Indonesian Yellow Rice

This recipe is similar to what Indonesians call “Nasi Kuning”

3 C basmati rice, uncooked
2 T turmeric powder
2 Coconut milk – fresh is great but you may have to settle for canned
3 cups water
1 bayleaf
2 kaffir lime leaves (this can easily be found in Asian markets)
1 T fresh lemongrass, crushed or 2 T dried
1 teaspoon sea salt

Put all ingredients in a heavy pot. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, stirring occasionally until the rice is done (about 20 - 25 minutes). If it seems too dry, add 1/2 cup water. Remove from heat and let sit, covered for 5 minutes. Stir well and put in serving dish.

Remove bayleaf and Kaffir lime leaves before serving.

Optional:

If you have a rice cooker, put in all ingredients, and cook as per instructions (usually 20 – 25 minutes). Check at the end of the cooking time – you may need to add another 5 minutes or so as basmati rice sometimes takes longer to cook. If it seems too dry at the end of the cooking time, immediately add another ½ C water, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

Green Bean with Wild Rice Casserole

I am not really a fan of green bean casserole but my kids love it. I do like rice and we always have some in the house. I made this casserole this weekend using things I had on hand. A little twist on the traditional, but I think it turned out great.

3 cans green beans, drained
1 can Cream of Celery soup
1 C wild rice
1-1/2 C chicken broth
1 T minced garlic
1/4 C dried milk
1 C Stuffing Mix

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Pour green beans in 2 quart casserole dish.

In a separate bowl mix together the soup, rice, chicken broth, minced garlic and dried milk. Add to the green beans and stir together.

Sprinkle the stuffing mix over the top and cover casserole with aluminum foil (or use cover of casserole dish if it has one).

Cook for 1 hour, removing the cover for the last 10 minutes to allow the stuffing mix to get slightly crispy. Let rest out of oven for 5 minutes before serving. Casserole will thicken slightly when cooling.

Variation:

You may take out the dried milk but it does help add a creamy flavor as well as some calcium. If you want to use fresh milk or cream, substitute part of the chicken broth 1:1.

If you wanted to use fresh or frozen green beans, substitute 1-1/2 C beans for each can.

Sweet / Spicy Basmati Rice

2 T extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 T mustard seed
1/2 C minced onion
1 T grated fresh ginger
1 small hot pepper, seeded and minced
2 C uncooked basmati rice (can substitute brown rice)
1 t sea salt
4 small, firm figs, diced
4 C water

Put EVOO in a skillet or pot over medium heat. Add mustard seed, onion, ginger, and hot pepper. Cook until onion softens and becomes slightly transluscent. Add rice and stir to keep rice from clumping. Add salt, figs, and 3-1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low. Stir, then cover and cook for 15 minutes. Turn heat off, remove from heat (keeping covered), and allow to finish cooking another 10 minutes.

Yield: 4-6 servings

If you use brown rice, use 1/4 C less water

Variations:

Substitute butter for the EVOO.

Choose the variety of hot pepper according to your taste. Ex: Use a banana pepper for a more mild flavor, jalapeño for medium and habanero pepper for hot.

Rice in Curry Sauce

1/2 cup basmati or brown rice
1/2 C Green Mung Beans (also known as Chinese Bean Sprouts), soaked overnight or sprouted
1 clove garlic grated or minced (or mashed with a mortar and pestle)
1/2 small onion, chopped in fine bits
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 T curry powder
1 lb. carrots
1/2 small beet
1 stalk celery
1/4 C flax seed, soaked overnight


1. Soak rice in a large bowl of water overnight (at least 12 hours). Drain. Mix in chopped mung beans and place in bowl for flavors to "meld" together.

2. In a small glass or ceramic bowl place onion and garlic. Drizzle olive oil just to over and let soak.

3. In a separate glass or ceramic bowl mix curry powder with just enough olive oil to make into a paste.

4. To make the curry sauce, juice the beet, carrots, celery and flax seed. Add curry paste from step 3 to juice and mix well. Pour curry sauce into a serving bowl.

To serve take an empty bowl and place some rice in the center. Spoon some onion/garlic mixture on one side and spoon some curry sauce on the other. As you eat the rice you can decide how much of each flavor you want - you can enjoy 3 different flavors (each one separately and one "together" flavor).


Take time to enjoy the flavors. It would be especially interesting to serve the sauces from small oriental bowls and the rice in a larger bowl.

Makes 1 serving. Multiply recipe according to the number of servings you wish.

Variations:

If you have other seasoning greens that you would like to add, chop in small pieces and stir together with the onion and garlic in step 2.

The flax seed is used as a thickening agent. You could substitute Ipomoea aquatica, amaranth leaves or Malabar spinach. Any of these may be marketed as "Chinese Spinach".

Black Beans and Rice Casserole

As I mentioned in a previous post, when I make rice I always make extra and freeze it. Since rice isn't generally a nutritious item, I usually try to make sure it is either brown rice or basmati rice.

This is a quick and easy casserole dish that would be great to bring to a pot luck dinner.

3 cups cooked rice
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 T extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 garlic cloves, either smashed or put through garlic press (I put garlic in almost everything!)
1 C water
1 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
3 pickled banana peppers or pickled jalapeño peppers, finely minced (add some fresh if you like it hotter)
3 large tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can crushed tomatoes)
3 C black beans (2 cans or soft-cooked)
2 C shredded cheese (your choice)

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and slightly caramelized. Add 1 C water and stir to remove the caramelized flavor from the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the spice and stir until well mixed.

Add peppers and tomatoes and stir. Add the black beans and stir to incorporate all the seasonings together. Stir in the rice until everything is mixed evenly.

Pour ingredients in casserole dish. Add cheese to top and bake for 35 minutes.

Note: It is best NOT to use a non-stick pan because they inhibit the ability of the onions to properly caramelize on the bottom of the pan.

Options:

• If you are looking for a shortcut, you can substitute the peppers and tomatoes with a can of Ro-Tel tomatoes and chilies. There are several different varieties - just choose a hotness that suits your family. Add the can WITH the juice
  
• If you wish to add some beef or chopped chicken to this dish, add the cooked meat at the same time you add the peppers and tomatoes.
  
• Kernel corn would be a nice addition to this casserole - add when you stir in the rice
  

Fried Rice

Whenever I cook rice, I always make a bunch extra and freeze it. Rice is very versatile to use in many recipes or to toss in soup. This is a great recipe to whip together if you want something quick and light. If you keep peas and carrots in the freezer it makes it that much quicker.

4 T Extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C finely chopped onion
2 C basmati rice
1 C peas
1 C carrots, finely diced
3 L eggs, beaten
4 T soy sauce

Heat oil over high heat. Add onion and cook until translucent and slightly browned. Add carrots and rice and cook until rice is golden, about 4 minutes. Add peas and toss to combine. Push to side. Add eggs and scramble well. Mix eggs into rice mixture. Stir in soy sauce.

For a little variety in taste, you might want to try peanut oil of instead of the EVOO.

Makes 2-4 servings.