Arroz arabe (Arab rice)

This is a side dish that is usually prepared in Christmas or New Year's Eve to be served with stuffed turkey or roasted pork.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of white rice
• 2 cups of water
• 2 cups of classic Coke
• 1/2 cup of roasted almonds or nuts
• 1/2 cup of raisins (you can skip the raisins if you don't like them too much)
• 100 g. of angel hair pasta, vermicelli or other thin long pasta
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 minced garlic gloves
• Salt

Preparation:

Heat the oil in big pan or pot. Add the pasta broken in pieces and fry it stirring constantly. When the pasta starts to get brown add the almonds or nuts (previously crushed), the raisins and garlic, stir frequently until the pasta is brown. Add the water, coke and salt to taste, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed.

Alternatively, after frying the pasta and rice, put the whole mix in your rice cooker, add the water, coke and salt to taste. Follow your rice cooker instructions for cooking time.