Egyptian Rice with Minced Meat, Liver, Gizzards, and Nuts
The secret to Egyptian rice with mixed meat and nuts is that every component has a different cooking time: gizzards need to boil for 40 minutes on their own first because they are a tough muscle, and liver is seared for just 4–5 minutes and folded into the rice at the end — if cooked with the rice for 25 minutes, it dries out and becomes like leather. The nuts are toasted separately and added on top right before serving to keep them crunchy.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 85 min
- Total
- 115 min
- Calories
- 550
Photo: Dr. Bernd Gross / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arabic_rice_dish.JPG
Egyptian rice with mixed meat and nuts is the quintessential feast rice: rice cooked in gizzard broth with minced meat, liver, gizzards, and spices, topped with almonds, hazelnuts, and raisins. It is served alongside roast turkey, duck, and browned chicken during Eid and Ramadan feasts, and is also used to stuff poultry.
Method
-
1
Boiling the Gizzards
If the gizzards are not cleaned, remove the tough yellow inner lining and any outer fat. Boil them in 5 cups of water with half an onion, bay leaves, whole cardamom pods, and a pinch of salt for 40 minutes over medium-low heat (or 15 minutes in a pressure cooker) until a knife easily pierces them. Gizzards are tough muscles and do not soften in the rice cooking time. Strain them, reserve the broth, and chop them into small cubes.
⏱ 40 min -
2
Washing the Rice
While the gizzards are cooking, wash the rice 3–4 times until the water runs mostly clear, and drain it well in a colander. The starch on the surface of the grain is what makes rice gummy, and wet rice adds extra liquid beyond the measured amount.
⏱ 5 min -
3
Toasting the Nuts
In the pot you will use to cook the rice, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee over medium-low heat, and toast the almonds for 3 minutes until golden, followed by the hazelnuts for 1 minute, the pine nuts for just half a minute because they burn in seconds, and the raisins for 10 seconds until they plump up. Remove them to a plate — they will wait until serving time to stay crunchy.
⏱ 5 min -
4
Searing the Liver
Remove the white veins and any green part on the liver — this is from the gall bladder and will make the whole dish bitter — and chop it into small pieces. In the same pot, add 1 tablespoon of ghee over high heat, and sear the liver for 4–5 minutes until cooked through with no blood left, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and remove. If it cooks longer than that, it toughens.
⏱ 6 min -
5
Onion, Meat, and Gizzards
Add 2 tablespoons of ghee and sauté the onion for 5 minutes until golden, then add the minced meat, break it up with a spoon, and leave it for 8–10 minutes until its juices evaporate and it begins to brown. This browning is what gives the rice its brown color and flavor. Add the pepper, cinnamon, ground cardamom, and nutmeg, followed by the chopped gizzards, and stir for two minutes.
⏱ 15 min -
6
Searing the Rice in the Mixture
Add the drained rice and stir it with the mixture for 2–3 minutes until every grain is coated with ghee and spices. The fat around the grain prevents it from sticking to neighboring grains.
⏱ 3 min -
7
Broth and Uncovered Boiling
Pour in 3 and three-quarter cups of boiling gizzard broth, taste and adjust the salt, and stir only once. Let it boil uncovered over high heat for 6–7 minutes until the water drops to the level of the rice and small holes appear on the surface.
⏱ 7 min -
8
Steaming
Lower the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid (place a clean kitchen towel under the lid if it doesn't seal well), and leave it for 20 minutes without opening or stirring. Every time you open it, steam escapes, which is what cooks the top grains.
⏱ 20 min -
9
Liver, Resting, and Serving
Turn off the heat, distribute the liver over the top of the rice and gently fold from bottom to top, and cover the pot for 10 minutes — the residual heat of the rice warms the liver without toughening it. Serve the rice on a large platter, and arrange the nuts and raisins on top right before serving.
⏱ 10 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Gizzard broth is the secret to the flavor — do not substitute it with water. If the broth is not enough, top it up with boiling water.
- Stuffing a chicken or turkey? Cook the rice halfway with only 1 cup of broth per 1 cup of rice, because it will finish cooking inside the bird and absorb its juices.
- The meat and gizzards can be prepared a day in advance and stored in the fridge — on feast day, you only need to make the liver, rice, and nuts.
