Roz bil khodar “Middle eastern rice with mixed vegetables”

What I love about the Arabic cuisine is that its recipes are designed for sharing!
You don’t get single serving recipes in this part of the world, everything is made with the family in mind…whether it is Mezza platters full of kibbeh, tabbouleh and hummus meant to be shared with friends on a night out, a breakfast spread on a Friday morning when everyone has a chance to slow down and catch up on what’s been happening with the rest of the family during the week, or a pot full of makloubeh made with love to be shared with friends and loved ones over lunch.

Mixed vegetable rice with middle eastern spices

Food, families, stories, and memories go hand in hand in the Arabic cuisine and I simply love it! This recipe is one of the staples in my family whenever we have people over or whenever there is a big family gathering. It reminds me of my mum, of Eid, of summer parties with cousins and uncles 🙂

Rice is the canvas here, add spices for warmth, vegetables for a pop of color and refreshing flavor, top with perfectly seasoned meat, crunchy nutty almonds and you have a showstopper that your family and friends will love.
You can watch a video of the recipe here:

Mixed vegetable rice “roz bil khodar”

To cook the meat:

400 gm minced beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the rice

3 tablespoons olive oil
Emborg mixed vegetables
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water or chicken stock
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Start by cooking the meat:
Place the olive oil in a pot, add the minced meat, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Stir breaking up the meat until it is evenly browned and almost all the liquids have disappeared.

Remove the meat from the Pot, set aside

To make the rice:

Add the 3 tablespoons olive oil followed by the mixed vegetables into the same pot you used to cook the meat, saute for 7 to 10 minutes.

Add half the meat back into the pan then add the drained rice, salt and seasoning.

Add the water or chicken stock and allow to come to a boil then lower the heat and cover the pot for 10 to 15 minutes or untill the rice soaks up all the water.

Keep the pot covered for 10 minutes then fluff with a fork.

To serve

place the rice into your serving dish, top with the remaining half of the meat, fried slivered almonds, and springs of parsley.

رز بخلطه الخضار
لطهي اللحم:

400 غرام لحم بقري مفروم

ملعقتان كبيرتان من زيت الزيتون

1 ملعقة صغيرة من البهار الحلو

1/4 ملعقة صغيرة من الهيل

1/4 ملعقة شاي قرفة

1/2 ملعقة صغيرة ملح

للأرز

3 ملاعق طعام زيت زيتون