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Home » Recipes » Lebanese Rice – Hashweh

Lebanese Rice – Hashweh

Published: Feb 3, 2020 · Modified: Feb 3, 2020 by Farah Abumaizar · 14 Comments

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Pot of Lebanese rice hashweh with toasted nuts and parsley on top
Jump to Recipe
Pot of Lebanese rice hashweh with toasted nuts and parsley on top

Lebanese rice is a classic, Middle Eastern style rice pilaf with spiced meat that is an easy one pot meal to throw together. Served alone or as rice stuffing mixture- an easy family favorite.

What is Lebanese Rice?

Lebanese rice is known as hashweh in Arabic. That translates literally into “stuffing”. This rice mixture is commonly used to stuff items (like filo pockets). Hashweh in it’s simplest form is made of spiced rice and spiced ground meat.

The rice: I use basmati rice that I presoak for 15 minutes or so, then rinse until the water runs clear to remove any excess starchiness

The meat: You can use either minced lamb or minced beef. I’ve used both depending on what I have in the fridge or freezer. This post gives you full details on how to cook minced meat, Middle Eastern style.

The spices: seven spices, or all spice are essential. Cinnamon comes next, along with salt and pepper. That’s how I make it! That simple. Some people add cumin or ground coriander or a bunch of other things, but I find that these give just the right flavour I need.

The extras: We always use frozen peas. You don’t need to pre-thaw the peas completely, just rinse them a little to get rid of any ice chunks and throw them in the pot. We sometimes add frozen corn too, or some of that frozen pre mixed pea/corn/carrots. It’s peas that are always the common denominator- they really help turn the Lebanese rice into a complete meal.

Lebanese rice, ground meat and peas in a pot before being cooked

Ratio of water to basmati rice:

My family has always done it this way: 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of water. The water will end up covering the rice by a 1/2 inch or so, and will give you fluffy rice that still holds its shape and isn’t mushy.

Lebanese rice and peas before being cooked

What to serve Lebanese rice with:

Use Lebanese rice as a stuffing mixture, (like for stuffing a chicken before roasting, or stuffing filo pockets of dough).

It can also be eaten alone, with toasted pine nuts (find method in recipe notes) and a side of yogurt cucumber salad, like the one outlined in this recipe. Some people choose to top it with shredded chicken, which makes another delicious meal.

Storing leftover rice:

Leftover rice can be refrigerated tightly covered and stored for 3-4 days.

Pot of Lebanese rice hashweh with toasted nuts and parsley on top

Lebanese Rice – Hashweh

Easy hashweh rice which is Middle Eastern style rice with spiced meat and peas
5 from 7 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 246kcal
Author: Farah Abumaizar

Ingredients

For the spiced meat:

  • 2 teaspoon olive oil
  • 2 small red onions, diced small
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 500 g ground beef or lamb* 1 lb
  • 1 teaspoon all spice or seven spices
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to taste

For the rice:

  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • 3.5 cups water
  • 200 g frozen peas
  • pinch salt, pepper, and seven spices/all spices

To garnish:

  • toasted pine nuts and slivered almonds** See recipe notes
  • fresh chopped parsley

Instructions

For the minced meat:

  • In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened, stirring continuously.
  • Add the crushed garlic, and cook for a further minute or so, then add the minced lamb.
  • Cook for a minute, breaking apart any clumps of meat with a wooden spoon, then add all the spices (seven spice or all spice, cinnamon, salt and black pepper). Continue cooking, a good 6-8 minutes until lamb is all cooked through and brown with no pink bits remaining. Keep stirring and breaking apart clumps of meat through out- you can even use a potato masher to break the meat apart a little.
  • If desired, drain any extra fat. Taste the mince and adjust for seasoning.

For the rice:

  • Soak the basmati rice for 15-20 minutes, then drain and rinse with water until water runs clear.
  • To a large saucepan, add the minced meat (I don't always use all of it, I usually use around 300 grams or so), plus the drained basmati rice, the frozen peas, and 3.5 cups of water. Sprinkle with a big pinch of salt, pepper, and some additional all spice or seven spices. Stir to combine.
  • Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil, uncovered, then cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce heat to a low simmer, and simmer for 20 minutes or until water is all absorbed. Remove pan from heat but let it sit covered for an additional 10 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork.
  • Garnish with toasted pine nuts/almonds (See notes) and chopped parsley, if desired

Notes

*For the full recipe post on Middle Eastern spiced mince, click here.
**To toast the nuts:
Start with the almonds, they take a little more time. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Once oil is hot, add the almonds and stir constantly for 30 seconds or so, then add the pine nuts until they turn golden brown, stirring and watching constantly. Once golden brown remove IMMEDIATELY from the heat and place in a separate bowl to prevent further browning. Cool.

Nutrition

Calories: 246kcal
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @everylittlecrumb or tag #everylittlecrumb!

If you liked this recipe, you might like:

Macarona Billaban (Middle Eastern macaroni with yogurt sauce)

Lamb Mince

Mujaddarat Bulgur

Did you make this? Tag @everylittlecrumb or hashtag #everylittlecrumb and I’ll share your images!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Juliana says

    October 27, 2020 at 6:39 pm

    5 stars
    I will make ths tonight using long grain (Uncle Bens) rice. lamb is our personal favorite but I make it with both. I’ve made it with cinnamon and stock flavoured water but I am looking forward to the addition of onions, garlic, and seven spice Thank you for sharing

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      October 30, 2020 at 10:30 pm

      That’s awesome! I’m so excited for you-do let me know what you think!!

      Reply
  2. Kate says

    August 13, 2020 at 3:40 am

    5 stars
    Love love! We made this on a Wednesday night when we had a hankering for Lebanese, and did a cucumber yogurt salad as an accompaniment – PERFECT. We were actually out of cinnamon (after a trip to the store, naturally), but went for it anyway, and it was still so delicious. The only intentional modification was to the amount of rice, did 1.5 cups instead of 2 just out of preference.

    This recipe is now in our weeknight dinner rotation! Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      August 13, 2020 at 8:15 am

      Kate what a wonderfully informative message, and I’m so very happy you liked the hashweh rice ! It’s always our go to when we want something simple that won’t take much time and is full of flavor. Thanks again for taking the time to comment!

      Reply
  3. Danielle Wolter says

    February 03, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    5 stars
    I am loving the warm spices in this rice. The flavors meld so well together. Great tips on soaking the rice!

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      February 03, 2020 at 4:46 pm

      Thanks so much Danielle!

      Reply
  4. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

    February 03, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    5 stars
    This rice sounds so flavourful and looks incredible! I definitely need to give this a try.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      February 03, 2020 at 4:46 pm

      I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  5. Jeanne @ Cooksister says

    February 03, 2020 at 3:03 pm

    5 stars
    This looks like the perfect one-pot meal (and I do love a one pot meal 😍). Anything topped with pine nuts gets my vote for sure!

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      February 03, 2020 at 3:16 pm

      I totally agree with that!

      Reply
  6. kim says

    February 03, 2020 at 2:57 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was great! It was so easy and had such great flavor! I’ll definitely be making again!

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      February 03, 2020 at 2:58 pm

      So glad to hear that Kim!

      Reply
  7. Helen @ family-friends-food.com says

    February 03, 2020 at 2:37 pm

    5 stars
    This looks delicious and healthy too. Do you think it would work with a vegetarian mince?

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      February 03, 2020 at 2:39 pm

      That a great idea! I’m sure this would be great with mushrooms 🍄!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Farah! I've been cooking and baking most of my life. I love Middle Eastern food, and decadent breakfast and desserts. Welcome to my food world!

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