Author Notes
The original recipe was given to me by a Lebanese friend, she serves it many times for dinner parties and it goes very well with roasted meats and lamb. I normally make it following her recipe and it's extremely easy. It's also brilliant the next day, at room temperature as a salad but it warms up very easily. So I thought it could do a wonderful warm salad adding leftover shredded turkey or chicken. So this is my Lebanese take on Christmas Turkey leftovers. I also uploaded a photo of the original Lebanese rice so you can see what it looks like if you cook the original recipe. —Maria Teresa Jorge
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Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups
long grain rice
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3 cups
hot water
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2
shallots finely chopped
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2
garlic cloves very finely chopped
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1 tablespoon
fresh mint finely chopped
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4 tablespoons
butter
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1/2 cup
golden raisins
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1/2 cup
Pine nuts lightly toasted
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1 cup
shredded apple
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2 teaspoons
golden sesame seeds
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1/4
stick cinnamon (optional)
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2
cloves
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6
black peppercorns
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1/2 teaspoon
all spice
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1/2 teaspoon
ground nutmeg
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salt
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2 cups
shredded roasted turkey or roasted chicken warmed up, bones and skin removed
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1 teaspoon
Sumac
Directions
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Chopp the shallots very finely.
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Chop the garlic cloves finely, removing the inner green part.
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Wash the fresh mint, pat dry and chop the leaves finely.
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Wash the rice until the water comes out clean. Put the rice in a sieve and let drain.
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Bring the water to a boil and warm.
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In a pan with a tight fitting lid, over medium heat, add the butter, the chopped shallots and stir until shallots are translucent. Add the rice, stir very well to coat with the butter, add the chopped garlic, the shredded apple, the raisins, the cinnamon stick and the spices except for the sumac, mix to blend all the ingredients
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Add the hot water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to the minimum and cover, allowing to simmer gently for 17 minutes – DO NOT open the lid or stir the rice during this time.
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Turn off the heat, and allow to rest for a further 5 minutes without stirring the rice.
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Fluff up the rice, add the pre-warmed shredded turkey, the sesame seeds, the toasted pine nuts and mix well to incorporate everything, put the lid on again and let sit 10 minutes in a warm place or wrapped with newspaper (original recipe) to keep warm.
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Sprinkle with Sumac and garnish with the chopped mint and serve.
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