Middle Eastern Rice Recipe Recipe
This flavorful Middle Eastern rice is easy and delicious! Made with basmati rice topped with caramelized shallots, zaatar spice, lemon zest, optional pine nuts, and fresh herbs in under 30 minutes!
How to Make the Best Middle Eastern Rice Recipe
Middle Eastern rice is one of those simple side dishes that elevates any meal to something special. This fragrant basmati rice is infused with warm, earthy zaatar spice and topped with crispy caramelized shallots, toasted pine nuts, and bright lemon zest. It’s the perfect accompaniment to grilled meats, roasted vegetables, or served alongside hummus and falafel for a complete Middle Eastern feast.
What makes this recipe so wonderful is the balance of flavors and textures. The nutty, fluffy basmati rice provides the perfect canvas for the aromatic toppings, while the caramelized shallots add a touch of sweetness and the pine nuts bring a satisfying crunch. The lemon zest cuts through the richness and brightens every bite.
Best of all, this impressive side dish comes together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for weeknight dinners or entertaining guests. The zaatar spice blend—a mixture of dried herbs, sesame seeds, and sumac—is the star of the show here, so be sure to use a good quality blend for the best results.
Middle Eastern Rice Recipe
This flavorful Middle Eastern rice is easy and delicious! Made with basmati rice topped with caramelized shallots, zaatar spice, lemon zest, optional pine nuts, and fresh herbs in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Rice
Topping
Instructions
Cooking the Rice
- Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat, add rice, and stir until nutty and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add water and salt, give a good stir and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, slowly lower heat to medium-low (retaining that simmer) and cover tightly using a thin kitchen towel between the pot and the lid to create a tighter seal. Be sure your rice is simmering before you set the timer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, take a quick peek to see if all the water is cooked off (look for the steam holes), replace the lid, turn the heat off, and let stand for 5-10 minutes.
Preparing the Topping
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Saute shallots until golden brown, stirring often.
- Add the lemon zest and pine nuts and saute 3 more minutes, or until pine nuts are golden.
- Turn the heat off and stir in the zaatar spice, toasting it a bit.
Assembling
- Fluff the basmati rice with a fork, separate the grains, and place it in a shallow serving dish.
- Spoon the shallot mixture all around the top of the rice. Add more salt if you like, to taste (keep in mind, some zaatar has salt), and garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
- For brown basmati rice, increase cooking time to 40-45 minutes and add an additional 1/2 cup of water.
- The kitchen towel trick helps create a tighter seal and results in fluffier rice.
- Zaatar is a Middle Eastern spice blend that can vary in saltiness, so taste before adding additional salt.
