Chinese Vegetable Fried Brown Rice

I made this Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice for a Chinese Menu themed party over the weekend.  I decided to make it vegetarian so anyone could enjoy it.  This flavorful rice comes together very quickly with minimal effort.  I call this kind of dish, "clean out your fridge fried rice", because it's a great way to use that leftover cooked rice and vegetables that need to be used up soon. 

Ingredients:
4-5 cups of cooked Brown rice
2 cloves of garlic grated
2 tsp of grated fresh ginger
2-3 Tbs of soy sauce (or more to taste)
1 tsp dried red chili flakes (or to taste)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbs hoisin sauce
1 Tbs of canola oil
1 Tbs of butter or margarine
1 cup grated carrot
1 bunch of scallions sliced
1 medium onion chopped
Optional veggies:  peas, zucchini, peppers, chilies, cabbage etc...
Optional garnish:   Chopped roasted salted peanuts

Note:  If you would like to bump up the protein in the dish you can fry a scrambled egg and add it to the rice.

Directions:

Add your butter and canola oil to a large wok.  Then stir fry your chopped onion and carrots for 1-2 minutes. 

*Note if you decide to add other vegetables throw it in here but make sure you add little more oil.

Then add your grated ginger, garlic and scallions and  stir fry for another minute. 

Now add your red chili flakes, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil.  Stir fry for 1-2 minutes.







Then add your cooked brown rice and mix well with all the seasoned ingredients.  I prefer to use cooled or cold rice for best results.  So again this fried rice is perfect for using up that leftover rice.   Taste for seasoning and add more soy sauce if salt is needed.

Serve 4 people.  Enjoy with chopped peanuts as a garnish.

Chicken Biryani

Biryani is a great one pot dish. It's basically rice and a curry (meat or vegetarian) layered together and cooked.  I made this biryani at the last minute.  I actually had my Apple-Cinnamon Monkey Bread in the oven when I realized I had dessert but no dinner prepared for the family.  So I thought, since I already had the oven on, why not throw a biryani to bake too.  To speed things up I decided to use ground chicken instead of pieces of chicken.  That made it come together very quickly and I'm all for things coming together quickly when it's time to get dinner on the table.

Ingredients:

2 cups of rice (see note)
l pound of ground lean chicken (or any desired ground meat)
4-6 cloves
4-6 green cardamoms
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 medium onion sliced
1 bell pepper or sweet chilies sliced
 2 serrano or jalapenos sliced (seeded if desired)
15-20 curry leaves coarsely minced
20-25 mint leaves coarsely minced
1 tsp ground cumin powder
1tsp ground coriander powder
2 tsp garam masala
1-2 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 cup yogurt
1 (15oz) can of diced tomatoes
1-2 cups of frozen peas
2 Tbs of garlic-ginger paste or 3 cloves of garlic and 1 inch of ginger grated
1/2 cup of water with 1/2 tsp of turmeric stirred in
Salt and pepper to taste (or you can replace the salt for some chicken bullion powder for extra flavor)

Notes:  The rice traditionally used for biryani is basmati rice.  I used a brown basmati rice.  You can use any kind of uncooked rice you like.

Directions:

You will want to wash and drain 2 cups of rice and add the cloves, green cardamoms, 2 bay leaves, 1 cinnamon stick and some salt.

Add 10 cups of water and bring rice to a boil.  Once boiling allow to cook for 6-10 minutes.  I suggest cooking the white rice for about 6 minutes and the brown rice for about 10 minutes.

Once the rice is somewhat cooked, but not fully, drain and set aside (but keep warm).

While the rice is boiling, heat 2Tbs of canola oil in another large pan. Add your onions to saute and brown for several minutes. 

Then add your ground chicken and ginger/garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.

Then add your pepper, chilies, mint leaves and curry leaves. Saute well.

Add your dry spices next (ground cumin, ground coriander, garam masala and red chili flakes).  Saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Next add your can of diced tomatoes.  Mix well. 

Finally add your frozen peas and heat through.  Taste for seasoning and turn off the stove.  Then add your yogurt and stir well into the curry.

 Put half the curry in a baking dish. 

Next a layer of the parboiled rice. If you like you can pick out the cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon stick out at this time. I usually put it all in and eat around them (I do pick out the bay leaves).  Then repeat with the curry and finish off with a layer of rice. 

