Hashweh Rice is one of our favourite Lebanese side dishes to cook at home.
The one-pot Middle Eastern rice dish is quick and easy to make, ready to serve in under an hour.
Our homemade Hashweh recipe features simple and affordable ingredients like butter, onion, ground beef, cumin, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, long grain rice, dried currants, lemon juice, toasted pine nuts and parsley.
Serve Hashweh Rice as an aromatic and fragrant side dish at your next Middle Eastern dinner party alongside falafel, shawarma, kibbeh, kofta and fresh salads.
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What Is Hashweh?
Hashweh is a one-pot rice dish from Lebanon. Hashweh translates literally to “stuffing” or “stuffed.”
Tender long grain rice is cooked with ground beef, butter, onions, dried currants, and Middle Eastern spices. The decadent side dish is finished with lemon juice, toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.
Authentic Hashweh Rice can also be prepared with ground lamb instead of beef.
Typical Hashweh spices include cumin, coriander, cloves and cinnamon.
Travel to Lebanon by Cooking Hashweh at Home
I love traveling to the Middle East and North Africa.
As a professional food and travel journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy amazing meals in the Middle East, from authentic markets to award winning restaurants.
For over ten years, I’ve been on the hunt for the most delicious Hashweh Rice via adventures that had me zig-zagging through Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Dubai. You guessed it! Some of my fondest food memories while traveling in the Middle East include fragrant feasts featuring minced beef Hashweh.
I ate Hashweh at a traditional Moroccan riad, on food tours of Istanbul and Bodrum, accompanied by Egyptian tea on a Nile Cruise and in bustling market in Cairo, late night snack in Amman, al fresco market lunch in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and accompanied by fresh salads and soup at a massive Middle Eastern barbecue in the middle of the Dubai desert while belly dancers twirled under the night sky.
Where To Eat Lebanese Hashweh Rice
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Middle Eastern restaurant that serves a traditional Hashweh recipe.
Haven’t traveled to the Middle East before? It may be helpful to first sample Hashweh at a local Lebanese restaurant to better understand how the dish is served. You’ll get an idea for the desired rice to minced beef ratio, favourite Middle Eastern spices to use and ideal side dishes to accompany at the table.
In Toronto, popular Middle Eastern restaurants that may serve their very own Hashweh recipe include Parallel, Byblos, Tabule, Fat Pasha, Maha’s, Masrawy Kitchen and Paramount Fine Foods.
My Family Loves Hashweh Rice
When my family moved to Oakville the first restaurant we visited was a local Egyptian and Lebanese restaurant called Agabi.
Ranked as one of the best restaurants in Oakville, Agabi, became our family’s go-to Middle Eastern take out joint.
After falling in love with Middle Eastern food at home, we enjoyed vacations to the region, feasting on endless bowls of hummus, falafel andHashweh Rice.
My family enjoys preparing this easyHashweh recipe at the cottage in Muskoka during the summer served alongside Middle Eastern barbecued meat and seafood.
I knew my parents would love this Lebanese rice dish as they enjoy dishes made with sweet spices, dried fruit and tender beef.
Serve this delicious mouth-watering Hashweh recipe at your next Middle Eastern dinner party or as part of a buffet featuring fresh salads and hearty soups.
Health Benefits
Our homemade Hashweh recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Onions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Beef is a great source of protein and minerals like iron as well as an excellent source of the amino acid L-carnitine. Beef also features antioxidant glutathione known for its anti-aging benefits.
A rich source of blood-building iron, cumin may also help balance your blood sugar levels and reduce bad cholesterol. It is also traditionally used as a digestive aid.
Rich in energy-boosting manganese, cinnamon is also antibacterial and may protect your brain against Alzheimer’s disease.
A good source of bone-strengthening vitamin K, coriander also rich in antioxidants that help protect the eyes from damage by free radicals.
