This fancy, fabulous recipe for Middle Eastern Roasted Vegetable Rice can be enjoyed as an entree or side dish. It’s completely vegan, satisfying and full of flavor. Roasting the vegetables brings out their natural sweetness. Chickpeas add protein and fiber. A delicious blend of turmeric and spices adds anti-inflammatory goodness. You will love this flavorful take on vegetable rice!
Brace yourself for a truly addicting vegan recipe. Since creating this dish it has quickly become a family favorite. It’s not a “quick fix,” but it’s totally worth the effort. The extra step of roasting and caramelizing the eggplant and carrots before adding them to the rice adds lots of depth to the flavor. Chickpeas are added to make this dish a complete protein. I’ve added copious amounts of turmeric, which ups the health-factor and gives it a gorgeous golden hue. The result is a holiday-worth side dish, or even the centerpiece of a celebratory meatless meal.
History of Basmati Rice
The word basmati is a combination of Sanskrit words– vas, meaning “aroma” and mayup, meaning “ingrained or present from the beginning.” Together the words form vasmati, though it is most often pronounced bas-mati. According to a 2002 article published in The Hindu, Tavpovan, a village near Rishikesh in the Dehradun area of Uttaranchal, is known for producing Basmati rice. In one famous story, a shopkeeper brought the new rice to his home in Punjab. When he cooked it, the scent filled the air and the whole village learned of the arrival of basmati rice.
If you’ve ever cooked basmati, you know the aroma I’m talking about– it’s delicious, yet difficult to describe. 17th century French merchant and traveler Jean Baptiste Travernier did his best to explain it:
“All the rice grown in this country possesses a particular quality causing it to be much esteemed. Its grains are half as small as that of common rice, and when it is cooked snow is not whiter than it is, besides which, it smells like musk and all the nobles of India eat no other. When you wish to make an acceptable present to anyone in Persia, you take him a sack of this rice.”
Fluffy Vegetable Rice with a Crispy “Quick Tahdig”
To create this recipe I borrowed an Iranian cooking method from my fried Farah, which helps rid the basmati of excess starch and makes it super light and fluffy. A version of this method can be found in my Persian Dill and Lima Bean Rice recipe. As the rice cooks, the bottom layer becomes crispy. This delicious, crunchy layer of rice is known as tahdig, the Persian word meaning “bottom of the pot.”
Often considered the “prized” part of the rice, the talent of an Iranian cook is often measured by his or her ability to create a quality tahdig. In this recipe, the cooking method results in a sort of “shortcut tahdig.” By heating up the oil prior to adding the rice to the pot, it sizzles and browns the bottom layer. This leads to a tahdig-like crispy bottom, which can be enjoyed in pieces or broken into little crunchy bits and mixed into the rice. Enjoy!
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Middle Eastern Roasted Vegetable Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups white basmati rice
- 16 ounces eggplant, sliced into 1-inch cubes
- 2 whole carrots, scrubbed and diced into small pieces
- 1 3/4 cups chickpeas, cooked or canned and drained
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 2 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (parsley can be subbed)
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (optional - if nut allergic omit)
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
NOTES
Instructions
- Rinse and sort the rice for a minute in the colander with cold water. Pour the rice into a medium mixing bowl and cover it with 2 inches of cold water. Let the rice soak for at least 30 minutes, up to 3 hours.
- Place a rack in the middle of your oven and heat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with nonstick cooking oil spray or brush lightly with olive oil. Spread out the eggplant cubes and diced carrots out on the baking sheet. Drizzle evenly with 2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of salt, and use clean hands to toss the vegetables, coating them lightly.
- Roast for 10 minutes. Stir the vegetables with a wooden spoon, then continue to roast for 15-20 minutes longer until the vegetables are tender and some pieces are caramelizing. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- Drain the rice in a colander and rinse again with cold water, shake out the excess water.
- Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a 5 quart pot. Pour in the rice and 1 tsp salt. Stir. Bring the water back to a boil. Let the mixture simmer uncovered on medium for 5-8 minutes, or until water fully absorbs. Stir the rice periodically during cooking, and make sure you’re careful not to cook too long or your rice will begin to stick to the pot.
