Egyptian Recipe Basila wa Roz | Egyptian Peas and Rice Jamie Style

A few months ago a friend of mine wanted to cook Jaya and me an Egyptian recipe basila wa roz (Egyptian peas and rice). It quickly turned into me cooking everyone dinner, when I realized what looked like a simple, fast, healthy and delicious dish was going to take forever and possibly burn in the process (not in my kitchen)! So, I quickly asked what the ingredients were and of course spiced it up just a wee bit more 🙂

I do not mean hot spicy, but more flavor and anyone who has had something made by me or has ate with me… They know… I LOVE flavor. Provided it is all natural and whenever possible organic too! 😉

I had no intent on posting this, but they had me take a picture and I ended up enjoying the food, so why not share!?! My only regrets… Not knowing about this Egyptian dish sooner. It is simple and will please the vegan, vegetarian and even the meat eater in your home! We have made it almost on a weekly basis since. Yes, it is that GOOD!

Without further ado, here is the recipe!

Egyptian Basila wa Roz Recipe : 

Serving size: 3-4 servings (Depending on how hungry you are!)

• 1 medium organic onion
• 1 tbsp of organic olive oil 
• 2 tbsp organic butter
• 2 2/3 cups of organic peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 8 oz can of organic tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups of water (add 1/3 more for a thinner sauce)
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp organic cayenne pepper (or black pepper)
• 2/3 tsp of organic cumin (whole or powder)
• 1/2 tsp of organic thyme
• 2/3 tsp organic garlic powder
• 1 organic lemon

 Directions:

Heat a frying pan on medium with 2 tbsp butter. Dice onion and saute till light brown and translucent. Now start the rice (directions below). Add in 1 tbsp of olive oil and peas. Saute the peas for a few minutes with 1/4 tsp of garlic powder and a few dashes of sea salt. Then add the organic tomato paste, water and stir till it becomes a sauce. Add in all your seasonings except the lemon. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes. Cut the lemon into wedges.

Roz (rice)

• 1 1/4 cup of organic basmati rice ( We used Trader Joe’s brand, but any basmati will do.)
• 1 3/4 cups of water
• 1 tbsp. organic olive oil
• few dashes of sea salt

Directions: Start rice after cooking the onions (directions below). Rinse rice well and combine water and rice in a pot. Turn heat on high, once the water boils reduce heat to simmer and cover with a lid. The rice takes about 15-20 minutes to cook, stir occasionally to keep rice from sticking.

Serve over rice with a lemon wedge. Enjoy!

Total time including prep about: 25 minutes

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