Baked rice in clay pots, loaded with butter, milk, and cream, can be savory or sweet. Today I am showing you the savory one. Incredible texture and heavenly taste. One of the easiest on pot meals like this chicken and yellow rice recipe.
Meammar rice in one of the authentic, traditional Egyptian rice recipes, as old as Egypt I guess :). Meammar means loaded, and as you can see authentically, this rice is loaded with full cream, ghee and full-fat milk. The slow cooking of rice in the oven gives it a lot of time to soak up all these flavors, to come up unique, fluffy, and tastes heavenly good.
Of course, this is not your everyday rice but, we need some luxury every now and then, and if you have a special occasion, this is a one-pot meal that will impress your guests and leave you with fewer pots to clean.
This rice can be made meatless, with red meat, minced meat or chicken so you choose, I prefer to make it with chicken for a one-dish meal, throw it in the oven and forget about it for an hour until done.
This is my Aunt Mona recipe and she probably got it from her mom - my sitto, we called my grandmother Sitto. I did not get to know my grandmother - father side, but I knew my Sitto - mother's side.
I wish I have her wedding picture, she was so young probably 16 years old. She looked so proud in her white wedding dress which was so simple yet elegant, with short hair and a tiara around her head, with a white round face and gray colored eyes, she was really beautiful until the very last day of her life. My Sitto was a great cook, she cooked everyday letting no one - even her daughters- cook for her, she was an authentic traditional cook.
I really admire the way they lived back then, they did not have meat and chicken every day, which a challenge I am going through now 😁, they used to get on hands and knees to scrub floors, not dragging themselves to the gym and trying to find excuses not to 😀, they ate fresh produce of the season and they used to raise their own chicken, ducks, and pigeons never knew frozen vegetables or meals. All my grandparents die of age, just probably a week at most in the hospital in comma or some sort of sudden system failure and that's it.
I remember my Sitto, grabbing a chair and sitting so close to the television- back then it was probably 14 inch at most- so she can see and hear, she refused to wear glasses or hearing aids, the woman had pride and I cannot blame her, she was strong until the day she collapsed. She was funny a very funny woman, loved to laugh, and watched only Ismail Yasin who was a comedian Abbott and Costello style. She lived a simple calm life and died calmly without much fuss. May she rest peacefully in heaven.
I tried to lessen the fat content in this recipe without jeopardizing the taste, and I think I did a pretty good job, first I used 1% milk not full cream milk, I used butter instead of ghee and I used only half the amount, I also used a combination of Mascarpone cheese and sour cream instead of using the usual milk cream we use in Egypt which is mainly milk fat.
This recipe is so popular in Egypt in banquets and especially during the holy month of Ramadan. I hope you'll give it a try and as usual Enjoy!!.
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Savory Rice with cream (Egyptian Meammar Rice)
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups of short grain rice - like cal rose.
- 2 Tablespoon unsalted butter divided.
- 5 chicken tenders. Note1.
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste.
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper.
- 2 Tablespoon sour cream.
- 1 Table spoon Mascarpone cheese.
- 1.5 cup Chicken broth any type.
- 1.5 cup milk.
Instructions
- Start by washing the rice and soak in water for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Meanwhile in a pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tablespoon of butter and brown the chicken tenders, 2-3 minutes each side, season with some salt and pepper, set aside.
- Drain the rice, add salt, pepper, sour cream, Mascarpone cheese and the remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter, mixing all very well until all rice is covered well.
- In a deep oven dish, authentically a clay one, add about 5 Tablespoons of the rice mixture to cover the bottom and spread evenly.
- Add the chicken pieces if using, then cover with the remaining rice, level the surface.
- In a pot over medium heat, add the milk along with the broth and bring to a boil, turn off the heat and season with a dash of black pepper.
- Add the hot liquids to the rice , place the dish into a bigger oven dish or pan filled halfway with water.
- Bake in the oven for almost an hour until the rice is fully cooked and the surface turns golden brown.
- Let it cool down and serve.
