Rice pilaf with sujuk

August 5, 2010  •  Category:

 

The Chouf mountains are the one area of Lebanon that I missed the most as an expat; I missed the smell of the parasol pines and the constant creaking noise of the crickets, so relentless that we would stop hearing it.


We stopped by the side of the road to buy some prickly pears and there was one car parked ahead of us: a BMW with a couple inside; out comes a young woman in a sleeveless, bustier  skintight dress and spiked heels; beautiful and bronzed throughout; well this sight would have drawn stares and whistles  in my time: not anymore!

We are  flooded with our bodacious mountain tomatoes here so-called jabaliyeh.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of Basmati or long-grain rice
• 2 cups of tomatoes, stewed for one hour in sauteed chopped onions and olive oil
• 1 cup or more of green peas
• 1 cup or more of shelled corn and 1 cup of chopped green pepper and carrot
• spices such as paprika, garlic, cumin
• 1 pound of sujuk sausages (or any spicy sausage of your choice)
Olive oil, as needed

METHOD:

1) Grate the tomatoes and collect all the juice and flesh in one big pot.
2) Chop some onions and fry in olive oil; add the tomatoes and stew for one hour over low heat.
3) Fry the rice in a bit of olive oil for a couple of minutes until translucent; add the stewed tomatoes and one cup of water with the spices.
4) Cover and simmer till the rice is cooked; about 10 minutes before, add the peas, corn, carrots and green peppers.
5) Roast the sujuk sausages in a 375F oven with a bit of oil until sizzling. Pat dry and serve on top of the rice. Can also be sauteed in a skillet  and cut in chunks and added to the rice.


Comments

27 Comments  •  Comments Feed

  1. Sue says:

    Looks delicious! I just made sujuk with eggs for my husband. The spicy flavor of the sujuk is fantastic.

  2. Rosa says:

    Yummy! Those sausages look delicious. I wonder if they are little like the Turkish sausages carrying the same name (suçuk)…

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  3. Sridevi says:

    Liked your pilaf and sausage combination…Nice pictures of mountain.

  4. elra says:

    I love anykind of pilaf, I am especially intriguw with sajuk sausage.

  5. Katerina says:

    I love sujuk. My grandmother who came from Asia MInor used to make it with eggs at her house when I was little. I have so many food memories from her.

  6. Krista says:

    Oh wow!! Those sausages (and tomatoes!!) look fantastic! 🙂 I love all the photos from your trip, Joumana. 🙂

  7. Anh says:

    YUm! I have sujuk in the fridge and I will make this for sure.

  8. SYLVIA says:

    The thing I like most about sujuk is that you have a chance to showcase your favorite type of meal in a way that’s hard for people to resist. I love the way you have them guarding the rice like soldiers. Armenians always serve sujuk with eggs for breakfast, when you cook it you get this incredible smell, that wakes your family from a deep sleep and sends them straight to the kitchen.
    Joumana you are very generous with your recipes.

  9. Avelina Accad says:

    How are you Joumana. I’m a fan of your blog. Finally something I can write to you about. The fruit is a type of passion fruit. We have it here in California as ornamental vines just like what you have there in the photos but the fruit is also edible. The ones found in more tropical climates like Hawaii or Central and South America are the ones sold in the market to be eaten as is or as juice.

  10. MaryMoh says:

    Love the rice pilaf and all the pictures. I love to see that hill of green trees…so refreshing!

  11. Sushma Mallya says:

    It looks so delicious and spicy

  12. Susan says:

    When I first looked at the second photo I thought I was looking at a field of grass. Then when I read your first sentence and saw parasol pines I looked more closely and saw them! How beautiful.

    I take it you weren’t wearing a bustier and heels ? 🙂

    Lovely pilaf. I love the addition of all the beautiful vegetables. That would be a great side dish to some tasty sausages.

  13. Mimi says:

    Oh the times they are a changing. My girls are always reminding me that this is a new day, I remind them that good taste is timeless.
    As for you recipe it looks so tasty and I certainly have load of tomatoes to use.
    Mimi

  14. deana says:

    Oh yes, one of those wonderful rice dishes. Must find out about these sausages… I am always learning and those guys are adorable… spicy too??? Perfect!

  15. Cocotte says:

    Chouf comme dans Chouf ouchouf?:)

  16. Suman Singh says:

    Pilaf looks delicious!

  17. Heavenly Housewife says:

    What a beautiful rice dish, and those tomatoes look fabulous.
    Have a wonderful weekend ahead.
    *kisses* HH

  18. FOODESSA says:

    Bodacious mountain tomatoes and busty women…hmm…which gets the most attention LOL.

    Nice, simple, tasty recipe that’s versatile enough to be a great main meal or sidedish.

    I hope you’re getting in some great fun and enough relaxation time ;o)

    Ciao for now,
    Claudia

  19. Sook says:

    Love all the photos! The rice dish looks so beautiful!

  20. peanutts says:

    yumm, looks delish. love the beautiful photoes

  21. Joanne says:

    I love all your pictures! I feel like I’m traveling with you.

    The rice looks so tasty!

  22. OysterCulture says:

    Everything looks delicious and savory and just packed full of wonderful flavors.

  23. Doc says:

    Lovely rice dish that would go well with many mains, I think. Well done!

  24. Jean says:

    Gosh, what a beautiful rice pilaf, especially surrounded by those sausages. It’s a combination I grew up enjoying. It looks so appealing to me now since it’s time for dinner. 🙂

  25. Adelina says:

    We love sujuk. My husband’s uncle made some for us and it was the best!! We love to have it with eggs when we want something hearty for breakfast. I am sure it’s great with rice too.

  26. Mathai says:

    That looks remarkably similar to a version of Tomato rice that my wife makes. 🙂

    http://bloggermathai.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/the-best-tomato-rice/

  27. Sheridan says:

    I love the chouf and miss those beautiful pumpkins size tomatoes with garlic and sumac

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