Baharat Baked Rice, a Middle Eastern Gem

Hey there! Happy Thursday! 💚

Today, I want to share one of my favorite Middle Eastern recipes that isn’t on our blog. The first time my mother-in-law sent me this recipe, I started making it all the time. It’s super easy to prepare, and the flavor is absolutely out of this world! The original recipe comes from RuhamasFood, but I’ll walk you through my own version. I hope you’ll give it a try and add it to your menu!

Apologies in advance for the rough-looking pics—Astra is the photographer, but he’s away, so you’re stuck with me! 😅 I promise, though, the recipe is so worth it.

Funny thing is, I wasn’t even planning to make this today! I started my morning doing some work in the garden and came across a huge cauliflower that needed to be harvested (it had already started flowering), along with some peas and carrots. I did plant them a few months ago, but with life getting so busy and the days getting shorter, we haven’t had much time to tend to the land with the kids. So you can imagine my excitement when I stumbled upon all these fresh veggies! 😃

Ingredients

• 1 small cauliflower (I used a quarter of mine; it was huge)

• 2-3 small carrots

• A handful of peas

• 1 onion

• 2 cups of basmati rice

• 1 1/2 teaspoon Baharat. You can find this spice blend in Middle Eastern shops or make your own. It contains black pepper, coriander, paprika, cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, cloves, and cinnamon. I got some Baharat now, but before that, I was using a spice blend from Spain that is used to make stews and it was very similar to Baharat, so it worked nicely.

• 1 teaspoon Sumac

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 garlic cloves (minced or pressed)

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

• Salt

• 4 cups water or stock

Cooking Method

Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).

First, place the cauliflower florets and sliced onion on a baking tray. You can cut the cauliflower into bigger chunks, too.

Add the basmati rice to the baking tray and give it a gentle shake to ensure the grains settle at the bottom.

Combine in a big jar all the sauce ingredients: Baharat, sumac, cumin, smoked paprika, tomato paste, garlic, olive oil, maple syrup, and hot water. Whisk well until all the ingredients are well combined, and season with salt.

Add the rest of the veggies to the pan (you can get creative here), and then slowly pour the sauce or stock evenly over the rice.

Now, cover the baking tray with parchment paper and then tinfoil paper. I make the parchment paper slightly humid before covering the tray. Place in the oven and bake for about one hour. You can after transfer the baking tray (uncovered) to the broil for a couple of minutes before serving.

I added black olives and tahini sauce to mine before serving. It added a very nice touch. Next time, I would also add preserved lemons to the baking tray, I think it will add a lovely acidic note.

This recipe makes around 4-5 portions.

Next week, we’ll talk about pantry and fridge ingredients to include in your kitchen to start cooking more Middle Eastern recipes.

Happy Cooking! 💚🌿

Love,

Laura.