Monday 10 January 2011

Rice with Vermicelli

One of my mum's Sunday dishes was the arroz com cabelo de anjo (rice with "angels hair" - how we call vermicelli at home). I love this rice and my brother has perfected it! I am not sure if this is a lebanese or egyptian recipe, but I know its origins lie in the middle-east.
I never attempted to cook it and I need to register here I'm not used to mesuring things when I am cooking, so, this blog is a real challenge, a good one though!
To reproduce this recipe I had to imagine the mesures of each ingredient, which I will describe here and comment on it.
I used a ramekin to mesure, as cups here have different sizes to Brazilian ones.
For this recipe I used:


2 ramekins of basmati rice
1 ramekin of vermicelli (pasta that looks like spaghetti, but thinner) - I think I should have used more of it, so, when you cook it, make it 2
1/2 ramekin of finelly chopped onion
1 table spoon (tbsp) of turmerik
1/2 tbsp of garlic paste - I normally make my own crushing garlic with salt (it last for a month, so I make loads on the mixer)
1 tbsp of butter - I use only salted butter
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
1.25 litres of boiling water
Salt and pepper to your taste - I put 1 tea spoon of salt and half of pepper
Firstly fry the vermicelli in the butter. When the pasta is golden add the onion.
As the onion releases water wait it until it dries back and add turmerik, fry it a little bit with everything else and add the garlic paste. When the garlic paste dries, add the oil and the rice.
Fry the rice a little until the grains are whiter. Pour the whole boiling water, season to taste and leave it to cook. From now, on a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes with a lid.

And remember: do not mix the rice from the time you seasoned it until it is ready. Let it cook by itself, otherwise it will become mushy.
Hope you enjoy it!


* NEXT RECIPE PLANNED: Apple Crumble

1 comment:

  1. Cyntia seriously looks so yummy! I would say I will try that - but I don't think I would seeing as I am a lousy cook - so can I come an eat all this yummiest at yours? Will call you in London! CONGRATULATIONS on a fantastic blog and looking forward to seeing your Julie and Julia type success story on CNN soon :)

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