Vermicelli Rice (Armenian Rice Pilaf) Recipe

Top view of a bowl of vermicelli rice with a serving spoon resting in it.

5 from 1 vote

Vermicelli Rice (Armenian Rice Pilaf) Recipe

This Armenian dish with Vermicelli rice can be thrown together with ingredients that I almost guarantee are already in your pantry. Rice and pasta are browned in butter then covered in chicken stock and left to simmer for 15 minutes. A taste of Armenia has never been so easy!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Armenian

Prep Time 0

Cook Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 440kcal

Author Alexandria Drzazgowski

Equipment

Pot(s)
Wooden Spoon

Ingredients

6 tbsp butter
2.5 oz fine vermicelli noodles ⅓ cup, broken into smaller pieces
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 ½ cups chicken stock
¼ tsp black pepper (Use code FF20 for 20% off)
¾ tsp salt
⅛ tsp cinnamon

Instructions

In a medium pot, melt the 6 tbsp butter over low-medium heat.
Once the butter has melted, add the 2.5 oz vermicelli and stir in the butter to toast the pasta. Stir until the vermicelli browns.
Once the vermicelli has browned, add the 1 cup rice into the pot. Stir again to coat the rice in butter. Add the 2 ½ cups chicken stock, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¾ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp cinnamon.
Turn the heat up and bring the contents to a boil. When the liquid has boiled, put the lid on the pot and reduce it to a simmer. Allow the rice to simmer for 15 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
Keeping the lid on the pot, remove the rice from the heat and allow it to rest for 10 minutes. When the ten minutes is up, remove the lid, fluff the rice, and enjoy!

Notes

Vermicelli: Break the vermicelli pasta up into pieces before cooking. Note that vermicelli noodles and vermicelli pasta are different. Use vermicelli pasta in this recipe.
Rice: I use Long Grain White Rice, but I have also seen recipes that call for Basmati or Jasmine rice.
Cinnamon: The cinnamon is optional in this recipe. I only found a few Armenian Rice Pilaf recipes that call for cinnamon but it really does add a delicious flavor. This is up to you!
You can sub angel hair pasta or fideo noodles if you cannot find vermicelli. Any will work.
Watch your pasta carefully as you are browning it. It burns rather easily, and can go from toasted to burnt kind of fast. If your pasta is toasted but you can’t get the rice in fast enough, it is okay to remove it from the heat for a second while you scoop your rice.
Make sure to rinse your rice before adding it to the pot!
To serve, this recipe is normally piled high on a big platter!
For a healthier twist, use olive oil instead of butter.

Nutrition