Rice Pilaf ~ Ruz Bish'irreeyeh

Ingredients :

• 1 cup broken up vermicelli or fine egg noodles
• 2½ cups tbsp ghee or substitute
• 2 cups long-grained rice, washed and drained
• 1½ tspn salt
• 4 cups boiling water
• ground cinnamon

Preparation and Cooking Instructions

1. Sauté the vermicelli or noodles in the ghee until a light brown color, stirring constantly to avoid burning.
2. Mix rice and salt well into vermicelli then add the boiling water. Give one final stir, allow a few seconds to bubble, then cover the rice tightly. Turn heat down to very low and simmer until cooked - approx. 20 minutes.
3. When ready to serve, stir the rice gently with a fork, turn onto serving dish and sprinkle ground cinnamon lightly over top.
4. Variations : Lightly fried pine nuts may also be sprinkled over the rice
5. When served with chicken, half chicken broth may be substituted for half the amount of water. Alternatively, add 2 chicken stock cubes to the water.