“If you thought rice was boring, you haven’t tried this Lebanese spiced rice. It’s easy enough to make on any weeknight but fancy enough to serve at special celebrations and dinner parties. I grew up with this rice and I have to admit, my favorite part are the crunchy toasted nuts on top. It’s the perfect match for the soft rice underneath,” says Jenan Zammar, an Ottawa-based content creator and food blogger. “I grew up with my mother making this rice for Thanksgiving dinner or for Eids and other special occasions. It’s easy to make but full of flavor everyone will love.” (Eid means “festival” or “feast” in Arabic, and both are times of joy, feasting, communal prayer, visiting family and friends, exchanging gifts, and acts of charity, particularly the donation of food or money to the needy.)
“I’m a busy Lebanese mother of three and I love to share my recipes,” says Jenan. “Years ago, I had no idea what I was doing in the kitchen but with lots of trial and error, I can now whip up a meal with little effort. I’m all about simplifying meals while still enjoying the delicious tastes and flavors that food has to offer. From my family’s kitchen to yours with love is my motto. This dish is a one-pot meal — rice is mixed with ground beef (or lamb), Lebanese 7 spice and cinnamon. It’s a popular dish in many Middle Eastern countries.”
“You’ll want to start by washing the rice really well until the water runs clear. Some people like to soak the rice depending on the rice but there’s no need to soak the rice for this recipe. In a pot you’ll cook the ground beef and spices first then add butter until everything is well combined. Then the rice goes in. It’s important to mix the rice for a minute or two with the ground beef to ensure every grain of rice has some of the butter coating it. This will result in perfect fluffy rice that doesn’t stick together.”
Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef (or lamb)
2 cups basmati rice
