Beet root rice / Beet rice

Ingredients :

• 1 1/2 cup Basmati Rice
• 1 Cup grated beetroot
• 1 cup Fresh or frozen grated  ccconut
• 1 1/2 tbsp Sugar
• 6 tsp Ghee
• Cardamom powder to taste
• 1 inch Cinnamon stick
• 3 to 4 Green Cardamom
• 5 to 6 Cloves
• Dry Fruits pieces.

Method :

Wash and soak basmati rice for 30 mts.Boil water in a pan, add ghee, add soaked rice and cook till rice is 80% cooked

Heat 3 tsp ghee in a pan, add whole spices, add beetroot, add coconut, sugar, dry fruits, mix well.Add boiled rice, mix gently, cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes

Open cover after 10 minutes, Beetroot rice is ready to serve!

 

  

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Spicy Forbidden Rice Salad

 

 

Recently while at a farmers' market, I ended up in a friendly conversation with a fellow shopper about Korean melons and kholrabi. At the end of our chat, she remarked that I was so lucky to have learned how to cook from my mom as a child. I get that a lot. People assume if you enjoy cooking you must have been doing it all your life and learned from your momma or granny. I actually learned from neither and oddly enough, until a few years ago I hardly cooked a lick. Now don't get me wrong, I've loved food ALL my life...but my zest for cooking? That started just short of 5 years ago. (Up until then my claim to fame was a half-assed green salad and a rubbery shrimp scampi.) Cooking's not in my blood. Growing up, my mom had about a half a dozen recipes in her repertoire and my dad would burn hot dogs so badly on the grill I would have to peel the charcoaled outer skin off to get to the edible core. These days my mom rarely cooks, maybe a pot of rice here or there and if the mood strikes she may grill some mackerel. My dad sticks to making the one recipe he does best- homemade spaghetti sauce. Neither of my parents would give Ina Garten a run for her money. In fact, they store pots and pans in their oven and dry goods in their dishwasher, that's how often they cook. They did however encourage me to be open-minded and try all kinds of food when I was growing up- from matzo balls to deep-fried chicken gizzards to natto. Although these days I may have surpassed them in my passion for new delicious foods, as they tend to scratch their heads quizzically when I wax on about foie gras, sweetbreads and quinoa during my visits home. As for the cooking part, over the past few years I've taught myself- mostly by experimenting in the kitchen, pouring over recipes and gleaning handy tips from friends who are amazing cooks. So when people tell me they can't cook...I like to point out that they can cook, they just choose not to. They just need to put the time and the effort into learning how to cook. Start with the simple dishes and work your way up...and most importantly- have fun!

One of the things that keeps cooking interesting for me is stumbling upon new and unique ingredients. For example, one of my recent finds at my local grocery store was a mysterious-sounding rice by Lotus Foods called "Forbidden Rice."* The name was just so cool and the color so intriguing, I couldn't resist picking up a small bag to play around with. As it turned out Forbidden Rice is a heirloom short-grain rice with a bit of a nutty taste, chewy texture and an intense inky purple hue (once it's cooked). This Thai black rice is pretty versatile and you could use it in many of the same dishes that you would use wild rice in. Additionally, it's quite the healthy addition to any diet as it's high in antioxidant-rich anthocyanins, iron and is a good source of fiber.  For my first attempt at using it, I wanted to keep it uncomplicated so I opted to make a rice salad. Prowling around the Internet, I found an easy recipe by Charlie Ayers utilizing Forbidden Rice. (Charlie Ayers is the former executive chef for Google.) I liked that it had a spicy dressing, so I used that for my salad and just changed up the ingredients to what I had on hand or preferred. The result was a tasty, eye-catching salad with a bit of a kick.  Now you could also jazz this salad up by adding some chopped sweet potatoes, mandarin slices or even some shelled edamame. Or you could top it with a protein such as a ginger-sesame salmon fillet or some sliced citrus-soy marinated flank steak to make it a full meal.

 

[* Supposedly in ancient China, black rice was reserved only for the emperor/royal family and was not available to the public; hence, the name "Forbidden Rice."]

Spicy Forbidden Rice Salad

Ingredients

1 cup Forbidden Rice

1/4 cup scallions, green & white parts thinly sliced

1/2 cup Sweet Twister pepper, diced

1/2 cup English cucumber, diced

1 cup roasted/unsalted cashews, chopped

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

juice of 1 lime

1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek

1/2 teaspoon honey

salt and ground pepper, to taste

1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds


Instructions

1. Put the rice, 2 cups of water and a generous pinch of salt  in a small pot or saucepan and bring to a quick boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes (until liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender).

2. In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, sesame oil, lime juice, sambal oelek, honey, salt and pepper. Set aside and allow flavors to meld.