Pour the half cup of water and turmeric over the rice.

 Cover the baking dish well with aluminum foil and put in a preheated 375 degree oven for 35 minutes.  Once cooked, allow the dish to sit covered for additional 10 minutes before serving. 

Mix the rice and curry together and serve.

I served it with poppadoms (a crispy potato chip like Indian item available in the Indian grocery stores) and some chutneys.  You can also serve it with other curries. Serves 6-8 people. Enjoy.

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Curried Hoppin' John with Pork and Bacon

I love rice and curry, but what I don't like is the multiple dishes.  You need to cook at least 2-4 dishes to accompany the rice and make it a real meal.  That means many pots/pans and lots of cleaning up to do.  Sometimes a one-pot dish is just what is in order.  This curried "Hoppin' John" is just that.  It pretty much comes together in one pot (with the exception of the rice).  This is also a great way to use up leftover rice.  I added a lot of lovely blacked eyed peas, pork and BACON!  The crumbled bacon bits are little little jewels in this dish.  I created this dish on the cuff and I was very happy on how easy and good it was.   It's spicy, filling, full of protein and flavor.  This one is definitely a home run.

Note:  Hoppin' John is a Southern United States rice and beans dish that originated from West Africa. 

Ingredients:
5 cups of cooked rice (brown or white)
2 (15oz) cans of black eyed peas rinsed
1lb of lean pork diced small
6-8 slices of bacon diced
15-20 curry leaves
1 small stick of cinnamon
2 bay leaves

1 tsp of cumin seeds
1tsp of black mustard seeds
1/3 tsp of ground turmeric
2 tsp of curry powder (I used McCormick brand)
2 cloves of garlic grated
1 inch of ginger grated
1 medium onion chopped
2 celery stalks diced small
1 bunch of scallions sliced
2-3 green chilies
1 tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups of chicken stock (or chicken bullion and water)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Note:  Before cooking the "Hoppin' John Curry make sure you have 5 cups of cooked rice ready to go.  Rice that is already cool gives the best results. 

In a large pot/pan render out the diced bacon.  When the bacon gets crispy (but not burned) you can drain on a paper towel and reserve until later.  You can get discard the oil and use canola oil or you can use 2 Tbs of the bacon fat to cook the vegetables and pork that comes next. 

I decided to go for the bacon fat this time around.  It gave a lot of flavor.

In the same pan add your curry leaves, bay leaves,  cumin seeds, mustard seeds and cinnamon stick.  Fry for 30-45 seconds until the seeds start to splutter.

Next add your diced pork, onions, celery, chilies and scallions.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.  Then add your grated ginger and garlic.  Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

** salt to season your pork and vegetables here, but remember you will be adding chicken stock/bullion and bacon later so salt conservatively.

Now add your ground spices: curry powder, chili flakes and turmeric.  Allow the spices to bloom for 1-2 minutes.   Then add your chicken stock or water and chicken bullion powder.

Next add your cans of drained and rinsed black eyed peas.  Simmer the dish on medium for 10-12 minutes. 

Once the curry is made and seasoned to your desired taste, add the cooked rice. Mix the rice into the curry gently.

Top with the crumbled bacon and serve.  Serves 4-6 people.  This dish goes very well with a raita yogurt salad.  Here is a link to one of my raita salads:  Cucumber and Carrot Raita.    Enjoy.

Sri Lankan Fragrant Yellow Rice

Sri Lankans love their rice.  Rice is a staple of the Sri Lankan diet.  So this fragrant yellow rice is just one of the many ways we love to eat our rice.  This is a rice you can eat just on it's own.  It is that flavorful.  Of course it goes great with vegetable sides and meat curries.   Once you make this rice, you may never want to eat plain rice again.

Ingredients:
2 cups rice (see note)
12-20 curry leaves
1 cinnamon stick
6 green cardamom pods
6 cloves
1 medium onion chopped
2-3 garlic cloves grated
2 Tbs of grated ginger
2-3 Tbs of margarine/butter
1 Tbs of canola oil
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1/2 cup of coconut milk
3 1/2 cups of chicken stock (see note)

Notes about the rice:  You can use white or brown rice for this dish.  I prefer Basmati style of rice since it has a more nutty flavor and tends be fluffier and not stick.  I actually used Brown Basmati for my dish.   You will want to wash the rice well.  I also recommend that you allow it to drain in a wire mesh strainer for 15-20 minutes so the rice will not be so wet when you fry it.

