Rice

NOT-SOPLAIN RICE

1 cup basmati rice

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups water

optional

2 cloves

2 pods cardamom

1 bayleaf

1 medium onion, sliced

• Wash the rice in several changes of water and leave to soak in water for 30 minutes to an hour.

Drain the rice well.

• On a medium stove setting, heat the oil in a heavy pan or pot. If you are not using the optional

ingredients, skip to the next step. Add the cloves, broken cardamom pods, and bay leaf and fry

for a minute. Add the sliced onions and fry until the onions start to turn translucent. (4-5 mins).

• Add the rice and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Try to coat as much of the rice in the oil as possible.

• Add the water and salt and cover. Lower heat to low and cook for 25-30 minutes.

NUKED RICE

2 cups basmati rise

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 3/4 cups of water

• Wash the rice in several changes of water. Drain. Put the rice in a microwave safe dish and add

the water.

• Cook the rice in the microwave on high for 10 minutes without a cover.

• Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Cook for another 6-8 minutes, until the water has evaporated.

SABZI PULLAO

2 cups rice

3 tbsps vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garam masala

3 cups water

1 small onion thinly sliced

1/2 tsp peeled and grated ginger

6 oz. mushrooms or frozen vegetables

• Wash the rice in several changes of water and leave to soak in water for 30 minutes. Drain the

rice well.

• Chop the mushrooms into 1/8 inch slices. If using frozen vegetables, rinse in cold water and

drain well.

• On a medium stove setting, heat the oil in a heavy pan or pot. When the oil is hot put in the

onions and stir fry for about 2 minutes or until the edges begin to turn brown.

• Put in the mushrooms or frozen vegetables and stir for 2 minutes.

• Add the rice, ginger, garam masala. Saute the rice for 2 minutes.

• Add the water and salt and cover. Lower heat to a low setting and cook for 25 minutes.

• Turn off the heat and let the pot sit, covered for 5 minutes before serving.

  

BIRYANI

1 lb boneless meat (chicken/lamb),

cut in 1 inch strips

2 cups rice, washed and drained

5 cloves garlic

1 inch piece of ginger

5 dried red chillies

2 medium onions, sliced into rings

2 medium tomatoes, diced

5 mint leaves

pinch of saffron (optional)

3 large potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

3 tbsp butter

3 pods cardamoms

3 cloves

2 inch stick of cinnamon

salt to taste

• Make a paste of the garlic, ginger and chillies in a food processor.

• Saute the onions in the butter until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the onions, and

put them aside.

• Put the ginger-garlic-chili paste into the same pan used above and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the

meat and saute. Lamb should be sauted for about 7-8 minutes, while the chicken will take about

4-5 minutes. The meat should be about half cooked at the end of this step

• Add chopped tomatoes, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, turmeric, mint leaves and salt and saute

for 2 minutes. Add a little water and cook until the meat is almost cooked.

• Now add the rice and potatoes. Add the rest of the water and simmer covered, on a very low

flame for 15-20 minutes, until the rice is cooked.

• Serve hot, garnished with the fried onions.

 INDONESIAN FRIED RICE

1/4 cup peanut oil

4 large shallots, finely chopped (or 1

medium onion finely chopped)

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

6 cups cooked long grain rice, cooled

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp shrimp paste (optional, but

worth it)

2 dry red chiles (soaked in a cup of

water)

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 pound small to medium shrimp,

shelled

10 small white mushrooms, halved

through cap and stem

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced,

crosswise.

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees and place a large ovenproof platter inside to warm.

• In a wok, heat 2 tbsp of the oil over moderately high heat until hot. Add the shallots, paprika and

cayenne and stir fry for 1 minute.

• Stir in the soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar and salt and cook until the shallots are completed

softened, about 4 minutes.

• Stir in the cooked rice and toss until the rice is well coated and hot. Remove platter from the

over and spoon the fried rice into the platter. Return the platter to the oven to keep warm.

• In a large skillet, heat the remaining oil over moderate heat until shimmering. Add the onions

and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ginger and garlic and cook until the

onions are translucent, about 3 minutes longer.

• Stir in the shrimp paste and red chiles. Spread the shrimp paste against the bottom of the pan

with a spatula and cook, stirring until the pungent aroma of the shrimp paste mellows, about 1

minute. Stir in the coriander and cumin.

• Add the shrimp and stir fry until they start to turn pink about 3 minutes.Stir in the mushrooms

and cook for 2 minutes longer. Remove the platter from the oven and spoon the shrimp and

mushroom mixture on top of the rice.

• Garnish with the cucumber slices and serve at once.

 JAMBALAYA

2 1/2 tbsp butter or margarine.

1 1/2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun Magic Seafood Magic (do not substitute)

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic

4 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes(about 4 medium size)3/4 cup tomato sauce

2 cups chicken stock or bottled clam Juice

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 cups uncooked rice (preferably converted)

1 pound peeled crabmeat, crawfish or firm-fleshed fish fillets (cut into bite-sized pieces), or any combination of these that equals one pound

1 1/2 dozen oysters in their liquor(medium size oysters)

1 1/2 dozen peeled medium shrimp (about 1/2 pound) OR substitute 1 1/2 lbs. Deboned chicken for all the seafood.

• Melt the chicken fat in a two quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and Bell

peppers; saute until tender but still firm, about five minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping

the pan bottom well.

• Add the bay leaves, Cajun Magic Seafood Magic and garlic; cook about three minutes, stirring

constantly and scraping the pan bottom as needed. Add the tomatoes and cook about seven minutes,

stirring frequently.

• Add the tomato sauce; cook about seven minutes more, stirring fairly often. Stir in the stock and

bring to a boil.

• Stir in the green onions and cook about two minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the rice, crabmeat,

crawfish, and/or fish and the oysters and shrimp; stir well and remove from heat.

• Transfer mixture to an ungreased 13 X 9 inch baking dish/pan. Cover dish/pan snugly with aluminum

foil and bake at 350 degrees F until rice is tender but still crunchy, about twenty or thirty

minutes.

• Remove from oven. If you still have liquid in the dish/pan bottom, let sit for a few minutes, still

covered, to allow rice to absorb the liquid. Remove bay leaves and serve immediately. To serve,

mold rice in an eight ounce cup and place two cups on each serving plate as main course or one

cup as an appetizer.

PAELLA

3 cups rice, washed

5 cups chicken broth

3 medium onions, sliced finely

6 tbsp olive oil

3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

10 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp saffron

1 lb. chicken breast, cut up in 1 inch strips

1lb. firm fish (e.g. catfish, scrod, haddock)cut up into 1-2 inch pieces.

1 lb. medium shrimp peeked

1/2 lb. scallops

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 red bell peppers, cubed.

1/2 cup white wine

1 tbsp tobasco sauce

• Simmer the rice in the chicken broth under a cover until it is just tender, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and let sit.

• Saute the onion in 3 tbsp of oil 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, saffron and paprika and simmer

for 20 minutes.

• In a separate skillet, heat the rest of the oil and saute the chicken for a minute. Add the fish,

shrimp, mushrooms and peppers and saute for 3-4 minutes. Make sure the fish doesn’t break up

too much.

• Pour the rice, the tomato sauce, sauteed fish and vegetables into a large pot. Add the scallops on

the top and stir them in gently.

• Add the white wine and tobasco sauce.

• Cook covered in the pot on very low heat for 20-30 minutes or put the pot in the oven and bake

for 30 minutes at 400 F.