Festive Cypriot Rice Pilaf with Vermicelli
A colorful and savoury vegan Festive Cypriot rice pilaf with vermicelli pasta, pine nuts and raisins.
It makes a great side dish to any meat dishes but it can also be hearty enough for a meal with the addition of leftover roasted chicken, lamb or pork.
My mom used to make this for us whenever there was any leftover roasted chicken or lamb.
How my mom made the rice pilaf
She sautéed the vermicelli (fides in Greek) until it turned gold, added the grated onion and sautéed it for a few minutes. Then she added the rice and mixed it for a couple of minutes, added the shredded cooked chicken (or other cooked meat), salt, pepper, pureed tomato and chicken broth and cooked it for about 10 - 20 minutes (depending on type of rice used) or until the rice was cooked.
Instead of rice, you can also make this pilaf with bulgur wheat, which is much more simpler to make but without the raisins or pine nuts.
Note: Fides are Greek dry noodles, similar to vermicelli but even thinner and have no eggs in it.
This was served as a light meal with some Greek yoghurt.
When I want to make it as a side dish, I don't add the cooked meat and to make it more festive, I usually add some raisins (or craisins) and pine nuts. Some times, when pomegranate is in season, I like to mix in some pomegranate after the rice pilaf is cooked.
I have tweaked this recipe many times and made it in many ways.
A more simple Cypriot Rice Pilaf
At the time of making this pilaf, I only had some frozen artichokes and a mixture of other frozen vegetables (peas, corn, peppers).
However, since then, I have made this recipe many times with different fresh vegetables.
Rice Pilaf with Vegetables
A colorful and savoury herbed rice pilaf with carrots, red bell peppers, corn, and peas makes a great side dish to any meat dishes but it can also be hearty enough for a meal with the addition of roasted chicken or pork.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of long grained rice
- 60 grams pine nuts, toasted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- (Any vegetables fresh or frozen)
- (I used 2 artichokes and about 1 cup of green beans, red pepper, peas, corn, carrots etc)
- Salt
- Pepper
- 2 nests of vermicelli (angel's hair)
- 1 teaspoon butter (optional)*
- ¼ cup raisins
Instructions
- Steam the vegetables or boil them until soft and set aside.
- In a non-stick sautéing pan toast the pine nuts but be careful not to burn them. Remove to a plate.
- In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat the olive oil and butter and sauté the onion until translucent.
- Add the garlic and mix until fragrant.
- Break the vermicelli nests into smaller pieces and sauté them as well for a few minutes until they begin to brown.
- Add the rice and sauté a few minutes to coat with the olive oil.
- Add the chicken broth, salt and pepper, cover with the lid and simmer for 15 minutes, mixing every now and then.
- Mix in the vegetables and cook for another five minutes.
- Add the raisins and pine nuts and mix.
Notes
If you want to mold the rice, mix in some more butter, so that the rice holds together.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 288Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 55mgSodium 198mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 18g
Update: December 2017
Below you will fin a new recipe with a video, using mushrooms in the pilaf.
During the holidays, I made this rice pilaf with fresh mushrooms, which I love and I added some walnuts and raisins and some spices in it, which makes it delicious.
This Easy Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms is perfect for a festive dinner as it is tender, fluffy, and flavorful.
It's the perfect side dish to accompany any meal, anytime.
I served it with Curry, which I made with leftover turkey.
A similar recipe is included in my cookbook Mint, Cinnamon & Blossom Water, Flavours of Cyprus, Kopiaste!
Easy Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms
This Easy Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms is perfect for a festive dinner as it is tender, fluffy, and flavorful. It's the perfect side dish to accompany any meal, anytime.
Ingredients
- 2 cups parboiled rice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 green onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 10 button mushrooms, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A pinch of dried ginger
- 2 tablespoon raisins (black or white)
- 2 tablespoon coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1 roasted red pepper, chopped into smaller pieces
- 2 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
- Sweet paprika to sprinkle on top
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Boil rice, according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
Simultaneously, heat the olive oil and sauté the green onion. - Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Add the spices and mushrooms and sauté until they wilt, mixing for a few minutes. Set aside.
- When the rice is cooked, drain and add the butter, the mushrooms, the sweet peppers, the walnuts and raisins and mix.
