Persian Rice

Often, when I’ve had dinner at a Persian restaurant or at a Persian person’s home, I’ve admired the rice. It is usually really fluffy, with one crispy layer. I wanted to know how to do it.

So now, after reading Veggiestan, I’ve learned. M didn’t like the crispy layer (more for me!) but if you forgo the oil and just follow the rest of the instructions, you’ll get a lovely pile of fluffy rice.

You can also put something in between the oil and rice, such as potatoes.

Ingredients:

rice (I usually go for about 50 g per person)

water

oil

Instructions:

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear.

2. Boil the water and then cook the rice in it for 6-8 minutes.

3. Drain the rice (not in a colander, unless you have one with tiny holes).

4. Pour the oil in the bottom of the pan and warm. Add a couple of tablespoons of water.

5. Layer the rice in carefully.

6. Make several big holes through the rice to the bottom of the pan.

7. Wrap the lid of the pan in a clean cloth, then put the lid on.

8. Steam the rice for 25-35 minutes, until cooked and fluffy.

Vegan Cream Sauce

I read a recipe for “cream sauce without the cream” in Eating Well magazine (the February 2013 issue) and decided to adapt it for our tastes.

 

This makes a big batch, so I froze much of it, for later use in soups or other dishes, such as the gratin I’ll post next.

 

Ingredients:

1 onion

olive oil

1 vegetable stock cube

2/3 cup rice

5 cups boiling water

1 tsp lemon juice

 

Instructions:

1. Dice the onion and cook it lightly in the oil in a big saucepan.

2. Add the stock cube and the rice and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the water and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.

4. Add the lemon juice.

5. Puree with a handheld blender in the pot until smooth. If too thick, add a little more water.

Spring Risotto

Risotto is actually very quick and easy to make, though people often think it is a lot of bother. Though it traditionally has cheese in it (usually parmesan), I make it vegan now for M, and it is still delicious.

I call this spring risotto because of the bright green veg I use.

Ingredients:

1 onion

2 garlic cloves

olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 vegetable stock cube

150 g arborio rice

500 ml water

150 g vegetables (I used a combination of peas, asparagus, and dwarf beans)

1-3 tsp mint

Instructions:

1. Chop the onion and garlic and fry in oil in a big pot. Add the sugar after a few moments.

2. Add the stock cube and break it up. Add the rice and stir, so it gets coated by the oil and onion and garlic. After a couple of minutes, add some of the water and cover the pot. Let it cook for 10 or so minutes, adding more water as necessary, stirring occasionally.

3. Add any frozen vegetables you are using (such as peas or broad beans) and some more water and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, wash and chop the fresh vegetables. Add them, the mint, and some more water and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

5. Top with a dash of olive oil and serve.

Dairy-Free Rice Pudding

Since my sweetie can’t have dairy but wanted rice pudding, I tried to think of a way of making a nice dairy-free pudding for her. You need very little sugar since the coconut milk is quite rich and sweet on its own.

Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

oil to grease the dish

½ cup pudding rice

2½ tins of coconut milk (save the other ½ tin for something else)

4 tsp cinnamon, or more to taste

1 tsp nutmeg, or more to taste

2 tsp vanilla, or more to taste

2 tbsp coconut palm sugar (or regular sugar), or to taste

½ cup raisins, or more to taste (I soak them in boiling water first, to plump them up)

Instructions:

1. Grease an oven-safe dish and put the pudding rice, 1½ tins coconut milk, and 2 tsp cinnamon in it.

2. Bake at 150 C for 40 minutes

3. Stir, then grate in the nutmeg. Add another ½ tin of coconut milk and the vanilla. Bake for another 20 minutes.

4. Stir again, then add the rest of the coconut milk and cinnamon, and the raisins.

5. Bake for another 20 minutes, then serve.

Sweet Potato and Aubergine Curry

I had sweet potatoes leftover after making the pancakes I posted the other day, so I thought I’d make a curry with them. I also had an aubergine that was verging on too old, so I decided to use it up. I wasn’t sure how well they’d go together, but luckily, it actually did work out quite well. The sweet potato tasted great with the spicy curry sauce and I would like to try it with courgette as well some time.

Ingredients:

1 aubergine

1 sweet potato

oil

1-3 tbsp red curry paste, depending on taste

1 tin coconut milk

rice

water

Instructions:

1. Wash and dice the aubergine. Peel and chop the sweet potato. If you want, you can boil it for 5-10 minutes first, to soften it.

2. Stir-fry the vegetables in oil until soft, then add some red curry paste and a bit of the coconut milk. Continue cooking.

3. Cook the rice in water. When it’s almost done, add about 1 tsp of the curry paste to flavour it and some of the coconut milk.

4. Add the remainder of the curry paste and coconut milk to the vegetables.

5. Serve the vegetables over the rice.

Red Rice and Lentils

This sounds plain, but the flavours work together well and this has a sweet finish. You can, af always, add other herbs, spices, or vegetables.