- Enjoy!!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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D
I've never made rice like this or from this region so I'm going to assume this is supposed to be sort of a simple dish. I made this without the optional chicken added, I followed the recipe and reccomendation to cook at a lower temp. I cooked it in a water bath at 350 for 1 hour then I put a lid on it as it rested. However, I still found it a bit dry and under seasoned. I was hoping for sort of a baked risotto but it didn't make it to that rich, creamy texture. I served this with egyptian goulash (phyllo meat pies) and wilted spinach with garlic and lemon. I think a little scoop of this on the side went well and was plenty filling. If I had made this with chicken as a solo dish I think it would have been a bit underwhelming. I would reccomend more salt and a generous scoop of the marscopone to help flavor and keep the rice moisture... and definitely use whole milk! I would try making this again with some adjustments! Thank you for posting this interesting recipe!
Andrea
Sounds so yummy! For step 8. Are you saying we have to put the pot of rice and liquid in to another pot with water and then bake the two? Can I just put it in the oven, maybe covered?
Renee
Oh yes! This is going onto next week's menu! I think I'll put any left overs into a chicken pot pie!
I so enjoyed reading about your Grand-Ma Ma. My mother used to tell mine that she was spoiling us.....she never listened. She always made two big batches of cookies when she knew we were coming. Sweet memories for sure.
Amira
Your mom is right Renee, grand parents spoil their grand children.. I cannot wait to be a grandma to do that too :))
Ev
Hi Amira
I love this recipe
Can I make it with cooked rice?
Amira
Hello Ev, I am not sure to be honest I haven't tried that before.
Caroline Shenouda’s
Hi Amira, just wondering if I have to double the amount of rice, do I double the water mount as your recipe too or does the liquid ratio change? Thanks, appreciate it!
Amira
Hello Caroline, I haven't doubled the amount before but I think you will need to increase the amount of liquid. If in doubt, then I think it will be better to make the recipe in two pots/oven dishes.. let me know how did it go.
Randa Tadros
Hi Amira,
I would love to try but would like to know what can I use instead of mascarpone cheese and sour cream. Mascarpone is pretty expensive and you have to buy a whole container, not very practical to get I TB. What do you mean by is milk cream - Ishda?
Julia
I made it. Tried to attach a picture but it will not allow me! It came out great. I used Creme Fraiche, as that is what my store had in organic, which I always look to buy organic. My Egyptian husband absolutely LOVED it, as well as myself and our son. When he says "it's like my mother makes" - I know I've done well! The 3 of us almost finished off the entire pan of rice!! Thank you, Amira!
Amira
Oh Julia, I know when an Egyptian man says that :)) they all love their mama's dishes and we cannot compete hehehe. Happy that you loved the recipe. I wonder why you were unable to attach a photo. Would have loved to see it.
holly
Hi Amira, I'm hoping you can help me. In Cairo, my friend made rice with milk that got crusty on the bottom of the pan. She said many people think the crust is the best part, and i agreed - it was delicious. She's coming to usa, and i wanted to surprise her and make it for her. Will this recipie do that? Or do you know the name of that rice dish? i cant eat rice anymore, or I would just try it an see :-(. Thanks so much!
Amira
Hello Holly, let me first start by saying you are such a wonderful devoted person/friend. My dad used to love the crusted layer that forms at the bottom of the pot:) he used to call it " Hikeeka" weird name I know. Well from my humble experience I would say you can develop this crust in any rice whether it is made with water, milk or stock. Anyways, I have got this crust when cooking rice over open flame and also when I reheat our everyday rice in the rice cooker and forget about it for like an hour. The point is to cook it slow for a long time. I hope this helps. I will try to experiment with it before your friend's visit and get back to you.
Julia
I love your site!! Everything I have made has come out absolutely wonderful. Thank you for sharing such wonderful recipes that have been in your family for many generations. I always read your text about the origin of each recipe as well. Many thanks!!!
Amira
Julia, thank you so much for your sweet comment, you made me so happy. I am glad you like the recipes here.
