medium Fine Sieve
Ingredients
- 2 cups long grain rice rinsed three times in room temperature water
- 2 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
- 1/3 cup Thin gluten free brown rice spaghetti broken into 1 inch to 1/2 inch small pieces
- 4 cups and 2 tablespoons water or the amount of water that the rice that you have chosen requires plus 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Place the 2 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil (depending on how much you prefer to use) into the stockpot. Turn the stove onto medium heat and place the rice noodles into the pot. Stir frequently to avoid the rice noodles from burning. Once the rice noodles are golden brown or expanded depending on which type of rice noodles you use (different types behave differently under the same cooking conditions), add in the rice, and salt. Stir fry the rice with the rice noodles for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add in the water into the pot containing the rice. Gently flatten with a wooden spoon. do not try to over stir otherwise the noodles will float to the top. Turn the heat onto high. Cover the pot, and bring it into a rolling boil.
- Once the rice is boiling, turn down the heat to medium-low (on my stove I use number 2 for heat), and let cook for 30 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. If you are using an electric stove, you need to transfer the rice onto a different burner and put that one onto medium-low. I usually turn the second one on once I get the rice ready to boil. This way the second burner would have achieved the heat that I want it to be on when I am ready to transfer the rice onto it.
- If after the cooking time has passed, all the water is gone, and your rice is still not cooked, that means you should have added more water or perhaps your heat was too high. You can still add more water now, about a ¼ cup or depending how uncooked your rice is, and allow the rice to cook for an extra 10 minutes.
Video
Notes
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are “affiliate links”. This means if you click on a link and purchase the item, I will get an affiliate commission. It will not cost you any extra money, but it will help me pay for this website, and it will help me to keep providing you with helpful articles such as this one. I only post links to products that I personally use and love, or to products that I wish I could have, and that could be of value to you. The information that I provide you with, my blog, videos, and many resources are free.
Be the first to reply