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Useful Tips: |
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Bengali Flower Rice
Heat 1 spoon oil or clarified butter in a pot with as a teaspoon of grated fresh ginger, a pinch of hing, red cayenne pepper, cinnamon and a couple of cardamom pods. Add 200 gr shelled green peas and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add 250 gr Basmati rice (long grain) and stir, cover with a double quantity of water (two cups for each cup of rice), add salt, a teaspoon of turmeric, and let simmer for 12 minutes. While the rice simmers, prepare small balls of panir or tofu (200 gr) and deep fry them quickly. Deep fry also 2 or 3 spoons of blanched almonds or cashews: remove them from the heat well before they become golden. When the rice is done, add the cheese balls and the almond and serve hot. This is a complete meal in itself, but you can accompany it with a vegetable raita or salad for a light meal.
Saffron Risotto
Clean and chop one leek, then stir fry in a pan with 50 gr butter or margarine and 250 gr round rice, for about 5 minutes on slow fire. Add this point you may add one cup of white wine or beer (the alcohol will evaporate, only the taste will remain). Then start adding hot vegetable stock, one cup at the time, always stirring. Also add 5 gr of saffron, and stir well. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often and adding liquid when the rice becomes dry. Be careful not to let the rice stick to the bottom of the pan, otherwise it will burn very easily. When the rice is done, remove the pot from the fire and add 2 spoons of milk cream or butter, 2 spoons of grated parmesan, a pinch nutmeg or black pepper, and serve. For a classy presentation, you may press the rice servings into buttered moulds and keep them aside for about 30 minutes. Then heat the moulds in boiling water and remove the moulded rice on to the serving plate. This dish goes well with decorations of steamed vegetables and can be followed by more elaborate vegetables and a dessert for an important dinner.
Eggplant and Peanut Rice
Clean and chop 2 black eggplants in small pieces. Deep fry them and set aside. Also deep fry 200 gr shelled peanuts, removing them from the heat when they are very slightly golden. Clean and chop one leek, add a small piece of grated ginger, one bay leaf, half teaspoon of red cayenne pepper, and stir fry in one spoon of oil (sesame or peanut). Add 250 gr long grain rice, stir, then immediately add the cooking liquid (2 cups for each cup of rice). Let simmer for 5 minutes, then add the eggplants and peanuts, and finish cooking. You may garnish with chopped parsley or coriander (cilantro). This dish is a good accompaniment for oriental style meals, such as spring rolls, tempeh kebabs, mixed vegetables stir fry or grilled tofu. It is also suitable for north Indian style meals, with paratha, tomato soup or sambar.
Asparagus and Parmesan Rice
Clean 1 kg. fresh asparagus, separating in different bowls the tips from the tender stalks and from the hardy part of the stalk. Peel the hardy parts of the stalks. Clean and chop one small leek. Stir fry the leek and the hardy stalks in a pan with 50 gr butter or margarine, then add 250 gr rice and sauté for about 5 minutes on slow fire. Then add the cooking liquid, the tender stalks of the asparagus and continue cooking.When the rice is done add the asparagus tips, remove from the fire and add 4 spoons of grated parmesan cheese, 2 spoons of milk cream or butter and serve.You may garnish with thin parmesan shavings. This dish is a good start for an important meal, followed by a rich salad and one entrée and a dessert. For some ideas on entrées, see TVP stuffed artichokes, eggplant medallions, green tartlets, puff pastry cases, etc.
Green Rice
Wash and clean 1 kg. fresh spinach or greens of the type you prefer; you may also mix different kinds of greens together. Chop them finely and put in a pot with 25 gr butter or margarine, add 250 gr rice, cover with the cooking liquid and let simmer for about 10 minutes. In the meantime chop one nice bunch of fresh basil leaves, one small green chili pepper and one or two green bell peppers. When the rice is almost done, stir in the basil and bell pepper, and finish cooking. This recipe goes well as a side dish in a dinner with several courses, or as a part of the "three rices" plate (Saffron rice, Green rice, Red rice or Pumpkin rice) you can treat your guests with. In this case, scoop up balls of each rice with a ladle and arrange them on the serving plate with some decorative garnish (small carved radishes, tomato peel roses, etc).