- As soon as all the liquid has absorbed, pour the rice into a colander and rinse with lukewarm water, then drain (this step removes excess starch and makes the rice extra fluffy). Rinse and dry the pot and put it back on the stove. To the rice in the colander, add the turmeric, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, fresh chopped cilantro, chickpeas, roasted diced vegetables and pine nuts (if using). Carefully stir these ingredients into the rice in the colander, making sure spices, vegetables and herbs are well mixed throughout the rice. This may take a few minutes. If your colander is on the small side, you may find it easier to mix the rice and other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. I just use the colander to avoid washing an extra dish.
- Pour 1/4 cup olive oil in the bottom of the pot on the stovetop and turn heat to medium. Let the olive oil heat up. Carefully scoop the rice with vegetables out of the colander and into the pot-- it should sizzle as you place the bottom layer of rice. Continue to mound the rice on top of the bottom layer, forming a pyramid-shaped mound in the middle of the pot. Make a hole in the center of the rice mound with the handle of a wooden spoon, pushing it almost to the bottom of the pot.
- Place a thin kitchen towel over the top of the pot, being careful not to let the towel get too close to the heat source. Place the lid tightly over the top of the towel. Reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes longer.
- Fluff rice with a fork and serve hot. Some crispy bits of rice will form at the bottom of the pan. Eat them and enjoy, or stir them into the rice. They’re delicious!
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Good recipe though it took more than 15 min prep time. Added thin strips of lemon peel since lemons are in abundance in California this time of the year. I would reduce the olive oil a bit in the final step. My vegan daughter liked it on it’s own, and my husband and I paired it with some nice organic roast chicken (prepared with yogurt, lemon and South Asian spices).
This is really delicious. I increased the amount of vegetables in relation to the rice (that’s just our personal taste) and added cauliflower as well, and I was liberal with the spices, except salt which I used much less of. I have made it with white basmati and with brown rice and like it both ways. Thanks for a great recipe, it’s become a regular in our repertoire!
This is a great recipe! It needs no modification and the techniques listed deliver a savory, healthy rice side dish. (I love coming to your site for recipes because they always turn out great without having to modify them.)
I made this the first time with white basmati rice and the second time with brown basmati rice. White basmati produces a much lighter, fluffier final dish. Brown basmati will not get as fluffy as white rice but can still work well in this recipe. (I started making the brown basmati version as a more diabetic friendly option for my dad.)
If you’d like to make this recipe with brown basmati rice, here are the steps where I made modifications. All other steps were followed precisely. (In essence you need a longer soak time, more water in the boil and slightly longer cook time.)
1. Soak brown basmati rice for 3 hours
5. Bring 2 and 1/4 cups of water to a boil….Let the mixture simmer uncovered on medium for 10-15 minutes, or until water fully absorbs.
8. Reduce heat to low and cook for 40 minutes longer. (You can quickly taste test rice at 40 minutes to assess if it needs more time.)
This was the best rice EVAH!!!! thank you, i will be making this forevah.
This entire recipe can be made in the Instant Pot, with the exception of the roasted vegetables. The last 30 minutes of cooking can be done in the Instant Pot set on a low temperature saute. Saves pots and time.
Can jasmine rice be substituted for the white basmati?
Hi Natalie, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. I have made this recipe with jasmine rice and it came out well.
I made this tonight for company. It was fabulous. The rice was light, fluffy and fragranted with spices. I didn’t bother with the roasted vegetable and chickpea but added raisins and chopped apricot instead. I got the crispy crust on the bottom also. It looked and tasted sophisticated with middle eastern lamb skewers. I always wanted to learn the middle eastern technique for preparing rice and now I know. Thanks sooo much for sharing and the detail instructions!!!!
Hi Tory, I want to make this next week. Any suggestions on what to serve with it? Both for vegetarians and meat eaters?
Both of the entrees linked here go great with this rice — in fact I just served both of these dishes with this rice at a get together for the holidays!
https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/chicken-chickpea-stew/
https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/portobello-mushroom-schnitzel/?highlight=mushroom
Hi Tori, can I make this recipe with brown rice instead of white rice?
