Lebanese · Syrian

Hashwa

Spiced ground beef & rice — the heart of Lebanese stuffing

Prep
10 min
Cook
25 min
Servings
4–6

Ingredients

Hashwa

  • 1 lb ground beef (round or sirloin)
  • 2 cups Uncle Ben's converted long-grain rice
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 tsp salt (level)
  • 1 tsp Syrian spice (level)
  • ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted dry
  • 4 cups chicken broth or water + 4 bouillon cubes

Syrian Spice Blend

  • 2 oz black pepper (Mezji or McCormick)
  • 2 × 4 oz containers allspice
  • ⅛ tsp cinnamon
Syrian Spice: Mix all spices, store in a jar in the fridge. The backbone of Farhat family cooking.

Original Recipe Card

Handwritten Hashwa recipe
Original handwritten recipe notebook

Directions

  1. Brown ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat, breaking it apart as it cooks.
  2. Add the butter, salt, and Syrian spice. Stir to combine.
  3. Add the chicken broth (or water with bouillon). Bring to a full boil.
  4. Add the rice and stir to blend. Cover the pot.
  5. Reduce heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes — do not lift the lid.
  6. Turn off heat. Remove cover, stir to fluff. Replace cover and leave on warm stove 5–10 more minutes.
  7. Fluff with a fork, fold in toasted pine nuts, and serve.
Versatile: Serve as a side dish, or use as stuffing inside cabbage rolls, grape leaves, or zucchini.
Pine nuts: Toast in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2–3 minutes until golden. They burn fast.