Red Rice
Clean 1 kg. fresh tomatoes and liquidize them in the blender. Add one spoon of olive oil, a few midly hot red chili peppers, one spoon mild paprika, salt and let simmer in a pot for 5 minutes. Add 250 gr rice, stir well, and let cook for about 10 minutes on medium fire. You should not need to add liquids. Garnish with a little olive oil and fresh basil leaves and serve, followed by a rich tossed salad and an entrée like panir medallions, cucumber cheese ring, TVP chunk roast, etc. This dish is also good as a buffet recipe, adding a flashy red color to the array of plates.
Pumpkin Rice
Clean 1 kg. red pumpkin and a small leek, and chop very finely. Stir fry in 50 gr butter or margarine with bay leaf and black pepper, and when they are tender add 250 gr rice and the cooking liquid. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked. If needed, you may add a little water or milk if the rice becomes dry. When the rice is done, add 2 spoons of parmesan or other cheese, 2 spoons of chopped parsley or coriander (cilantro) and stir well. A nice presentation for this recipe can be obtained by first baking the entire pumpkin for a few minutes, then scooping out the pulp and making a natural container with the pumpkin itself. It can be followed by a rich salad, one entrée and a dessert.
Vegetarian Sushi
For this recipe you need the black nori seaweeds (usually coming in sheets) that are traditionally used for sushi. You may also use the small bamboo mat to roll the sushi, or if you don't have it you can use a clean kitchen towel. Cook 200 gr round rice (preferably "new" rice) with a double quantity of water and a little salt for about 12 minutes, until it is rather mushy. Let it cool. Prepare the filling: clean and chop about 100 gr leek, 1 small cucumber, 100 gr salted umeboshi prunes, and 50 gr seaweeds of your choice. Season with 1 spoon tamari or shoyu and mix well. Open the bamboo mat or kitchen towel, place one sheet of nori seaweed, spread the rice and put the filling in the middle, then roll it up tightly and put in fridge for at least 3 hours. Just before serving unwrap the mat, and slice the rice and seaweed roll. This recipe, too, is good for buffets and accompanying oriental meals with grilled tofu, Japanese soup, seitan teriyaki etc.
Spanish Vegetarian Paella
In a big pan stir fry one cup of finely chopped celery, carrot and leeks, in about 2 spoons of olive oil, at very low temperature. After one minute add half cup of green peas and stir for about 5 minutes. Add 300 gr of long grain rice and stir fry for one or two minutes, then cover with vegetable stock, add a pinch of saffron, a pinch of red cayenne pepper or paprika, a bunch of pumpkin flowers (pistil removed) and a little salt. While the rice cooks, stir fry 100 gr shelled almonds in one spoon oil on a very low flame. When rice is done, add the almonds, one cup of pitted black olives, one spoon of chopped parsley and serve. It is a good one-course meal particularly in the summer. It can be followed by a salad and one entrée.
Baked Rice Cake
Clean, peel and slice two large eggplants. Bake the slices for a few minutes with a little oil and salt, or sauté them lightly in a little oil. Clean and chop about 500 gr spinach or other greens, then sauté them with a pinch of salt and a dab of butter. Steam 250 gr of rice, then add 200 gr of mixed grated cheeses (mozzarella, parmesan, emmenthaler etc) and mix well. Put a layer of eggplant slices into a pudding mould, then spread layers of rice alternating with spinach layers. Press well and bake for 15 minutes. Let the cake cool before unmoulding it. Garnish with chopped parsley or basil. This dish is a good centerpiece for an elegant dinner. It should be preceded by a light soup like a Pumpkin or Asparagus cream soup, and followed by a rich salad, Happy Tuna medallions and a dessert.
Brown Rice Salad
Boil or steam 250 gr brown rice or brown parboiled rice, then transfer it in a serving bowl, season with a little sunflower oil and let it cool down. Clean and chop 2 tender celery stalks, 2 tender carrots, and clean 2 large tangerine (or oranges) peeling off the white skin too. Soak one spoon of raisins in warm water, then drain. Deep fry or roast 100 gr cashew nuts. Add all the ingredients to the rice, mix and serve. It is a perfect dish for a buffet, a picnic or a quick dinner, as it can be kept in the fridge for several hours (add the cashews at the moment of serving, then).
