{"id":8308,"date":"2019-12-19T22:23:19","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T22:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hadiaslebanesecuisine.com\/blog\/?p=8308"},"modified":"2026-06-01T23:17:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T23:17:10","slug":"lebanese-rice-with-meat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hadiaslebanesecuisine.com\/blog\/lebanese-rice-with-meat\/","title":{"rendered":"Lebanese Rice with Meat"},"content":{"rendered":"

A beautiful aromatic celebratory dish from Lebanon; rice and meat laced with spices and steamed to impart a lovely fragrance and taste! A celebration in every bite!<\/p>\n

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Riz bi Lahme\/ Ouzi\/ Lebanese Rice with Meat<\/h1>\n

Regardless how you celebrate at holidays, food is always a substantial part of any family tradition, if you appreciate discovering recipes that would be by time part of your holiday cooking repertoire, then I guess \u201cRiz bi La7me\/ Ouzi\/ Lebanese Rice with Meat\u201d is sure to be on the top list! A beautiful aromatic rice served at celebrations, like Christmas, Eid and weddings in Lebanon. Spruce up the holiday table with a Lebanese classic! The holiday season is a time for indulgence! Wish you all a joyful holiday season!<\/p>\n

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It is not a dish you should expect to make in a hurry, or to have it on your table in 30 minutes, unless you cook the meat a day before \u2013 an easy recipe but it does require a wee bit of patience.<\/p>\n

You need to use bone in meat lamb with tougher cuts like lamb shoulder, or lamb neck.\u00a0 Cook slow and low, until the meat falls off the bone and literally melts in your mouth.\u00a0 Cook for at least four hours to ensure that the meat is cooked through.<\/p>\n

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The bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods added to the meat while simmering, provide the dish with a special dimension and a better flavor profile.\u00a0 The flavors will meld together and develop an incredible broth. Cooking the rice with the broth is a certain way to add a remarkable flavor.<\/p>\n

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Lebanese seven spice, cinnamon powder and salt are the sacred trinity for the gorgeous aromatic flavor.\u00a0 The spices lend the dish a bold flavor with just the right mellow notes together.\u00a0 Don\u2019t be tempted to add more or less than the stated in the recipe. Believe me it is well balanced!<\/p>\n

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Seven spice is a Lebanese\/Syrian mixture, the classic mix contains ground black and white pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and coriander. Rarely does anyone grind or mix up the 7spice, as it is readily available in all stores in Lebanon. If for any reason seven spice is hard to find, the best substitute would be allspice.<\/p>\n

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The dish is classically piled with toasted pine nuts and almonds and both nuts will elevate the dish over the top; pine nuts are known to be prohibitively expensive in some countries, so feel free to leave them out \u2013 almonds would be still fine on their own.<\/p>\n

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Pan toasting the nuts with oil and butter is far better in taste than the ones you get by browning them in the oven, though ultra health food conscious people would disagree with me, but the holiday season is a time for indulgence, forgive me for that!<\/p>\n

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Heat the oil and butter in a skillet, and stir in the pine nuts, reduce heat to low and cook stirring constantly to a golden color.\u00a0 Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool down.\u00a0 Repeat with the almonds.\u00a0 A garnish of toasted almonds and pine nuts emphasizes the nutty flavor of the rice!<\/p>\n

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My favorite rice to use here would be jasmine rice or even long grain rice would work quite well!\u00a0 You need to rinse the rice under cold running water before cooking.<\/p>\n

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Saute the ground meat with the fats you toasted the nuts with. It only needs a few minutes to brown before you add the broth, salt, rice and spices.\u00a0 Add the drained rice and stir for 1 minute. Add 4 \u00bc cups of the prepared meat broth, salt, cinnamon powder and seven spice.\u00a0 Once the mixture starts boiling, cover the stockpot, reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 25-30 minutes.<\/p>\n

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Fluff the rice with a fork before transfering to the serving dish.<\/p>\n

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The tender cooked meat with the crunchy toasted almonds over the fragrant spicy rice, will impart a flavor in full bloom!<\/p>\n

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Looking for more festive Lebanese rice recipes, try our epic Sayadieh, Lebanese Style Fish and Rice<\/a><\/h1>\n

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Maysoun said: Than you Hadia. First time making this yummy dish. Followed recipe as is and it turned out great. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. All the best.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Riz bi Lahme\/Ouzi\/Lebanese Rice with Meat<\/h2>\n\n