Vermicelli Rice
Rice with golden toasted vermicelli, the Levantine way — the upgrade your rice has been waiting for.
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Join HomecookedIngredients
- 300 g Rice
- 60 g Rice vermicelli
- 30 g Butter
- 1 tsp Salt
Method
- Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear, then drain it well.
- Break the vermicelli into short pieces with your hands.
- Toast the broken vermicelli in the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until deep amber — it turns fast.
- Stir the rinsed rice and the salt into the toasted vermicelli, pour in water until it sits about a finger above the rice, and bring it to a boil.
- Cover the pot, drop the heat to low, and cook undisturbed until the water is absorbed, about 14 minutes.
- Rest the covered pot off the heat so the rice finishes steaming, about 5 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and serve it under anything saucy.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.
About Vermicelli Rice
Vermicelli rice is the everyday rice of the Levant — plain rice studded with fine noodles toasted to a deep amber, a small step that transforms a pot of rice into something with nutty, buttery depth. Known across Lebanese, Syrian, and broader Middle Eastern kitchens, it's the default base you'll find under stews, grilled meats, and roasted vegetables rather than a dish served on its own. The whole thing hinges on one moment: toasting the broken vermicelli in butter until it turns golden-brown, which happens fast and carries the flavor of the entire pot.
The payoff is fluffy rice threaded with fragrant, faintly caramelized noodle bits that give each forkful a subtle crunch and richness plain rice can't match. Rinsing the rice until the water runs clear keeps the grains separate and light, and the standard finger-above-the-rice water level plus a covered rest yields reliably steamed, unclumped results. It's a natural partner to anything saucy — think braises, kofta, or a pot of lentils — where it soaks up the surrounding flavors. Swap the butter for oil and it turns fully vegan without losing the toasty character.
Vermicelli Rice: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Vermicelli Rice?
One serving of Vermicelli Rice has about 420 calories, with 9g of protein, 73g of carbs, 10g of fat and 0g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.
Is Vermicelli Rice gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Vermicelli Rice has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Vermicelli Rice dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Vermicelli Rice take to make?
About 30 minutes start to finish, but only around 12 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does Vermicelli Rice make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.