Your favourite rice recipe

[pacific breeze]

Mine is arroz verde, green rice.

Arroz Verde (Green Rice)

Serves six to eight.

1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro sprigs (about 1/2 oz.)

1 cup tightly packed fresh stemmed spinach leaves (about 1-1/2 oz.)

1-1/4 cups homemade or low-salt canned chicken or veggie stock

1-1/4 cups milk OR water

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbs. olive oil

3 Tbs. unsalted butter

1-1/2 cups long-grain rice

1/4 cup finely minced onion

1 clove garlic, minced

Put the cilantro, spinach, and stock in a blender and blend until the vegetables are puréed. Add the milk and salt and blend a bit more until well combined.

In a medium (3-qt.) heavy-based saucepan (with a good lid) over medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter. When the butter is melted, add the rice and sauté, stirring about every 30 seconds, until it just begins to brown, 3 to 4 min. Add the onion and garlic and cook 1 min., stirring constantly. Add the contents of the blender, stir well, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, turn the heat to very low, and cook for 20 min. Stir the rice carefully to avoid crushing it, cover, and cook another 5 min.

Take the pan off the heat and let the rice steam in the covered pot for 10 min. Serve hot.

This dish is excellent with poultry and seafood. I made it for Christmas one year and it was a big hit. You can use brown rice, but you have to cook it for about 40-45 minutes.

[suede]

Oh that sounds so good.

[SVZ]

me chinese, me like rice, me eet flayed rice all da time!


anyways....

what i do is I steam it, and in the water at the bottom of the steam (i use a big pot and put a little bowl inside) i put rice vinegar, soy sauce, and cracked black peppers. it infuses it with the taste!

[miss_perfect]

I loooove rice, but risotto is my fave. Most of the time, though, it's made with chicken or beef broth, so I don't eat it. Here's a vegetarian one I got a few years ago, from Bon Appetit:

3 cups canned vegetable broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1 cup chopped mushrooms
3/4 cup sugar snap peas, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

Combine broth and wine in saucepan. Simmer over medium. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium. Add rice; stir 2 minutes. Stir in all but 1/4 cup broth-wine mixture. Stir constantly for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer about 20 minutes.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, sugar snap peas and bell pepper; sauté until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir into risotto along with cheese and mint. Mix in enough remaining broth mixture if needed.

[A*O]

You can't beat plain old basmati rice with a curry.
I love Chinese sticky rice (the stuff that comes wrapped in a parcel made from leaves) but I can't get the hang of making it. Some secret to it I'm sure. I also like Japanese sushi rice, but again there's an art to it.

[muchlove]

When I'm feeling lazy, I like just making rice and drizzling some soy sauce on it. Yum.

I loooove making fried rice. I think everyone probably knows how, so I won't bother with a recipe. I will say that it helps to cook the rice the night before and put it in the fridge. For some reason, cold rice just works better. Also, try peanut oil and add a little dark sesame oil. It's good.

[moomies]

Originally Posted by Pacu

Pineapple & Giner RIce

1 tsp grated ginger
half pint pinapple (i use fresh) juice
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons toasted pinenuts (or other nuts)
1 tablespoon chopped corriander
4oz basmati rice

put rice, ginger pineapple juice, salt and pepper in saucepan. Bring to boil. Stir, cover and simmer til done. stir in pinenuts and corriander just before serving.

this goes very will with coconut and pineapple chicken

That sounds yummy!!

I love Chinese sticky rice (the stuff that comes wrapped in a parcel made from leaves) but I can't get the hang of making it.

Me, too. I tried making this without the banana leaf thingy. I think the trick is to use less water than you would for regular rice but I'm still in my experimental stage.

[A*O]

OK - Anyone know how to make authentic Chinese sticky rice??? I get mine in a doggy bag from my fave Chinese restaurant in Melbourne where they do the BEST yum cha (dim sim) lunch on the planet. Ricketty old trolleys with exquisite treats in baskets wheeled around the restaurant and they tick off what you have on a scrappy old piece of paper. Always hot, delicious and leaves you wanting just one more.
There is an urban rumour in Melbourne that all the Chinese restaurants in our Chinatown, the Little Bourke St/Russell St block, are actually served by the same massive sub-terranean kitchen. I almost believe it LOL.