- If using a mold, unmold and sprinkle some paprika on top.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 157Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 5mgSodium 68mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 3g
Festive Traditional Cypriot Rice Pilaf with Vermicelli
A colorful and savoury Festive Cypriot rice pilaf with vermicelli pasta, pine nuts and raisins.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
- 1 nest vermicelli pasta (fides)*
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1 cup parboiled rice
- ½ cup passata
- 1 ½ cups homemade vegetable (or chicken) stock (or water with 1 vegetable (or chicken) bouillon)
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- Freshly grated black pepper
- 1 tablespoon raisins or craisins
- 1 tablespoon olive oil margarine (or butter)
Instructions
- Heat a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the pine nuts. Toast, stirring occasionally until lightly browned and fragrant. Remove the pine nuts from the hot pan to a bowl, set aside.
- Add the olive oil and vermicelli and sauté it for a few minutes until it becomes gold.
- Add the grated onion and sauté it for a few minutes.
- Then add the rice and mix it for a couple of minutes, until coated with the oil.
- Add the raisins and season with salt and pepper, add the tomato and chicken broth and cooked it for about 10 - 20 minutes (depending on type of rice used) or until the rice was cooked.
- Add the olive oil margarine (or butter) and pine nuts and mix.
- Put it in a mold and when it cools invert it in a platter.
Notes
* Fides are Greek dry noodles, similar to vermicelli but even thinner and have no eggs in it.
You can make it vegan by substituting chicken stock with vegetable stock and adding vegan butter or margarine.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 197Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 7mgSodium 1266mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 1gSugar 7gProtein 4g
Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!
Hadn't been here for long now. But, you were on my mind ever<y now and then. This time I#ll bookmark you. A great recipe! And you know, I just love to eat rice pilaf with yoghurt. It's my comfort food. Of course, along with a pinch of roasted crushed cumin. 🙂
And hey... great now look for your blog. Looks so good!
Aww thanks for the award, Ivy. I have a lot of quirks. LOL. This pilaf looks delicious. I love my pilaf with vermicelli, too. There are so few things better than a nice pilaf with vegetables. You've got me craving some.
"pilafi" as we say is delicious in any form as far as I'm concerned. This is quite an interesting recipe Ivy with the addition of "fide"...mmm. Congratulations on your award and thank you (again) fo another award!
I am lovin' that rice Ivy - especially the fact that you took the trouble to mould it for the picture.
Thanks for the award - I laughed, because before I saw this post, I had given you the same award - check it out:
http://kitchenlaw.blogspot.com/2008/09/holiday-eating-in-two-states-and-some.html
Cheers
Very nice pilaf indeed and I do like the addition of veggies.
What a cute meme! Thanks so much for doing it so quickly! You are the first to finish it.
Congratulations on both of your awards. Great job.
Oh, and I love the pilaf with vermicelli... Ivy are your originally from Cyprus? I have a very close friend from there, and her cooking is somewhat different. That is the reason I ask...
Thank you so much for the award sis!!I love the pilafi as well. It sounds so delicious with the vermicelli:D
Ivy
[email protected] | 77.49.86.122
Hi everyone and thanks for coming over to comment. We passed on to winter just like that no fall in between. Last week it was 30 degrees and today its 15 degrees.
Giz, I just wanted to tell you that the massage is on the house. Imagine me rubbing your shoulders and back, aaaah, how relaxing it is. I am glad you liked Vangelis' Papathanassiou music. I've added music in the past but whenever I heard it more than twice a day it got onto my nerves. I really love this music as well.
You are the first one to tell me about the music and I didn't know if you could hear it while commenting. Thanks very much.
From Cypriot Rice
What can we say - many thanks for the award. It's so good to be recognized in a jury (kinda dramatic no?) of one's peers.
The pilaf has a twist - I love that - the vermicelli must give it some crunch when you fry it. I could just eat it as a main.
The new site is really coming along and looks terrific. Just one complaint - the music is so soothing, I didn't want to leave and was kind of upset when the massage person didn't show up. It's so spa music.
Congratulations on both of your awards. sounds delicious...
Hi Ivy! It's been a while since I've visited, and I came over to see how you're doing. I feel like I've just come to your house after not seeing you for a bit...kopiaste, for real. I am hungry now, this pilaf looks very very delicious.
Stay warm, my friend.
First of all, I enjoyed your MEME.... very nice to know more about you:)
Rice pilaf looks delicious... adding vermicelli to it is new to me... But I guess taste of the combo will be good.
Congrats for those lovely awards:)
Thanks for the award, Ivy. Giz and I have already decided to share the meme. I'm going to star this pilaf, I need to "spice up" my regular boring rice.
That is a delicious looking pilaf Ivy! I love the vermicelli in there!