3. When the rice is ready, remove from heat. If there is any excess water, drain. Allow to cool.

4. Once cool, place the rice in a large bowl and add green onions, Twister pepper, cucumber and cashews. Mix together thoroughly.

5. Give the dressing a quick whisk then pour over the rice salad. Mix it up really well. Taste. Add more salt, pepper, lime juice, honey or sambal oelek if needed. (If you want it spicier, up the sambal oelek.) Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

 

6. Serve at room temp or chill in fridge.

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Porcini and Morel Risotto

Last Saturday night, I had the pleasure of attending an art show featuring my talented friend Cate. Her show consisted of a series of delicate, colorful works done in gouache centered around mushrooms. Not only were her mushroom pieces quite beautiful but they also inspired me to don my apron and whip up a porcini and morel risotto for Mr. S.. I couldn't find a recipe that met my needs exactly so I ended up combining a recipe from Cooking Light and one from Cuizoo. The end product was absolutely delicious. The wild mushrooms imparted an earthy taste that wasn't overwhelming and the marscapone added the perfect bit of creaminess to the texture...pure mushroom bliss. The risotto was so good that Mr. S. even took the leftovers to work the next day!

Porcini and Morel Risottto

Ingredients

2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 1/2 ounce)

1/2 cup dried morels (about 1/2 ounce)

2 T unsalted butter

2 cups beef broth

1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice or other short-grain rice

1 cup chopped shallots

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/2-3/4 cup mascarpone cheese (depending on how creamy you want it)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

salt

freshly ground black pepper


Instructions

 - Combine 2 cups boiling water and mushrooms; let stand 20 minutes or until soft. Drain through a colander over a bowl. Reserve soaking liquid; chop mushrooms.

- Bring soaking liquid and broth to a simmer in a small saucepan (do not boil). Keep broth mixture warm over low heat (cover).

- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with butter. Add rice, shallots, and garlic to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add wine; cook until liquid evaporates (about 2 minutes).

- Add 1 cup broth mixture to rice mixture; cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring occasionally until each portion of broth mixture is absorbed before adding the next (about 25 minutes total).

- Add mushrooms, Parmigiano-Reggiano and mascarpone cheeses, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir gently just until cheeses melt. Serve warm.

"Blue Mushroom" ( gouache on hot press, 2010 ) by Cate Schmiedt,  

 can be seen at Side Show Studios, 5635 Freeport Blvd. 

up to the first week of December.

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If Life Gives You Lemons...Make Lemon Rice!

Kids, God love 'em, have got to be the pickiest little eaters on the planet. Being around Mr. S.'s kidlets a good portion of the time these days, I'm learning that the less fussier the food the better the chance they'll eat it. Kidlet #2 loves chicken breasts, so one harried weeknight we went with a simple meal of grilled chicken, veggies (choice of peas or corn) and rice. Sounds healthy but boring, right? Well, we dressed it up just a wee bit so that our adult palates wouldn't cop a snooze from the blandness. So how can you jazz up a blah meal when you're exhausted on a Wednesday night? Simple...for the chicken we punched a few holes in the breasts and did a quick 10 minute soak in Soy Vay's Veri Veri Teriyaki then threw it on the grill. If you haven't tried this stuff, try it NOW! It's delicious and available at most local grocers. (I would like to add that the SV's marinade is even better if you leave it overnight; but hey, if you're in a time crunch then you've gotta do what you've gotta do and this stuff takes to the meat pretty quickly.)

For the rice, I decided to give the Food Wife's Yellow Lemon Rice a go. I hadn't worked with turmeric before and was pleasantly surprised by it's abundance of health benefits, when I Googled it. The rice came out a beautiful electric yellow color that popped on the plate. I thought it had a nice subtle taste but seemed to be lacking some.... je ne sais quoi. If I made it again, I think I'd add some diced onion or some scallions...maybe even throw in some pine-nuts. It's a good dish...it just needs some flair.

Foodie Wife's Yellow Lemon Rice (adapted from a Feast For The Eyes)

1 c long grain white
2 c chicken stock
1/2 t turmeric 
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 t fresh lemon zest
fresh minced parsley, chopped

(I tripled the recipe so we would have enough)

1. Rinse the rice in cold water several times, until it runs clear.

2. Place the rice in a pot and add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes, covered. Remove from heat. (You can also do this in a rice cooker instead.)

3. Fluff with a fork.

4. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and sprinkle with parsley.

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Ingredients:

• 6 servings
• 1/2 cup sliced ham (Or boneless chicken or lean pork meat)
• 1/2 cup shrimp
• 2 tbs. soy spice
• 1 medium onion minced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup shredded white cabbage (or bok choy cut up in 1 in. pieces or both)
• 1/2 pound snow peas
• 1/2 cup fried onion flakes
• 1/2 pound dried noodles
• 1 tbs. vegetable oil

Preparation:

1. Cook the noodles in boiling water 5 minutes, rinse with cold water and drain. (If spaghetti noodles are used prepare it as recommended on the package) Brown the onions and garlic in oil, then add sliced ham, shrimp, soy sauce, white cabbage, snow peas (or Chinese pea pods) and stir fry for 5 minutes, add noodles and mix carefully and simmer for 5 minutes more.

