This Instant Pot Lamb Rice recipe, loaded with ground lamb, nuts, and spices, is inspired by Lebanese Hashweh. I use it for a one-pot weeknight meal full of Eastern Mediterranean flavor.
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My local Lebanese festival had something on the menu I hadn't seen before - Lamb and Rice (aka Hashweh). Ground lamb, spices, and nuts? Sounds fantastic!
I did some online research, and the key to the flavor is the spices. I saw many different recipes for Lebanese seven spice...but none of the recipes had the same seven spices. I played around with the blend, and the seven spices I ended up with are cinnamon, coriander, allspice, black pepper, cloves, cumin, and nutmeg. That came closest to the flavors of my local Lebanese festival.
As for the directions, I used the same technique as my other "ground meat in white rice" recipes, like my Instant Pot Dirty Rice and Instant Pot Risotto with Pork and Cinnamon (Risotto All'Isolana). Cook the meat until it is not pink, add the aromatics and spices, then mix in the rice and some liquid and pressure cook for 4 minutes with a 10 minute natural release. It's a quick technique - this recipe is doable on a weeknight - and tastes great.
Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Rice: I like a long grain rice in this recipe - I buy large bags of jasmine rice for my pantry. You can substitute any rice in this dish; short-grain rice will come out a little more risotto-like, with more of a sticky rice texture, but that's fine.
- Spices: I'm making my own version of a Lebanese 7 spice blend. Replace the spices in the recipe with 1 tablespoon of Lebanese 7 spice blend if available in your local grocery store.
- Lamb: I love lamb and the extra flavor it gives this recipe. I know some people don't like lamb, so ground beef is fine. (You can make this with almost any ground meat - ground pork, or ground turkey, or if you want to get into game meats, ground deer, ground elk, ground buffalo...all would work.
- Toasted almonds: Toasted almonds add extra crunch and a roasted flavor to this dish. Blanched and slivered or sliced almonds will also work. Toasted pine nuts are another nut commonly used in this dish; replace some or all of the almonds with pine nuts.
- Minced parsley: Parsley may seem like a garnish, but it adds a distinct green vegetable flavor to this dish. You can skip it if you want, but it does help with the flavor.
- Broth: I prefer homemade broth for this recipe. That's why I recommend chicken broth because I always have some in my freezer. That said, store-bought broth is fine for this recipe, and you can use store-bought chicken, beef, or turkey broth.
Step by step pictures
Saute the lamb, then the spices and onions
Sauté the lamb until it is no longer pink, then add the onions and spices and cook until the onion is softened
Stir in the rice and broth
Stir the rice and broth into the pot with the lamb, spices, and onions.
Pressure Cook for 4 minutes with a 10 minute natural release
Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes then quick release the remaining pressure. Scoop into a serving bowl, sprinkle with the almonds and parsley, and enjoy!
Tips and tricks
How long does lamb rice last?
According to the USDA, Leftover rice lasts for three days in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer as long as it is refrigerated (or frozen) within an hour of cooking in an airtight container, and as long as it is heated to 165°F before eating. (See the next question for reheating instructions.) I portion out my lamb rice into 2-cup containers before I put it in the fridge or freezer.
Can lamb rice be reheated?
Yes! It is an excellent recipe to make ahead; I have a few microwave-safe 2-cup containers of lamb rice in my freezer, waiting to be reheated for lunch. Be sure to reheat the rice all the way through; an instant-read thermometer should read 165°F in the middle of the rice.
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Instant Pot Lamb Rice (Lebanese Hashweh)
Description
This Instant Pot Lamb Rice recipe, loaded with ground lamb, nuts, and spices, is inspired by Lebanese Hashweh. I use it for a one-pot weeknight meal full of Eastern Mediterranean flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 1 pound ground lamb (or ground beef)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth (preferably homemade broth) or water
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using homemade broth or water)
- ¼ cup minced parsley (optional)
- ¼ cup toasted slivered or sliced almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Cook lamb until no longer pink: Heat the vegetable oil until shimmering in an Instant Pot set to Sauté mode - high (use medium-high heat with other pressure cookers). Add the lamb and cook, stirring and breaking up any clumps, until it is crumbled and has lost its pink color, about 5 minutes.
- Add the aromatics and spices: Add the minced onion and garlic to the pot with the lamb. Sprinkle with the cinnamon, allspice, coriander, cumin, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté, stirring often and scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
- Everything in the pot: Stir the rice into the lamb and onions, then add the chicken broth or water (and another ½ teaspoon of salt if using homemade broth or water). Scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to make sure there are no browned bits sticking.
- Pressure cook for 4 minutes with a 10 minute Natural Release: Lock the lid. Pressure cook on high pressure for 4 minutes - the timing is the same for Instant Pots and stovetop PCs. Use (Manual, "Pressure Cook", or Pressure Cook - Custom mode in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure.
- Serve: Unlock the lid on the pressure cooker, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Discard the bay leaf, then stir in half the parsley and half the almonds. Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with the rest of the parsley and almonds, serve, and enjoy!
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Scaling
This recipe doubles easily in a 6-quart pressure cooker. Cut all the ingredients in half and this recipe will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. The cooking time does not change; it takes the same amount of time to cook the rice.
Related Posts
For some other "rice and meat" recipes, try my Cajun Instant Pot Dirty Rice, Instant Pot Chicken Risotto, or Instant Pot Risotto with Pork and Cinnamon (Risotto All'Isolana). If you love lamb, check out my Instant Pot Lamb Shanks or Instant Pot Lamb Chops (Lamb Shoulder Recipe) - DadCooksDinner.
If you're looking for something else, here is my index of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes.
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JM says
Is the rice pre-cooked?
Mike Vrobel says
No, the rice is not pre-cooked.
Mike V @DadCooksDinner says
Try it, it’s fantastic!