[muchlove]

Well, I did a quick search, and there was much talk of using "glutinous rice" which basically just means sticky rice. They talk about it as if there is "glutinous" rice out there at your local grocery, but I've never seen it.

Wikipedia explains it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutinous_rice

Another site says:

Despite its name, this rice isn't sweet and it doesn't contain gluten. Instead, it's a very sticky, short-grain rice that is widely used by Asians, who use it to make sushi and various desserts. You can buy this as either white or black (actually a rust color) rice. Substitutes: risotto rice (works well in sushi) OR short-grain rice (This also works well in sushi, as long as you use white rice. Brown short-grain rice doesn't stick together as well.) OR medium-grain rice (Also good for sushi).

Short recipe:

1 1/2 cups glutinous rice
water

1. Soak rice overnight in cold water, or for 15 minutes in boiling water if short of time.
2. Drain the rice, rinse and spread out on a wet cloth inside a steamer.
3. Cook over boiling water for 40 minutes, until rice is tender.

[A*O]

Thanks much - but I'm sure they put something in it as well to make it taste slightly sweet. Probably sugar. Overnight soaking + 40 mins (!) cooking seems an awfully long time. I guess you have to use the right type of rice.

[moomies]

Yep, sticky rice is different from regular short grain rice or Japanese rice. The one I bought was Korean and it was called Sweet Rice. But I think this one is also different from Chinese sticky rice because it's way softer when I cook it (even with reduced amount of water). You could probablly buy the right sticky rice from a Chinese grocery store, ask the clerk working there.

To flavour it, cook it with sweet soy sauce (you can buy this, or just mix some soy sauce with a bit of sugar). You can also cook the sticky rice with some shiitake mushrooms, chinese sausages, chinese dried shrimps, carrots, scallions (all diced small) and top it with cilantro after it's cooked.

[suede]

Originally Posted by Pacu

Pineapple & Giner RIce

1 tsp grated ginger
half pint pinapple (i use fresh) juice
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons toasted pinenuts (or other nuts)
1 tablespoon chopped corriander
4oz basmati rice

put rice, ginger pineapple juice, salt and pepper in saucepan. Bring to boil. Stir, cover and simmer til done. stir in pinenuts and corriander just before serving.

this goes very will with coconut and pineapple chicken

That sounds divine - I will be making that soon.

[Algernon]

Does anyone have a great Spanish rice or Mexican rice recipe? I've tried all the boxed kinds, I've tried making it from scratch, and none of them are the flavor I'm looking for. I want it to taste like it does in the Mexican restaurants!!! Even the flavor of Taco Bell's rice would be fine!

[pacific breeze]

Try this from the Simply Cooking blog.
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archive...anish_rice.php

Spanish Rice

Can be prepared in 40 minutes or less. One of my mother's signature dishes is her Spanish rice, a delicious accompaniment to steak, chicken, and Mexican entrees such as tacos or enchiladas. Spanish rice is prepared by browning the rice first with onions and garlic, before cooking it in chicken broth with added tomato. The browning is essential to the nutty, almost toasty flavor of the rice. And although bouillon can be substituted for the chicken stock, nothing beats homemade chicken stock, the rich flavor of which is absorbed by the rice.

2 tablespoons olive oil (can use up to 1/4 cup)
1 onion, chopped fine
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups of medium or long-grain white rice
3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock if vegetarian)
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste or 1 cup of diced fresh or cooked tomatoes
Pinch of oregano
1 teaspoon salt

In a large skillet brown rice in olive oil, medium/high heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook onion rice mixture, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes, or until onions are softened.

In a separate sauce pan bring stock to a simmer. Add tomato sauce, oregano, and salt. Add rice to broth. Bring to a simmer. Cover. Lower heat and cook 15-25 minutes, depending on the type of rice and the instructions on the rice package. Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Serves 4 to 6.