Colleen
That is one fine dish! Definitely going into the winter menu. So rich.
Amira
Colleen, it is indeed a very rich and tasty dish. Waiting to see how it will turn out with you.
Reuben A Bhate
Good afternoon, this is Reuben. Your recipe for Meammar seems very tasty. I have to try it out. I had a query whether do you have to cover the pot with a lid or foil while baking the rice in the oven
Amira
Hello Reuben, I did not cover mine. But, if your oven is hot and the top started to brown before the rice cooks, then you can cover it with a piece of aluminum foil until it is done. I hope this helps.
Molly Lindley
Hello, I am hoping to make this dish this week. Do you cover the dish when you put it in the oven?
Amira
Molly, no you do not but if your oven for some reason browned the top too quickly and rice is still not done yet, you may want to cover it to prevent further browning until the rice is done.
Chemene Blockey
Hi. Thank you for the recipe. It was delicious. We have leftovers. What is the best way to reheat?
Amira
Thank you so much Chemene for your feedback, I am happy you liked it. For leftovers I like adding like 2 Tablespoons of water/milk and reheat covered in the oven. For an easier option just place in a microwave safe plate, cover and heat for about 1 minute.
Joann
Thank you so very much for this recipe. Growing up my mother made a rice dish that we all loved but when my father became ill she had to change her way of cooking and this is one of the dishes that got left behind. When I started cooking for my own family my mother was no longer with us and I could not find anyone who made this recipe as a side dish. Everyone would tell me it was a rice pudding recipe but I knew it wasn't. This is the closest thing I've been able to find to her recipe in 25 years! I'm so grateful that I ended up on your site you've brought a happy memory back to life
Amira
Joann, thank you so much for your sweet comment. It is indeed a heavy recipe that one can indulge in every now and then. I am so touched that this dish brings back good memories for you and I hope you'll make even more happy memories making it.
Mike H.
I made this for the first time tonight. I had never used short grained rice before, so this was really new for me. I browned the tenderloins in olive oil, but used ghee instead of butter in the rice mixture. I used whole milk too with chicken bone broth. I have a terra cotta clay cooker, but thought it would be too big for the amount of food, so took my 5 qt crock pot insert out of the slow cooker and used that. I put it in a glass baking dish filled with water, as instructed. i originally set the time for 50 minutes, since the instructions said "almost an hour". At 50 minutes, it was just beginning to get slightly brown in one small area, so I kept an eye on it and ended up baking it for about another 10 to 15 minutes, which put it at about a full hour in the oven. It was delicious. The chicken was very tender. When I got a second helping, I sprinkled a little ras el hanout on it to give just a little extra flavor and it tasted great. We will definitely be having this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was easy to make.
Amira
Thank you so much Mike for your feedback. Your details are very important for others, I am really impressed. Do you make your own ras el hanout? I've bought some but still did not use them. I will definitely try sprinkling it on some rice dishes to test. So happy you liked the recipe.
Tara
Thank you so much for the recipe! I wish I had a dish as beautiful as that one to make it in! Sincerely, Tara
Amira
Tara, thank you for the complement dear. I loved its color and it reminded me of a dish we had in our home when I was young
ummj9y
salam alaikum, I made this for my husband who is Egyptian, he absolutely loved it. he said it was a lot different than the one his mom made (which was just rice water milk ghee and salt). I didnt have a clay pot I just used a metal one without the water bath it turned out very well ma sha Allah. jazak Allah Khair for this recipe it was absolutely fabulous. I will definitely make again in sha Allah. may Allah bless you with all the good things in this life and in the hereafter! 🙂
Amira
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, I am happy your family loved it. Yes some people make it without any meat, yet it still turns out great. Amen and to you to my dear, thanks for the duaa it brightened my day.
W E Michael Mikhail, MD
Excellent rice recipe,I always enjoy that rice recipe especially if it is loaded with young tender squab...!!!
Amira
Awesome! Glad you like this recipe.
Marwan Hassan
Hi,
I am trying to make this dish in a single serving, any ideas with how to adjust the ingredients/preparation for a single serve?
