And here it is, Tunisian rice dish – Djerbian rice. Looking for a super easy and handy recipe to make a healthy lunch or dinner? Today, I share a recipe for a famous Tunisian rice dish with tons of flavor. You don’t want to miss this Tunisian recipe! This is a comprehensive guide to making, Tunisian rice dish Djerbian rice at home. Are you excited? Because I can’t wait to share this with you! Let’s start
The first time I tried Djerbian rice was at the café in Tunis. The aunt of the barista had made a large amount of Djerbian rice, and he had some of it with him. After they heard that I had never eaten Djerbian rice. I was invited behind the counter to eat it. And wow! It was so delicious. This is a perfect example of how generous Tunisian people are. If they have some food, it will be shared with others.
What is the Tunisian rice dish - Djerbian rice?
Rouz Jerbi or Djerbian rice is a Tunisian rice dish from Djerba. The dish includes rice, various vegetables, herbs, and spices. Usually made with beef, liver, lamb, chicken, or seafood.
It’s easy to prepare a big batch of Djerbian rice at once! Very handy when there is a lot of mouths to feed. That’s why it’s an excellent lunch or dinner. So go ahead, and surprise your family, friends, and relatives with this Tunisian recipe.
The traditional Djerbian rice is gluten, milk, and nut-free. Freely modify the rest of the recipe. This time I chose to cook with beef and liver. Other great options are lamb, chicken, and seafood. The dish includes plenty of vegetables and is prepared by steaming. For these reasons, the Djerbian rice is a very healthy dish.
Chopping is the most laborious part of this dish. When the chopping is done, the cooking process is somewhat simple. All the ingredients are mixed together and placed into a steam pot. Simmered for one hour and mixed a couple of times while steaming. Ready to be eaten!
Ingredients and equipment to make Djerbian rice
Check the list of the ingredients below, and feel free to modify the ingredients for your own needs.
- You can’t prepare Djerbian rice without a steam boiler.
- Beef and liver. This time I used sirloin of the beef and lamb’s liver. Choose a cut of the beef that will be cooked and softened when steamed for 1 hour. Other great alternatives for beef and liver are lamb, chicken, and seafood.
- Spinach and parsley. The amount of spinach and parsley might seem like a lot, but now there’s no time for being shy. Remember, the more, the better! Anyway, spinach and parsley will shrink when steamed.
- Chickpeas. If using dried chickpeas, remember to soak chickpeas for +10 hours, rinse, and boil in freshwater for about 1 hour until softened. Most of the time, I use canned chickpeas. Even though the canned chickpeas are already softened. I still like to boil those for some time.
- In this recipe, I use homemade harissa/ harissa arbi. Harissa arbi is stronger in flavor than normal canned harissa. If you don’t have homemade harissa, you can substitute it with canned harissa plus some extra garlic cloves.
- This dish is perfect for emptying a fridge. You can add spring onions, cilantro, potato, red bell pepper, or chili to this dish.
Recipe for the delicious Tunisian rice dish – Djerbian rice
Servings: 3-5
Total preparation time: 1h 30 min.
Ingredients for Djerbian rice
160g white rice ( washed and uncooked)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp homemade harissa or canned harissa
4 garlic cloves, chopped
5tbsp olive oil
200g beef, cut into small cubes
200g liver, cut into small cubes
1 carrot, peeled and cut into small cubes
1,5 dl chickpeas, soaked and cooked
1 red onion, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1 dl peas
200g spinach, rinsed and chopped
1 big bunch of parsley, chopped
1 tsp of each: salt, pepper, turmeric, mint, tabil, paprika powder
Optional: spring onion, red bell pepper
How to make Tunisian rice dish - Djerbian rice
Step. 1
Wash and rinse the rice as long as the water becomes clear, then drain it.
Step. 2
Combine everything but not the garlic together: washed and drained rice, tomato paste, harissa, cut cubes of beef and liver, chopped carrot, red onion, white onion, spinach, parsley (red bell pepper, and spring onion), cooked chickpeas, peas, olive oil, and all the spices. Mix everything carefully together.
Step. 3
Place the mixture into a steam boiler and let it simmer for 1 hour. After 30 minutes of simmering, pour the mixture into a big mixing bowl and add 4 minced cloves of garlic. Mix the garlic in and place the mixture back into the steam boiler. Let simmer 30 minutes more, until everything is well cooked.
Step. 4
Place Djerbian Rice into a serving bowl and enjoy!
I hope that you will enjoy the Tunisian rice dish – Djerbian rice! Have you ever eaten this dish? I strongly encourage you to try this delicious Tunisian recipe. If you are looking for other Tunisian recipes, check the recipes below.
