A staple in Middle Eastern cuisine, hashweh (or hushwee) is a humble, flavor-packed dish made of ground meat cooked in clarified butter, browned rice then seasoned with cinnamon and toasted pine nuts. It is naturally gluten-free and paleo.
You know how certain people have their specialties in every family? Well in our family, my Aunt Paula is famous for hashweh. No matter how hard I try, mine never quite tastes like hers and ironically, she always thinks hers is missing something too. (Trust me, hers is perfect. Every. Single. Time.)
What is hushwee?
Hashweh (or hushwee) is a simple, modest recipe made with ground meat, cinnamon, and toasted pine nuts. It is the foundation of many classic Lebanese dishes such as Stuffed Eggplant or my husband’s favorite, Sfeehas (Lebanese Meat Pies).
At Christmas, we love eating it on top of mashed potatoes with a drizzle of homemade gravy. It also tastes great served over hummus and eaten with pita bread.
Time needed: 7 minutes.
How to easily toast pine nuts
- Bake
Bake pine nuts 350 degrees on a baking sheet for 5-7 minutes.
- Smell
Use your nose – the pine nuts are done the minute you smell that intoxicating, nutty flavor.
The end result is a batch of evenly toasted, golden brown pine nuts. Your hummus will thank me.
Frequently Asked Questions:
We love eating in with creamy, cucumber laban and a giant Syrian salad. To eat, ditch the fork and scoop up your bites with pieces of pita bread!
This recipe works with any type of ground meat you have on hand but I prefer beef sirloin, ground lamb or a combination of the two.
What family recipes always bring you back to special times in the kitchen? I’d love to hear from you.
Your fork is waiting.
📖 Recipe
Lebanese Hushwee Rice
Ingredients
Meat Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon clarified butter also known as ghee
- 1 medium onion minced – use frozen diced onions to save time
- 20 ounces ground sirloin lamb or bison work well too
- 2 tablespoons All Purpose Lebanese Spice Blend
- 1/4 cup pine nuts toasted
- fresh minced parsley garnish
Lebanese Rice Pilaf
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain enriched white rice such as Uncle Ben's
- 1/4 cup clarified butter or ghee
- 1/2 cup vermicelli pasta broken in 2-inch pieces
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a deep pan, melt butter over medium high heat then add the minced onion. Sautee until translucent, 4-5 minutes.
- Add ground sirloin and spices. Cook 8-10 minutes or until meat is browned, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to break up meat. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in toasted pine nuts and set aside.
- While the hushwee is cooking, start making the rice pilaf.
Lebanese Rice Pilaf
- Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly using your fingers to rub off as much starch as possible. You'll know the rice is properly rinsed when the water comes out clear from the bottom. Set aside.
- In a large, deep pan heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Add the broken vermicelli pasta and brown, stirring frequently, until it is golden/dark brown. Be careful to not let burn – don't walk away from the pan. This takes about 4-5 minutes.
- Add rinsed rice to the pan and stir into the vermicelli and butter. Toast the rice for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Carefully pour boiling water into the pan and stir once. Add salt and pepper then stir again.
- Bring to a boil, stir once, then reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and fluff rice with a fork before sprinkling with fresh parsley to serve.
Toasting the Pine Nuts:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a small cookie sheet place raw pine nuts and cook for 5-7 minutes or until they are at a light brown in color. Keep a careful eye on them as they can burn quickly.
Video
Chef’s Notes
Nutrition
Want more healthy recipes? Head over to Pinterest!
Cara
I love, love, love this recipe. It’s easy, flavorful AND my toddlers will eat it!!!
Liz DellaCroce
Oh yes my boys love it too Cara!!! So glad!
Basmah
Parboiled rice isn’t available in my area at the moment. How should I prepare it with long grain white rice?
Liz DellaCroce
Same way! :)
Tina
The missing ingredient is rice. We have made this dish with rice for generations.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Tina – We make it with rice also but that’s a separate recipe. :) https://thelemonbowl.com/lebanese-hushwee-rice-with-toasted-pine-nuts/
Danielle
Oh my goodness, this was absolutely divine! We added some sultanas to it during the cooking, which gave it a little sweet pop, but… ohhh my. I can’t begin to describe how amazing this was. I am not a massive parsley fan, but it really was amazing in this, and I added lemon juice at the end just to cut the fat of the lamb. I actually forgot about the chicken, but it didn’t need it. :)
Liz DellaCroce
Oh I love the lemon juice idea at that end!!!!!!
Sabrina Silver
This was delicious. I served mine over cooked spinach, less salt and more ghee. Ahhh. My husband had his over butternut squash. I can think of many ways to eat it. Thank you.
Liz DellaCroce
What a great idea! So glad you enjoyed it!
Jeanette
This might sound crazy but can this be made without the nuts as my dialysis diet doesn’t allow nuts?
Liz DellaCroce
Yes totally just leave them out!!