Syrian rice à la Mama

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 2 cups rice pudding
• 1 cup rice (long grain)
• Salt
• 1 cup noodles (Lissaan el asfur), vermicelli or small noodles
• 2 tbsp ghee, oil or margarine
• 4 cups water
• some pepper, Syrian

Instructions

Working time approx. 5 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

This rice is fluffy because of its mixture of long grain rice and rice pudding

Wash the rice thoroughly and let it stand in a bowl of hot water for 30 minutes. Then drain the rice well in a sieve. Heat the oil in a pot and fry the noodles until browned. Fry the rice for 2-3 minutes. Add about 4 cups of water and 1 heaped teaspoon of salt, cover, and bring to a boil. After 5 minutes, reduce the heat to low if using a gas stove. Turn off an electric stove completely and leave the pot on the hot plate. After about 15 minutes, once the water has been absorbed, stir the rice, replace the lid, and let stand for another 5 minutes. Arrange the rice on an oblong platter sprinkled with Syrian pepper. Tip: The rule of thumb for the rice is 1 cup of rice pudding to 1/2 cup of long grain rice. This way, it won’t be mushy or dry. You can also make this rice without the noodles; it tastes just as good.