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!
check out my blog as i have updated the deadline for the chicken event
i request you to post the links of your recipes that u have contributed for the event or wish to contribute in future, in the comment section of this particular event announcement page.
the link for this particular event announcement page is
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so u please post a comment in this link about the url of your recipes
i highly appreciate your cooperation and participation in the event!
Love this recipe!
Thanks again to all of you for your lovely comments. Glad you liked my recipe.
Mmm pilaf. I make a similar one.
Great pilaf recipe...never heard of a vermicelli one! YUM!!
I love your blog too 😀
Nice to see you here Kang.
I'm a rice addict and seeing your pilaf rice up there makes me salivate... MMmmm.
I've never tried adding vermicelli to a rice pilaf before but it does sound like a good idea, which I will try soon.
Hello Ivy,
Sorry I havn't been around, very busy 🙁
This rice dish looks very delicious, great flavors and it seems pretty healthy as well!
Wow, this is a fantastic side dish but as you say I am sure it is great just on its own as a light meal!
This rice pilaf is making me hungry 🙂
Wow rice and vermicelli sounds something new and looks gr8. I will try my hands on this soon. Thank u for joining the event.
Nice to learn another vegetarian recipe. Will definitely try it.
First time here. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.