Rice with fide (Ρύζι με φιδέ)

Rice with fide

A classic and traditional Greek side dish of rice cooked with fide


Frugality. Simplicity. Versatility. These are definitely values that homemakers of years gone by looked for in recipes that they would prepare for their families. You can be sure that women in villages all over Greece, and our mom when she came to Canada, would often make this side dish of rice with fide to serve their families. More economical and easier than this is hard to come by!

Rice with fide

Everyday meals had to be filling and made of items that homemakers easily had on hand. But also, the recipes needed to be delicious, in order to satisfy hunger and palate. Rice with fide, although simple, is able to do both.

Our mother would often make rice with fide to serve as a side to some chicken or souvlaki. Any leftovers she would serve the next day, often with some peas or cooked lentils mixed in; this makes a great take-along lunch. And, her liquid would often be some of the cooking water left over from boiling chicken for avgolemono soup or from boiling meat that would then be used for soup.


Helpful hints

What is fide?

Fide, sometimes spelled fithe, is a thin pasta cut quite short. Similar to angel hair pasta but much shorter or to vermicelli. It is often used to make fide soup, or chicken noodle soup. If you can’t find Greek fide, you could use angel hair pasta that you cut up, or small vermicelli noodles.

Can I use various liquids to make rice with fide?

You can definitely. The flavour of your liquid, will change the flavour of your final dish. Although you can use plain water, we prefer to either use a vegetable, chicken or beef bouillon cube dissolved in the water. Otherwise, home made or store bought veggie, chicken or beef broth would be delicious as well.

Can I toast my fide in butter instead of olive oil?

Yes, you can. Again, the flavour of the final product will change if you do that. Our parents rarely use butter in cooking and therefore we opt for olive oil; it is what we are familiar with, and is more healthy. At the same time, our mother would occasionally add a little bit of Nea Fytini to the pot when toasting the fide. Nea Fytini is a Greek vegetable shortening, with quite a unique taste. Occasionally, and in moderation, Nea Fytini is a great treat. We have spoken about it before in our recipe for Pasta with Nea Fytini.

Do I have to use brown rice in this recipe?

Actually, brown rice is our own variation; our mother always used white Carolina or long grain rice for this recipe. But we prefer the nutty taste and firmer texture of brown rice, to say nothing of its nutritional benefits. At the same time, you can use any rice you like; adjust your cooking time and the amount of liquid you will need accordingly (check with your rice packaging).

Pin this recipe if you like it!

Rice with fide
Rice with fide

Looking for other great sides? How about these:

Roasted lemon potatoes

Broccoli with olive oil and lemon

Grilled vegetables

Greek lemon rice

We love hearing from you!  If you have made our recipes, or if you have a question or comment, or simply want to say Hi!,  please leave a comment below!

Rice with fide
Rice with fide

Rice with fide (Ρύζι με φιδέ)

A wonderful Greek side dish of rice mixed with fide noodles.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 507kcal
Author: Mia Kouppa

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup fide or broken up vermicelli noodles
  • 1 cup brown rice soaked for at least 1 hour and then rinsed well
  • 2 1/2 cups water, boiled, (or 20 oz's) or vegetable or chicken broth
  • 1 cube vegetable bouillon omit if using vegetable or chicken broth
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • In a deep pan or a small pot heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the fide. Stir continuously until the fide gets toasted and brown. You will begin to smell it being toasted. Be careful not to burn the fide.
  • Meanwhile, dissolve the vegetable bouillon cube in the hot water and add it to the pot with the fide. Mix in the rice and stir.
  • Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked. Follow the cooking instructions on your rice package. Brown rice will take approximately 35 minutes to cook. You may find that you need to add more water or broth.
  • Once the rice is fully cooked, season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

We like to make this side dish using brown rice, for the flavour and nutritional benefits.  You can however use white rice, or even a different type of rice such as basmati or jasmine.
To turn this side dish into a complete meal consider mixing in some cooked lentils or other types of beans or legumes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 118mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 0.003g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg


Thanks for sharing!

4 Comments

  1. The perfect proportion of rizi me fidi! Made this with some chicken better than bouillon and white rice. Served it with a pork chop and peas. My daughter loved it so much, she only had the rice portion of her meal!

    1. miakouppa says:

      It makes us SO happy when we hear that kids love our recipes – as moms we know that it is sometimes difficult to feed the little ones. Having said that….we realize that we are making an assumption that your daughter is little!! But, in any case, even if she is in her twenties….we’re glad she loved our recipe 🙂 xoxo Thank you for your comment!

  2. Melissa MacKenzie says:

    This is so delicious. We had this with the lemon garlic chicken and salad for something different with side dishes. Definitely keeping this under bookmark and will be making more in the future. I can picture this with chickpeas and nuts as a future lunch for myself.

    1. miakouppa says:

      So, so, so happy that you tried this simple but delicious side! Thanks for letting us know Melissa, and we’re so happy that you enjoyed it! For sure, throw in some chickpeas or other beans and you’ve got a great meal. Thanks again for dropping a comment 🙂 xoxo Helen & Billie

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