- Love that feast aroma? Grind 2 pods of mastic with a pinch of salt (so it doesn't stick in the mortar) and add them to the boiling gizzard broth.
People also ask
Why does the liver turn tough and like leather in rice with mixed meat?
Because it was cooked with the rice from the beginning. Chicken liver cooks in 4–5 minutes, and 25 minutes of boiling and steaming squeezes out its moisture, making it tough and grainy. Sear it separately over high heat and remove it, then return it to the rice after it cooks and let it rest with it for 10 minutes.
Can I make rice with mixed meat without liver and gizzards?
Yes: increase the minced meat to 400g and use ready-made chicken or beef broth instead of gizzard broth, and then it becomes rice with minced meat and nuts. You can also make it with just liver or just gizzards using the same method.
Can I make it with basmati rice?
Yes: wash the basmati well, soak it for 15 minutes, and drain it. Make the broth 1.5 cups per 1 cup of rice, and steam for 15 minutes instead of 20. Stir it gently with a fork because the grains are long and break easily.
How can I make it ahead of time for a feast and reheat it?
Refrigerate it within an hour of cooking in a closed container, and it lasts for 3 days. Reheat it in a pot over low heat with a quarter cup of broth and covered, or in the oven covered with foil. It can be frozen for up to a month without the nuts — toast fresh nuts on the day of serving.
Cook mode
Egyptian Rice with Minced Meat, Liver, Gizzards, and Nuts
-
1
Boiling the Gizzards
If the gizzards are not cleaned, remove the tough yellow inner lining and any outer fat. Boil them in 5 cups of water with half an onion, bay leaves, whole cardamom pods, and a pinch of salt for 40 minutes over medium-low heat (or 15 minutes in a pressure cooker) until a knife easily pierces them. Gizzards are tough muscles and do not soften in the rice cooking time. Strain them, reserve the broth, and chop them into small cubes.
-
2
Washing the Rice
While the gizzards are cooking, wash the rice 3–4 times until the water runs mostly clear, and drain it well in a colander. The starch on the surface of the grain is what makes rice gummy, and wet rice adds extra liquid beyond the measured amount.
-
3
Toasting the Nuts
In the pot you will use to cook the rice, heat 1 tablespoon of ghee over medium-low heat, and toast the almonds for 3 minutes until golden, followed by the hazelnuts for 1 minute, the pine nuts for just half a minute because they burn in seconds, and the raisins for 10 seconds until they plump up. Remove them to a plate — they will wait until serving time to stay crunchy.
-
4
Searing the Liver
Remove the white veins and any green part on the liver — this is from the gall bladder and will make the whole dish bitter — and chop it into small pieces. In the same pot, add 1 tablespoon of ghee over high heat, and sear the liver for 4–5 minutes until cooked through with no blood left, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and remove. If it cooks longer than that, it toughens.
-
5
Onion, Meat, and Gizzards
Add 2 tablespoons of ghee and sauté the onion for 5 minutes until golden, then add the minced meat, break it up with a spoon, and leave it for 8–10 minutes until its juices evaporate and it begins to brown. This browning is what gives the rice its brown color and flavor. Add the pepper, cinnamon, ground cardamom, and nutmeg, followed by the chopped gizzards, and stir for two minutes.
-
6
Searing the Rice in the Mixture
Add the drained rice and stir it with the mixture for 2–3 minutes until every grain is coated with ghee and spices. The fat around the grain prevents it from sticking to neighboring grains.
-
7
Broth and Uncovered Boiling
Pour in 3 and three-quarter cups of boiling gizzard broth, taste and adjust the salt, and stir only once. Let it boil uncovered over high heat for 6–7 minutes until the water drops to the level of the rice and small holes appear on the surface.
-
8
Steaming
Lower the heat to the lowest setting, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid (place a clean kitchen towel under the lid if it doesn't seal well), and leave it for 20 minutes without opening or stirring. Every time you open it, steam escapes, which is what cooks the top grains.
-
9
Liver, Resting, and Serving
Turn off the heat, distribute the liver over the top of the rice and gently fold from bottom to top, and cover the pot for 10 minutes — the residual heat of the rice warms the liver without toughening it. Serve the rice on a large platter, and arrange the nuts and raisins on top right before serving.
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