It's toasted vermicelli. This dish is called *şehriyeli pilav* in Turkey, *riz bi sh’arieh* in Lebanon and Syria, and *reshteh polo* in Iran. The basic idea is that you brown the noodles in a little bit of oil or butter, then add rice and cook basically as you would cook steamed rice. Below are three sample recipes. Note that the Persian version (the last in this list) is more complicated, uses a different noodle (a kind that's more common in Iran) and has a crispy bottom. [şehriyeli pilav](https://www.food.com/recipe/turkish-pilaf-with-vermicelli-sehriyeli-pilav-424105) [riz bi sh'arieh](https://theeleganteconomist.com/2019/07/12/riz-bi-sharieh-rice-with-vermicelli/) [reshteh polo](http://www.mypersiankitchen.com/reshteh-polow-persian-rice-with-noodles/)