Thanks
Amira
Marawan, I haven't tried this yet, I have a big family. But anyways, my guess is, if you are making them in ramekins then place like 3Tablespoons or then rice mixture in each ramekin above some chicken in the bottom. Let me know how it went.
John/Kitchen Riffs
Such a nicely written post! Great tribute. And the recipe? This is just wonderful -- SO much flavor and nice texture. Thanks!
Amira
Thanks John, I hope you'll try it one day.
samya
hi ..Id like to try this recipe out...but have several questions... if I decided to forego the sourcream and mascarpone and use the milk cream/ heavy cream how much would I use? when you say place in pan halfway with water, do u mean half way up the rice baking dish and finally is the rice dish covered during the cooking time at all..thank you very much
Amira
Hi Samya, thank you for having the interest in this recipe. If you have cream like Nestle brand or any other, you can use 1:1 ratio or for a lighter dish use half the amount in milk cream. I do not recommend using heavy cream for this recipe as we need more solid fat. The pan hat I've used to put the dish in was not that deep so I filled it halfway with water, so not necessarily halfway to the rice level, we use this pan so the milk will not drop in the oven and get burnt resulting in smoke all over your kitchen, so it really does not matter that much the level of the water. For covering the dish, it depends so much on the oven, I did not have to cover my dish, some people prefer to cover until milk is boiled and most of it is absorbed in the rice, then uncover and complete cooking as they fear that the surface might get burnt before it is completely done, but this has never happened to me before hence I keep it uncovered :). If you still have any more questions please ask and I will be happy to help
Sommer
Hey Amira! I love all your recipes and you're my go-to for whenever I want to make something 🙂
Where I am, I don't have access to Mascarpone cheese, what can I use to substitute?
Also for the chicken, any chicken breast will work?
Thank you!!! <3
Amira
Thanks Sommer so much for your lovely words, it is really encouraging. I know there are places in this world where mascarpone cheese is either unavailable or criminally expensive. Fortunately, you can DIY mascarpone here is a link I've found on how to make it that really seems promising http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/substitute-for-mascarpone-cheese-28620?ftab=reviews#activity-feed. I did not try this recipe, but from the reviews I can tell that many people liked it. Also Here is another link from my friend Liz http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/substitute-for-mascarpone-cheese-28620?ftab=reviews#activity-feed.For this recipe though, you can use table creme Nestle, Puck or Almarai, I think this would be easier for you to find.
As for the chicken, yes sure you can use any kind of chicken or make it without chicken at all.
I hope you'll like this recipe.
Fran @ G'day Soouffle'
What a nice tribute to your Sitto. I can just imagine her watching TV like I did when growing up- perhaps a black and white TV that had a 'vertical control'- where the image would sometimes flick up and down. I think I would like to try making your recipe into a sweet version by adding some sugar, which would make it like a 'sticky rice pudding.' Yum!
Amira
Thanks Fran for your sweet words.. and yes she watched black and white TV :). She was such a great lady. Actually the challenge is to make the rice fluffy not so sticky, making it sweet is next on my to do list.
Samya
Lovely post and tribute to your sitto ,I would like to make this, but have a few questions,.....'when say milk cream normally used/ is that heavy cream? And how much would I use if I wanted to forego the sour cream and mascarpone. Is the baking dish covered at all? And when you say cover halfway with water are u referring to the halfway mark on rice dish ? Thank you
Karen (Back Road Journal)
What a lovely tribute to your Sitto, I'm sure she would be happy to see this lovely recipe that you've shared. It sounds like a delicious meal.
Amira
It is a beautiful, rich and delicious rice dish. Thanks Karen.
Cecile - My Yellow Farmhouse
This recipe looks sooo good - I'm going to PIN it immediately. And I loved hearing about your beloved grandmother - you were so lucky to have had such an amazing woman as your Sitto!! ; o )
Amira
Thanks Cecile for your sweet words.. she was indeed a great woman, may she rest in heaven, my beautiful sitto.