Rice pilaf with pasta

This rice pilaf is my aunty’s go to side dish at dinner parties. It makes rice all the more interesting very quickly and a tiny bit more festive I reckon. I was always curious to learn how she got the thin pasta so brown but the rice white. When she showed me a few years ago I was amazed by the simplicity of it. Although rice is known to be a side dish I often make just this with some yoghurt and a salad.

The key ingredients are just rice and “φιδέ” or otherwise known as angel hair pasta. The Cypriot cuisine uses this type of pasta to make a bulgur pilaf also. The Lebanese cuisine has a very similar rice dish but they use crushed vermicelli noodles instead. If you make that small change then this rice pilaf becomes gluten free.

This recipe requires just water to cook the rice in but you can easily substitute that with vegetable or chicken stock. The next day the rice dries up regardless. Hence when I reheat the leftovers I sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of water on it and place it the microwave or on the stove to heat up again. That makes the rice not as dry and less textured.

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Rice pilaf with angel hair pasta

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Resting time

10 mins

Total Time

25 mins

 

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Author: Eleni Georges

Ingredients

• 4 tbs olive oil
• ½ cup crushed angel hair pasta, 40g
• 2 cups long grain rice, washed and strained (400g)
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 800 mL boiling water, see notes

Instructions

1. Boil 800mL of water in a kettle. Use a medium sized pot to heat the extra virgin olive oil on a medium heat. Place the angel hair pasta to fry until it turns brown. It will only take 1-2 minute so don't take your eyes off it.

2. Add the rice and stir it around a couple of times so it can lightly fry. The rice should reach a point where it becomes mostly white from opaque.

3. Add the rest of the ingredients in the pot carefully as the hot water may splash. Place the lid on, reduce the heat to a low medium and allow it to cook for up to 15min.

4. Take the lid off, place a towel or paper towel on top of the pot and then add the lid again. Let it rest for at least 10min. Then use a fork to fluff up the rice before serving.

Recipe Notes

Boiling the water in the kettle beforehand just speeds up the cooking time.