Stuffed Bell Peppers
Choose at least 2 large bell peppers for each serving; one will be used as a container, the other will be chopped and cooked with the filling. If you use peppers of different colors, the result will be more attractive. Sauté the chopped peppers with a little celery in one spoon oil. You may also add some hot or mildly hot chili pepper at this stage. Steam 250 gr long grain rice, and add the chopped vegetables 5 minutes before the rice is done. Add a spoon of chopped parsley, mix and stuff the bell peppers that you use as containers. Bake for 10 minutes, just to make the peppers wilt a little, then and the juice of one lemon for each serving and serve cold. This dish is also good for buffets, picnics or quick dinners, or as an appetizer for an important dinner. In this case, you can follow with a light soup, one entrée, a second vegetable dish, and a dessert.
Cuscus
First of all prepare the sauce. Prepare a pressure cooker with 200 gr soaked chickpeas, beans or lentils, 2 diced potatoes, one small leek, and 500 gr of assorted seasonal vegetables. You may also add herbs and other seasonings as per your taste (bay leaf, marjoram, sage, etc). Harissa is a red paste made with chili pepper, traditionally used in north Africa for cuscus sauces. Calculate the cooking time to get the beans tender and the other vegetables almost dissolved. With pre-cooked cuscus, you just have to boil 3 cups of water for each cup of cuscus, with a little salt and one spoon of oil. When the water is boiling pour in the cuscus, stir, cover the pot with a lid and turn the fire off. Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving. Arrange the cooked cuscus on a serving plate and pour the sauce on top at the time of serving.
Sweet Corn Salad
For practical purposes, you can use canned sweet corn. Clean and chop tender celery, tender carrots, firm tomatoes and bell peppers of different colors. Season with salt, black pepper, a little maize oil, and one spoon of lemon juice. In alternative, you can top with yogurt sauce or eggless mayonnaise. You may also add 100 gr of boiled green peas, boiled white broad beans or pitted and sliced olives. In this case, skip the lemon juice. Serve the salad on lettuce leaves. It is a good recipe for buffets, picnics and quick meals. In important dinners, follow with a light soup and one entrée.
Polenta Pizzaiola
Slowly toast 300 gr of cornmeal in a dry skillet, stirring often for about 5 minutes on low fire. Boil 2 cups of water with a little salt and add the cornmeal, stirring well. Let cook until the cornmeal has become tender, absorbing all the water, stirring often. Pour the cooked cornmeal in a greased mold and let cool well. Cut the cornmeal piece in slices about 2 cm thick and arrange them in a baking tray. Top each slice with tomato sauce and a little melting cheese, then bake for 10 minutes in moderate oven until the cheese is melted. It is a good dish to prepare in advance for a quick last minute meal.
Three grain flowers
Slowly toast 150 gr of cornmeal in a dry skillet. Pour in 1 cup of boiling salted water, stir and let cook. In the same skillet, toast 150 gr of buckwheat flour, then cook separately. In a third pot boil 150 gr of semolina with the same amount of salted water. Spread the three salted puddings separately in wet kitchen towels and give them the desired shape before they become cold. Then slice the rolls and arrange on a serving plate. Accompany with an assortment of cheese, salads, and other fresh foods for a summer dinner.
Polenta Boscaiola
Slowly toast 300 gr of cornmeal in a dry skillet, then cook it with boiling salted water. Prepare the garnish by slicing 300 gr of mushrooms (fresh or rehydrated), and stir frying them with one small chopped leek and a little olive oil. Add chopped parsley, mix and cover the cooked cornmeal. Top with 200 gr shredded mozzarella cheese and a little parmesan, then bake for 15 minutes before serving.
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Useful Tips
Rice is probably the most ancient food in the history of human kind. Excavations in China have shown that it was already consumed over 7,000 years ago. There are two main varieties, the Chinese (with round grains) and the Indian (with long grains). Particularly, the Basmati rice (grown in hilly or mountain areas) is very long and has a sweet smell. The Patna rice is mainly grown in California and has substantial grains that keep well during cooking. The wild rice, black in color, comes from a very different plant - an aquatic reed - and it is more expensive on the market. It is generally used mixed with long grain rice.
Rice is found on the market in the white and polished version, in the "brown" version (only the first husk is removed), or in the parboiled form. The white and polished version is poorer in nutrients and (except for Basmati and Thai varieties) also in taste, so it needs strongly flavored ingredients for balancing the final dish.
