The old-fashioned goodness of rice

BEING a local food advocate I tend to troll local markets always on the lookout for new products and old-made-new-again products. This is what happened with rice. I stopped eating parboiled rice in favour of brown basmati rice years ago when I tipped the scales in favour of making my diet brown.

Then, because my interest was peaked, I began noticing different types of local rice on the grocery shelf. The first was Island Grain brown rice from Caroni grown by the Akaloo family for generations. The rice is wholesome with a nutty flavour and wholesome texture, being wholegrain it is also satisfying. Then I tried their white rice, again very flavourful and somewhat sticky.

Rice clockwise: Moruga Hill red, Caroni brown, Navet white lagoon.

I encountered Navet lagoon rice, this is a wonderful, sticky rice that is perfect for sweet rice, rice pudding and moister rice pilafs. And my last discovery was the Moruga Hill red rice, this rice is red in colour and grows on an incline as opposed to lagoon or swampy areas. A high iron content gives this rice its red colour, also a wholegrain rice, it is chewy with an underlying nutty flavour, making it both delicious and sustaining. All of the above rice varieties can be used in any of your favourite recipes. So buy local the next time you shop and bring home some extra goodness.

Caroni white split pea kitcheree

½ cup yellow split peas, washed and picked over

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 2- inch stick cinnamon

2 sticks clove

1 large onion, sliced

½ inch knob ginger, peeled and chopped

2 ozs, salted fish soaked, drained and stripped

1 cup Caroni white rice, washed

½ tsp saffron powder, turmeric

2½ cups broth

salt to taste

Cook split peas in water for about 10 minutes, drain.

Heat oil in sauce pan; add garlic, cinnamon, cloves, onion and ginger.

Cook until fragrant and onion is translucent.

Add salted fish, cook for a few minutes more.

Add saffron and cook for a few minutes, add split peas and rice, stir and fry for a few minutes more.

Add broth, bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and serve.

Serves 4

Caroni brown spinach rice with nutmeg and peppers

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 large onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pimento pepper, seeded and chopped

½ hot pepper, seeded and chopped

4 cups fresh spinach leaves, cleaned, washed and chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp grated nutmeg

1 cup Caroni brown rice, washed

2½ cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 tbs butter

In a medium-sized saucepan heat oil, add onion, garlic and pimento, cook for a few minutes, do not burn.

Add hot pepper and stir, add spinach and combine, lower heat and cover, cook until spinach is tender.

Season with salt, black pepper and grated nutmeg.

Add rice and stir to combine, pour in stock and cook to boiling, when holes appear at the top of the rice cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add butter and gently stir.

Serves 4

You may substitute one cup coconut milk for one cup of stock for spinach coconut rice.

Vegetable fried Moruga Hill red rice

Fried Moruga Hill red rice

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sesame oil

3 tbs vegetable oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tbs minced garlic

1 tbs minced ginger

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 medium carrot, finely chopped

2 pimento peppers, seeded and chopped

2 tbs chopped celery

5 cups cold, cooked Moruga Hill red rice, separated with a fork

Pinch of sugar

The night before place 1½ cups washed rice in a medium saucepan, add 3 cups water, bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until tender. Fluff with a fork and refrigerate.

Combine the soy sauce, salt and sesame oil and set aside.

Heat a wok or large skillet, add one tbs oil and heat until smoking.

Add the eggs and fry over high heat until set, flip and break up with spoon, remove egg from pot.

Heat remaining oil, add ginger and garlic, stir fry until fragrant,

Add onion, carrots, and pepper and continue to cook until vegetables are tender.

Return egg to pot, add rice and stir fry until heated thoroughly.

Add , soy sauce and sesame oil, toss to coat evenly, add sugar and stir.

Serve at once.

Serves 6 to 8 .

Peppery lagoon pumpkin rice

Pumpkin Rice

1 tbs vegetable oil

1 cup lagoon rice, washed rice

2 cloves garlic

1 onion thinly sliced

1 hot pepper

2 pimento peppers, chopped

1 sprig fresh thyme

1 cup chopped calabaza pumpkin

2½ cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 tsp salt

Heat oil in saucepan, add garlic, onion, peppers and thyme, sauté to fragrant, add thyme and pumpkin, stir, add rice and cook for a few seconds more. Add stock and salt, bring to a boil, lower heat and cover and cook until tender, 20 minutes. Remove hot pepper. Fluff rice.

Serves 4

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Call: 357-0927

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"The old-fashioned goodness of rice"

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