Notes about the liquid: I used chicken stock to bump up the flavor of the rice.  You can use chicken bullion, vegetable stock or plain water.  It's up to you.  Now the given ratio for liquid to rice is 2 parts liquid to 1 part rice.  I was cooking brown rice so I added an extra 1/2 cup of water per cup of rice.  **Make sure you count the coconut milk as liquid too**

On medium-high heat, melt your margarine and oil together.  Then add your curry leaves (tear them up with your fingers so it perfumes the oil better), cinnamon stick, cardamoms and cloves.  Allow to cook for about a minute until they become fragrant.

 Next add your onions, ginger and garlic.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.

 Now add your raw rice and turmeric to the dish.  Fry for about 3-4 minutes until the rice turns opaque in color.  Make sure you stir it continuously so it does not burn and all the rice has a chance to be toasted.





Time to add your liquid.  If you are cooking white rice add 3 and 1/2 cups of stock or water and 1/2 a cup of coconut milk for the two cups of uncooked rice.   You can also add salt to the dish here to taste.  Remember if you are using stock that is not low sodium, taste for salt in the liquid before you actually add the salt.  

I added 4 and 1/2 cups of stock and 1/2 cup of coconut milk for my brown rice because it tends to need more liquid and cook longer.

If you are cooking the rice directly on the stove, you can bring it to a boil and then lower the heat and allow it to cook covered until all the liquid evaporates.  I am a rice cooker girl so I transferred all of rice and liquid to a rice cooker and allowed it to do all the work from this point on.

Serves 4 people.  You can serve it just as is or garnish it further with some cashew nuts, fried onions, raisins, fried boiled eggs, sauteed peas and carrots.  I liked it simply the way it is and my family and I ate it with a spicy pork curry and salad.  Enjoy.

Note:  If you are not used to eating rice with cinnamon sticks, cardamoms and cloves, try to pull them out before serving it.  If not, you may bite down on these and it's not a pleasant experience to it them straight.

Shrimp Fried Rice

My young son loves shrimp fried rice.  I had leftover brown rice and asked him what we should do with it.  He immediately requested fried rice.  He was over the moon when I said that I had shrimp in the freezer to go with it.  He wanted everyone that visits my blog to know that he helped me prepare this fun dish.

Note:  This rice is perfect for leftover rice.  I had brown rice, but white jasmine or basmati  rice is great too.  You will need to cook the rice and allow it to be cool/cold before using it for fried rice.  If the rice is warm/hot before you make the fried rice the rice will become mushy when you stir fry it. 

Ingredients: 
1lb shrimp (any size) cleaned 
1 medium onion chopped
1 carrot chopped (or frozen)
1/2 cup of frozen cooked peas
2-3 garlic cloves grated
1 inch of fresh ginger grated
1 bunch scallions chopped
4-5 whole eggs
5 cups of cold/cool rice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp of hoisin sauce
3 Tbs of margarine
2-3 Tbs of canola oil


In a large wok add 1Tbs of margarine and 1 Tbs of canola oil.  Once heated add 4-5 whole eggs and scramble.  Once egg sets, remove from wok and set aside until later.   Wipe out wok if necessary before proceeding.

Heat 2 Tbs of margarine and 1 Tbs of canola oil in the wok.  Once heated add the vegetables (except for some of the green scallion tops for garnishing) and the ginger/garlic.  Fry for a few minutes.

Optional:  if you want to spice up your fried rice you can add some dried chili flakes after the vegetables. 

Add your defrosted or fresh shrimp here.  I used some cleaned (shelled and deveined) small size shrimp.  You can use any size you want and keep them large or chop them to bite size pieces.  But it is necessary to clean the shrimp before stir frying them.

Cook the shrimp until they start to turn pink.  Once the shrimp start to cook, add the soy sauce and hoisin sauce to the wok.  Mix well.

Now add your rice and frozen peas.  Stir fry well and mix everything together.

Add the cooked egg back into the wok and mix it with the rice.

Serves 4-6 people.  Garnish with some green scallion tops.  Enjoy.



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