White polished rice is generally used in soups, risottos, patties, rolls, fillings, and sweets because it tends to stick well together. It can also be used for rice salads and pilaf but it must be cooked very carefully otherwise it tends to become mushy. Brown rice is a good basic dish and it can substitute bread in meals: you can soak it for a few hours and then boil it, accompanying it with sauces, vegetables, thick soups etc. It is also perfect as a bed for vegetable kebabs. Parboiled rice is more nutritious than white rice, and cooks quickly. It also absorbs less fat and can be reheated quickly for a fast dinner. The grains tend to remain separate and thus it is recommended for rice salads, and pilaf. On the other hand, it is not suitable for soups, fillings, patties, and sweets.
When cooking the rice, retain all the flavor and nutrients by steaming it instead of boiling and draining the water. Wash the rice thoroughly, then measure 2 cups of fresh water for each cup of white rice (or 3 cups of water for each cup of brown rice), add the salt and simmer covering the pot with a lid. When the water has been completely absorbed, the rice will be cooked. Never stir the rice while cooking, otherwise the rice starch will break down and make the rice stick to the bottom of the pot.
If you use brown rice, you can also soak it for a few hours before cooking it, or roast it for a few minutes before boiling it. This will greatly reduce the cooking time.
Most spices can be boiled in the cooking liquid or roasted dry and powdered just before adding them to the pot towards the end of the cooking. Frying spices will make your dishes heavier for your stomach and your liver, too. If you like the fried spice taste and your digestion is very good, use a very small quantity of clarified butter to fry your spices and keep them on a low flame so that they will not burn. Toss the fried spices immediately into the rice pot and let them blend their flavor for at least 5 minutes before serving.
In any case, there are some spices that do not require frying at all. Here is a quick check-list.
Spices that require frying: - black mustard seeds - whole cumin seeds - fenugreek seeds - urad dal (black gram)
Spices that tolerate frying: - fresh grated ginger - fresh chili peppers - hing (asafetida) - whole black pepper - white mustard seeds - khari leaf - bay leaf - neem leaf
Spices that do not tolerate frying: - turmeric powder - cardamom seeds - ground coriander seeds - aniseeds - cinnamon - cloves - chili powder - red cayenne pepper - paprika - ground black pepper - poppy seeds - nutmeg - saffron - dried ginger powder
The creamy texture of a good risotto is given both by the quality of the rice and by the constant stirring of the rice while the cooking liquid is added, little by little. The variety of the rice should be the starchy and sturdy one - usually the round type, characteristic of the original European or Mediterranean variety. Do not use the long grain rice of the oriental varieties, because it is more delicate and it will completely dissolve with the stirring. Whole grain or brown rice is also not recommended, because it takes much longer to cook - so you would need to stand there stirring constantly for 30 minutes! Do not use parboiled rice either, because it is more difficult to break down its starch while cooking, so it will never become creamy.
You may cook rice in a variety of liquids. Of course water is the simplest: plain boiled or steamed rice is usually made with water. Often in India plain rice is cooked without salt, and salt is served separately on the plate. When cooking a fancy rice, always add salt to the cooking liquid. Instead of plain water, you can use some good vegetable stock to improve the taste of the dish.
For rice soups, it is always better to cook the rice into the soup rather than adding it after cooking.
For plain rice as the basis of a simple meal, you can also try the following:
This basic recipe can also be used as a bed for some fruit desserts. Otherwise, it can be enriched with grated cheese and/or chopped parsley or other herbs. Steam the rice as per basic recipe of steamed rice, but using half water and half milk. If you want to add salt, do so only after the cooking is finished.
It is a traditional way of cooking the rice in Indonesia and south India. You may use fresh or dessiccated coconut. If you use dessiccated coconut, soak it in hot water until it cools. Liquidize the shredded coconut in a blender/food processor for about 2 minutes, until you obtain a thick milk. Add it to the cooking water, either strained or as it is.
Simply use half water and half soya milk to cook the rice, thenserve it with fried vegetables and chopped parsley.
You can prepare a number of good sweets with rice. From the famous Indian rice pudding (the same recipe is found also in Greece) to rice cakes and dumplings, and pancakes made with ground rice... the choice is wide.
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