This is roz bil sha'areya, the Egyptian way of cooking rice, and once you have made it this way you will find it hard to go back. The vermicelli toasts in butter first, then the rice cooks with it, and the result is fluffy, nutty, and quietly extraordinary for something so simple.
Rinse the basmati under cold water until the water runs clear. This removes the surface starch and keeps the grains separate. Drain well.
Melt a good knob of butter in a deep pot over medium heat. Add the vermicelli, the small kind, and stir constantly. Watch it carefully. It goes from pale to golden quickly and from golden to burnt even faster. You want a deep, even gold. This is where the flavour comes from.
Add the drained rice to the pot and stir gently for a minute so the grains are coated in the butter and mixed through the vermicelli. Then add water, roughly one and a half times the volume of the rice, and a good pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then immediately put the lid on, turn the heat to its lowest setting, and leave it for ten to twelve minutes. Do not lift the lid.
When the water is absorbed, take the pot off the heat. Leave it covered and undisturbed for another five minutes. This is the steam finish and it is not optional. It is what makes the rice light rather than heavy. You never drain basmati through a colander. The steam does the work.
Fluff with a fork before serving.
If you are serving the rice alongside something with a tomato sauce, stir a generous handful of fresh dill through just before serving. It lifts the whole thing.
Add a small handful of golden raisins to the pot when you add the water. They plump up as the rice cooks and give occasional moments of sweetness. Good with lamb or anything spiced.