Posted by elise on Nov 12, 2004 to All Seasons, Mexican, Side Dish, Vegetarian, Wheat-free




Comments

Fabulous - I have been looking for a decent easy looking recipe for this for ages. Guess what we will be having for dinner tonight?


Posted by: Carol at November 14, 2004 06:39 AM

This looks absolutely delicious. I've tried several of your recipes, with great success - I really love your website! Which of the three do you recommend, the tomato paste, fresh tomato, or cooked tomato?


Posted by: Sheeijan at November 14, 2004 06:11 PM

Hi Sheeijan - I'm so glad you like the recipes! Okay, of the three options listed, I prefer the cooked tomato. Usually it comes down to what do I have available and ready to use up.


Posted by: elise at November 14, 2004 11:40 PM

Could this be converted to use *brown rice*?


Posted by: sean at November 18, 2004 04:58 PM

Hi Sean, you can use brown rice (adjust the cooking time accordingly) in place of long grain white rice. It will have a different flavor as brown rice has its own distinctive flavor.


Posted by: elise at November 21, 2004 01:05 PM

Our family's Mexican rice is something I have been trying to get exactly right for quite a while. The recipe is a little different than yours -- I finally got it right when my grandmother gave up two secrets that she had left me without for months ... 1) brown the rice uncomfortably long - until it's about to burn and 2) add a squeeze of lemon at the end.

Interesting how families do things just a little differently when it comes to recipes. I am sure there could be an entire book with various family Spanish rice recipes. How about those people that add peas to their rice???


Posted by: jen at December 6, 2004 09:03 AM

Now, I realize this is a stupid question, but I've seen Spanish rice recipes that use cooked rice and I've seen Spanish rice recipes that use uncooked rice. In reading this recipe (and your response about the brown rice) I'm thinking that you're using uncooked rice? Sorry to be so dense, but this could make a huge difference! If I were just messing around and making a Spanish rice recipe, I'd probably start with cooked rice, but . . . ??? Please ease my pitiful little mind! I'm anxious to try this recipe!


Posted by: Kristi at September 5, 2005 09:35 AM

This is what we call, "Hoosier" Spanish Rice. Been making this for my family for over 50 years. In a Large Cast Iron skillet. I brown, Kalbaska Sausage, cut in small pieces, with chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, red and green, a bit of Garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Cook until onions and peppers are tender and saugsage partially done. Then I add fresh, small cubed, tomatoes, lightly saute'ed. Then I add my uncooked rice, about two cups, browning ever so slightly. After all cooked together, I then add water, about three cups and simmer until rice gets fluffy. Stirring occassionally. When water boils down and rice is tender, I continue cooking a little, in order to dry up most of liquid ( needs to be fairly dry ).Make sure all ingredients are throughly mixed. It is oh! so good. Served with toasted bread or even heated Taco shells. Maybe a salad and glass of cold sweet tea. It is very filling. Make sure and make a lot, as it is better the next day. To warm up, just pop in Microwave for a minute or two. They will all come back for more. Enjoy this very inexpensive dish. Just judge for yourself as to the amount of each ingredient, in order to feed your family.



Posted by: Barbara Driggers at September 12, 2005 04:42 AM

For color and flavor grind a pinch of saffron into the recipe while cooking


Posted by: K at September 17, 2005 07:29 PM

This sounds yummy. Just one question. The ingredient list calls for tomato paste but the directions say add tomato sauce. Which should it be? Thank you.


Posted by: T at October 19, 2005 08:18 AM

Hi T - the ingredient list lists paste OR diced tomatoes OR cooked tomatoes. We use what we have on hand. Consider any of those as fulfilling the requirements for the directions calling for tomato sauce.


Posted by: elise at October 19, 2005 10:59 AM

[Algernon]

Oooh, thanks PB!!! You know, I never browned the rice first...perhaps that is what I've been missing for the flavor! Thanks again.