Hi Am, the result is really best with white basmati, the texture won’t be right with brown rice. Also the cook time and liquid required for brown rice is different, so it would be difficult to recommend without testing it.
I made this last night. I didn’t have an eggplant, so I used winter squash. I trusted the recipe! It was fantastic! Oh my goodness! I was so sad that I only made a half batch as there only two of us at home. I want more! I may have to make it again today. Thanks for sharing. This is my new favorite web site!
I am making this right now! I added onion to the veggies roasting, anyone else done this?
This was so delicious! I warmed up the leftovers several times- sometimes with a fried egg on top and sometimes with leftover chicken on it. It was terrific each time!
Oh wow!!!!! Just made this and it was fantastic! Flavorful and love that the garbanzo beans add that protein to my vegetarian dinner! Follow instructions exactly…. don’t second guess the recipe…. just do what it says! Lol…. the end result is super yummy! Thanks for a great rice dish! I will be making this again and again!
So curious, I understand the towel bit, but what does the whole in the center of the rice pyramid do? Does it allow for more moisture to escape? Thank you! I have this on the menu for this week and my husband can’t wait!
It helps the rice to steam evenly and makes it more fluffy. It’s a trick I picked up from a Persian friend. 🙂 Enjoy!
Can the dish be made up to the point of mixing veg and rice, and then later the last part of cooking a second time??? Just so you won’t have to warm it again if you needed it for later…
Hi Maura, Tori’s assistant Ashley here. I’ve done this myself and it worked out just fine. I made up until the point of mixing veg and rice, like you said, and then did the final cook a few hours later. As for a day ahead or more than 3 hours later, I’m not sure.
Hi , I did this tonight and it was great ! It was the first time I’ve made this, so I don’t have anything to compare to, but it was awesome !
I used cauliflower instead of eggplant, like someone else did, bc not a fan of eggplant.
I also was afraid of rice the burning so I kept the heat down too low I think. I cooked it on higher heat for about 4 minutes longer than 30 to try to crust it up. There were some crispies , but I was expecting a more solid crust layer on the bottom. I don’t know if you actually get that when done correctly or not.
It was outrageously good!! Love love love it ! I’ll def make especially when with vegetarian guests !!
Thank you so much for all the great recipes and history !!
Can we make this recipe a day ahead and reheat it?
Yes!
Thanks for the quick reply Tori! Can you also suggest a quick way to reheat the rice?
I’d like to know the best way to re-heat it too please.. I’ve just cooked it and want to warm it up tomorrow… Great to see someone has already ask the question I was about to ask ?
Combine the rice, along with 2-3 tablespoons of water or broth, in an oven-safe baking dish. Break up any large clumps of rice with a fork, then top with a tight-fitting lid or cover with parchment paper or foil. Bake at 300°F for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is heated through.
Thank you Tori… The rice reheats perfectly.. I’m making again tomorrow for Saturday..
I just made this recipe for the second time and am so happy about it! It’s so flavorful and delicious. Thank you, Tori for sharing it with us! I followed the directions exactly as written (though I omitted pine nuts because of my nut allergy — thank you for including that!) and it was so easy to follow and came out perfectly! Yay!
Great Shayna! I love this recipe too 🙂 glad you are enjoying it!
I have made this recipe many times and it is absolutely delicious! I get requests from my grown children to make this for them frequently. I can increase slightly the cayenne pepper as my son likes his food a little bit more with spice and he loves this! In fact, I am making it again today! Thank you for just a wonderful recipe! Yum!
Happy to hear it Patricia! Thanks for writing 🙂
This is now part of our regular rotation of recipes. My husband, who generally isn’t a big fan of rice, would be happy if we had it every day. Thanks for sharing and for the awesome instructions.
As I am trying to avoid oil of any kind, do you think I could use vegetable broth in oils place?Any suggestions?
Hi, Tori’s assistant Ashley here! We have not experimented with this recipe without the use of oil, so unfortunately I cannot say for sure how it would turn out. If you decide to experiment please let us know how it turns out!