Garnish the dish with thin sliced omelets and onion flakes and serve with shrimp puffs.

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Vegetarian Nasi Goreng ( Vegetable Fried Rice)

Ingredients:

• salt
• 2 tablespoons tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 shallots, chopped
• 3 clove
• 2 cups long-grain rice
• s garlic, crushed
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 small cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled,seeded,and diced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
• To Garnish
• 3 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/4 red peppers, cored,seeded,and diced
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• Omelette strips
• 2 eggs
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter

Direction:

1. Cook the rice in boiling salted water for 12-15 minutes, until tender.
2. Drain, rinse, and drain again.
3. Stir in the tamarind paste and set aside.
4. Heat 1 tbls.
5. of the oil in a large skillet or wok, add the shallots, and cook for 3-5 minutes, until softened.
6. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, pepper flakes, and turmeric and cook gently, stirring, for 1 minute.
7. Add the cabbage and cook for 3-5 minutes.
8. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
9. Remove from pan.
10. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the rice, and cook gently until lightly browned.
11. Return the vegetables to the pan.
12. Add the soy sauce and sugar and heat gently to warm through.
13. Serve hot, garnished with tomatoes, red pepper, cucumber, celery, and omelet strips.
14. Note: To make omelet strips: Whisk 2 eggs with plenty of salt and pepper.
15. Melt 2 tbls butter in an omelet pan or small skillet.
16. Add the eggs to the pan and cook until set.
17. Leave to cool.
18. Roll up the omelet and slice across into fine strips.

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Corn Rice (Nasi Jagung)

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups (300 g) uncooked rice, washed thoroughly and drained
• 1 ½ cups (360 g) sweet corn kernels, cut from fresh cobs, or one 15 oz (425 g) can sweet corn kernels, drained
• 3 ½ cups (875 mL) water

Directions:

1. Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a pot. If using canned sweet corn, do not add at this stage. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the water has almost dried up, 5 to 7 minutes. If using canned sweet corn, add the corn to the rice now
2. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking the rice for 10 more minutes, stirring from time to time to prevent burning, until the rice is dry and fluffy. Remove from the heat, stir well and serve hot

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Festive Rice/Nasi Kuning

The turmeric in this recipe tints the rice a fun, bright yellow hue.

ingredients:

• 4 tbsp. canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 2 medium onions, chopped fine
  
• 1 tbsp. turmeric
  
• 1 lb. uncooked Thai fragrant rice
  
• 3 c. water
  
• 1 14-oz. can reduced-fat coconut milk
  
• 2 stalks lemongrass
  
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 1 red chili pepper, seeded and chopped
  
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced thickly
  
• 1 tomato, cut into wedges deep-fried shallots (see tip on p. 41)
  
• 10 fried shrimp crackers*

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onions, and turmeric and stir-fry for 3 minutes, until onions are soft but not brown.
2. Add rice and stir to coat.
3. Add water, coconut milk,lemongrass, and salt. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.
4. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid.
5. Remove from heat and cover pan with a dish towel. Set aside for 15 minutes.
6. Remove lemongrass stalks. Mound the rice on a serving platter. Garnish with chili pepper, cucumber, tomato, fried shallots, and shrimp crackers.

*To fry shrimp crackers, cover the bottom of a large skillet with inch canola oil.Heat oil to 375°F, or until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Carefully place shrimp crackers in the oil one by one. Cook until each cracker expands and becomes puffy. Use a slotted spoon to remove each cracker from oil before cracker begins to brown. Drain crackers on paper towels.

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Nasi Goreng

Nasi goreng,indonesian fried rice. this dish can be enjoyed by itself or as the basis of a larger meal,for example with a rijsttafel. it is very easy to make and won't take more than 20 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 350 gr. Long Grain Rice
• 2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
• 3 Eggs
• 1 Onion
• 2 Green Chillis, Sambal Ulek or Sambal Badjak.
• 1 Garlic Clove
• 1 Leek
• 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 250 gr. Chicken meat
• 250 gr. Shelled Prawns
• 3 Tbs. Kecap Manis

Preparation:

1. This dish is best made from cold leftover rice, but you can cook a fresh batch and leave it to cool for at least 4 hours.
2. Beat the eggs and make into a omelette, slice into strips and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the chopped onion, leek, garlic and chillis. Fry until the onion is soft. Add the Coriander and Cumin. Slice Chicken into strips and add with the prawns to the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally until they are well mixed. Add the rice, soya sauce and omelet strips and cook for a further 5 minutes.Decorate with some of the leftover leek and serve hot. Enjoy.

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