rice with vermicelli

I truly believe that if you don’t like raisins, you probably don’t know the secret that every Middle Eastern cook knows: You’ve got to caramelize those babies! I learned this technique from my grandmother’s rice with vermicelli recipe, and it’s the key to the best plate of rice you’ll ever have.

If you love raisins (or if you plan to omit them no matter what I say 😉), feel free to skip ahead, or read on if you wanna talk about it!

Table of contents

Why caramelizing raisins is delicious (and easy!)
What’s so great about this recipe
Important recipe notes
✨The recipe✨

Why caramelizing raisins is delicious

If you hate raisins, I’m sure you’re skeptical. You’ve heard it all before:

“You should try soaking them!”
(Ew, no thank you—that just makes them squelchy, not good.)

“Well then, you should try rehydrating them in apple juice!”
(No, because the problem isn’t that they are not sweet. It’s that they are gross.)

The thing is, I get it. I do not like raisins in most contexts. But caramelizing them changes absolutely everything. It takes them from stale little Milk Duds to the most amazing salted caramels.

And all you’ve got to do is fry them in some oil or butter for a minute or two. It’s as easy as that, but it completely changes their texture. They go from stale to soft and chewy. And definitely not squelchy!

What’s so great about this rice with vermicelli

• One pot: This is a new-and-improved, streamlined version of an old recipe I posted way back when I first started blogging. It’s based on the way my Assyrian grandmother makes rice with vermicelli, but I’ve tinkered with it so it uses way fewer dishes.
• Olive oil: This recipe is traditionally made with either olive oil or butter, but lately I’ve been using olive oil, which has a funny way of tasting even butterier than butter itself. And for anyone who is vegan or trying to add more monounsaturated fats into their diet, this recipe is a great option. Alternatively, you can absolutely substitute butter in place of the olive oil (use an equal amount everywhere except at the “make the rice” step—there, you should add 2 Tbsp butter to the rice instead of 1 Tbsp olive oil).
• Substitutions: There are a lot of possible options for the vermicelli itself, so don’t sweat it if you can’t find any. There are even notes at the end of the recipe for a gluten free substitution.

Important notes

If you follow the recipe, you should be all good, but here are some things to keep in mind:

• No peeking! You might be tempted to lift the lid while it’s resting, but resist that urge! It’s okay to peek in once or twice (just a tiny little crack) while it’s simmering. But after that point, it needs to stay sealed so the steam can work its magic. And peeking too much while it cooks can let too much water evaporate.
• No stirring! If you follow the no peeking rule, you won’t be tempted to stir it, but it’s so important, I gave it its own bullet point. This “absorption” rice method depends on not stirring it once you put that lid on. The rice forms a beautiful structure as it simmers with lots of room for steam to get around. If you stir it, you’ll smush everything together and the steam won’t be able to circulate evenly. Your rice will turn out mushy, mealy, and broken. Just let it do its thing, and it’ll turn out great.
• Mise en place: Things move pretty quickly, and you don’t want to leave your nuts, raisins, or vermicelli unattended while they’re toasting. So make sure you have everything you need handy at the stove. The recipe should set you up for success, but here’s a list of everything you should have at the stove when you get started:
  • paper towel lined plate + more paper towels
  • your rinsed rice
  • slotted spoon
  • olive oil
  • almonds, raisins, vermicelli (+ measuring tools, or measure them ahead)

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