It took me three tries, but I finally nailed a restaurant-style Lebanese rice pilaf. Nothing I tried online came close to this. I guess the secret is the right kind of rice, the correct rice-to-water ratio, and of course, plenty of butter and oil! Find a good Lebanese yogurt marinade, grill some meats, and get a hold of some hummus. If you're from southeast Michigan or anywhere else with a large Middle Eastern population, you will feel like you're eating at your favorite place. Trust me.
Ingredients
- parboiled long-grain white rice: 3 cups
- butter: 0.5 cup (divided)
- olive oil: 4 Tbsp (divided)
- orzo pasta: 0.5 cup
- water: 4 cups
- salt: 1 Tbsp
- slivered almonds: 1 Tbsp (to taste)
- tahini: 1 Tbsp
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Fill a large bowl with water. Add rice and let soak for 10 minutes; drain and rinse until water runs clear.
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Heat 1/4 cup butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir orzo in hot butter-oil mixture until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add drained rice and increase heat to medium-high. Cook and stir orzo-rice mixture until rice is coated in butter-oil mixture and starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
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Pour 4 cups water over rice mixture and add salt; stir and bring to a boil. Cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and simmer until rice is fluffy and tender yet firm, about 20 minutes.
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Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat; cook and stir almonds until toasted and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 cup butter and tahini until almonds are evenly coated.
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Mix almond mixture into rice mixture.