Nearly 50% of the people in the world get over 50% of their daily calories from rice. If eating brown rice featuring nutritious bran you’ll enjoy health benefits like cancer risk reduction and diabetes control.
Currants contain healthy vitamins and minerals. They are also fat-free and cholesterol-free, high in antioxidants, and an excellent source of fibre.
A rich source of phytochemicals and vitamin C, lemons help boost your immune system and neutralize free radicals that cause disease and skin aging. Lemons also protect against heart disease and help improve blood flow to the brain.
Pine Nuts are rich in magnesium, iron, antioxidants, zinc, and protein, which can help with diabetes management, heart health, and brain health.
An excellent source of vitamin K, as well as vitamin C, folate, and iron, parsley helps keep your bones and blood healthy, and protects your skin from damage by free radicals.
Cooking Tips
If it’s your first time cookingHashweh Rice at home be sure to review our detailed step-by-step recipe below. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to get you started:
- We suggest using a large pot or Dutch Oven to prepare Hashweh over the stove.
- We’ve used butter in this recipe but you can substitue for olive oil if you prefer.
- We suggest purchasing lean ground beef for this recipe to avoid adding too much fat to the dish. You don’t want to eat greasy rice!
- If you don’t like beef, you can substitute for ground lamb.
- We’ve used Spanish cooking onions in this recipe but you can substitue for red onion, white onion or sweet Vidalia onion.
- We’ve used dried currants in this recipe but you can substitue for raisins or finely chopped dates and figs.
- We’ve garnished the dish with toasted pine nuts but you can substitute for pistachio, almonds or walnuts.
- We like to drizzle Hashweh Rice with tahini or Lebanese garlic toum.
What To Serve with Hashweh
We love to serve this easy homemade Lebanese Rice as a side dish at Middle Eastern dinners.
We suggest doubling the recipe as leftovers can be enjoyed as a quick and easy lunch.
If you’re hosting a Lebanese buffet or potluck we suggest serving Hashweh Rice with other Middle Eastern dishes like:
- Mahalabia
- Moghrabieh
- Zeytoon Parvardeh
- Mutabbal
- Romaine Salad With Tahini Caesar Dressing
- Vegetarian Middle Eastern Spiced Pea Fritters
- Chicken Shawarma
- Palestinian Chicken Musakhan
- Sweet Lebanese Sesame Tahini Rolls
- Mihlama Kuymak
- Za’atar Butter Bean Dip
- Beef Kafta Afghan Kebab
- Lebanese Kibbeh Fried Beef Croquette
- Vegetarian Lebanese Eggplant Fatteh
- Shish Barak Lamb Dumplings
- Adas Bil Hamod Lebanese Lentil Soup
- Adas Polo Persian Lentil Rice Recipe
- Lebanese Spiced Minced Beef Stuffed Pita Arayes
- Vegan Lebanese Cabbage Malfouf Salad
- Kookoo Sabzi Vegetarian Persian Omelet
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- Nam Tok Authentic Thai “Waterfall Beef” Salad
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How To Make Traditional Hashweh Rice
Lebanese Hashweh Rice
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- French knife
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Microwave
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 1 Spanish Onion finely chopped
- 8 oz Lean Ground Beef
- 2 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- 2 cups Long Grain Rice rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup Dried Currants
- 3 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1/4 cup Toasted Pine Nuts
- 1/2 cup Flat Leaf Parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch Oven over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the beef, cumin, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, then cook, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat into small pieces, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the grains are no longer translucent, 5-6 minutes.
- Add 2 2/3 cups water, scrap the bottom of the pan then bring to boil over medium heat. Cover, reduce to low and cook until the rice has absorbed the liquid, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small microwave safe bowl, combine the currants and lemon juice. Cover and microwave on high until plumped, 30 to 45 seconds. Set aside.
- When the rice is cooked, stir in the currants and juice in the bowl. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with pine nuts and parsley.
Nutrition
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