ISRAELI RICE PILAF
A fabulous accompaniment to any meat or fish. Light fluffy rice studded with crisp noodles, golden onions, toasted pine nuts and sweet currants. From the kitchen of Gloria Pink.
Ingredients
- 75 g dry vermicelli noodles 2 ½ oz
- 60 ml olive oil 1/4 cup
- 440 g basmati or long grain rice 2 cups
- 4 cups chicken stock broth
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 onion chopped
- 40 g pine nuts ¼ cup
- 40 g currants or sultanas ¼ cup
Instructions
- Break up the vermicelli noodles into short pieces, about 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) long.
- In a large, preferably non-stick, saucepan, heat half the oil over medium heat and cook the vermicelli, watching carefully until they turn brown. Take care, they burn easily.
- Add the rice and sauté for a few minutes until the rice becomes opaque.
- Add the stock (broth) and the salt, bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer, undisturbed, for 20 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, heat the remaining oil in a small frying pan and sauté the onion until golden, about 15 minutes.
- Add the pine nuts and currants or sultanas, tossing to toast them lightly. Remove from heat.
- Turn the cooked rice onto a serving platter and fluff with fork. Top with onion, pine nuts and currants.