Ingredients:

olive oil

2 shallots

2 tsp honey

1 stock cube

¾ cup red rice

water

¾ cup puy lentils

2-4 tsp tomato puree

watercress

mint

Instructions:

1. Warm the oil in a saucepan.

2. Dice the shallots and add them and the honey to the pan. Fry lightly for a few minutes.

3. Add the stock cube and rice and mix everything for a moment or two.

4. Add the water (about twice as much as the rice) and simmer for about 10 minutes.

5. Add the lentils and more water. Cook for another 25-30 minutes, checking for the tenderness of the lentils.

6. Stir in the tomato puree, watercress, and mint.

Squash Risotto

I used a kabocha squash, but any type would work well. You can vary the vegetables, as usual.

Ingredients:

1 squash

oil

1 onion

1 tsp honey

5-8 Brussels sprouts

1 vegetable stock cube

250 g risotto rice

boiling water

mint

lemon juice

black pepper

truffle oil

Instructions:

1. Wash the squash and rub it lightly with oil. Roast at 200 C for 60 minutes. Then take it out, halve it, and roast for another 10 or 20 minutes.

2. Dice the onion. Fry it lightly in oil and honey.

3. Wash and halve the Brussels sprouts and add them to the onion. Fry for 5-8 minutes.

4. Add the stock cube. Mash it to break it up.

5. Add the rice. Let it brown slightly with the onion and sprouts (about 2-4 minutes).

6. Pour boiling water over the rice. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then.

7. Once the water has boiled away, add some more. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Peel and de-seed the squash. Chop it into pieces.

9. Test the rice. If it is firm but not crunchy, it’s ready. If it’s too crunchy, add more water and cook a few more minutes, then test again.

10. Put the squash in and stir.

11. Season with mint, lemon juice, black pepper, and truffle oil to taste.

Lentil, Spinach and Feta over Rice

The rice looks very “dirty” but tastes very good!

Ingredients:
¾ cup puy lentils
3 cups water
¾ cup rice
100 g spinach
1 tbsp mint, tarragon, or other herbs
1 tbsp honey
75 g feta cheese

Instructions:
1. Rinse the lentils and bring them to the boil in 2 cups of water. Once they have started boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 12 minutes.
2. Rinse the rice and add it to the lentils along with the last cup of water. Simmer for another 12 minutes.
3. Wash the spinach and add it, the herbs and the honey. Simmer for about 3-5 minutes, with the cover on, so the spinach wilts.
4. Chop the feta and add it to the pan. Continue cooking over low heat for a couple more minutes, so the feta softens, then stir and serve.

Rice Pudding

M likes rice pudding but I’m not so keen (perhaps this is because I’m not English and didn’t grow up with it). Still, I aim to please, so this is the dish I came up with.

Ingredients:
butter or oil to grease the dish, plus 1 tbsp butter if desired
½ cup pudding rice
4 cups milk (rice or soya milk work fine)
½ cup sugar, or more to taste
4 tsp cinnamon, or more to taste
1 tsp nutmeg, or more to taste
2 tsp vanilla, or more to taste
½ cup raisins, or more to taste

Instructions:
1. Grease an oven-safe dish and put the pudding rice, 2½ cups milk, ¼ cup sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in it.
2. Bake at 150 C for 40 minutes
3. Stir, then grate in the nutmeg. Add another 1 cup of milk and the vanilla. Bake for another 20 minutes.
4. Stir again, then add the rest of the milk and cinnamon, and the raisins. Also add the 1 tbsp butter if you want a more buttery taste.
5. Bake for another 20 minutes, then serve.

Chinese-Style Fried Rice

This is a great way to use leftover rice and it’s best if you make the rice the day before, as that somehow affects the starch so that the rice gets crispier. You can make the rice the same day, however.

This can also be easily varied by adding any sort of vegetables you have on hand and any protein you want (Chinese restaurants often serve this with chicken, but I use tofu or seitan, obviously).

Ingredients:
1 onion
oil (sesame oil works well in this if you have it)
about 1 tbsp chopped coriander
vegetables (around 200 g) (I used broccoli, spinach, and peas this time, but corn and carrots are also good)
white rice (about 40 g uncooked rice per person) – cooked the night before and left in the fridge overnight
tofu, if desired
soy or tamari sauce to taste (about 1/8 to ¼ cup)
2 eggs

Instructions:
1. Dice the onion and fry it in the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the coriander.
2. Defrost the vegetables, if using frozen, or wash and chop them if using fresh.
3. Add the rice to the onion and fry it for a few moments. Then add the vegetables. Dice the tofu, if using it, and add it and the soy sauce. Continue to stir-fry, adding more oil if needed.
4. Whisk the eggs and add them to the pan just a few moments before everything is done. Stir-fry while stirring for 3-4 more minutes, until the eggs are just set into strips. Then serve the rice.

Salmon and Prawn Stew

This is another easy dish that you can use when cooking for those who eat fish and/or seafood. Other fish and types of seafood can be used, so play around with this.

Ingredients:
rice
water
olive oil
2 tsp parsley
about 200 g prawns
about 300 g salmon
3-5 tomatoes
1 stock cube
½ cup water
½ - ¾ cup cream or soy cream
black pepper
smoked paprika

Instructions:
1. Rinse the rice and boil it in the water for about 15 minutes.
2. Warm the olive oil in a sauce pan and add the parsley. If the prawns are frozen, add them to the pan now too.
3. Chop the salmon into small cubes and remove the skin. Wash and chop the tomatoes. Add the salmon and the tomatoes to the pan and if the prawns are fresh, put them in now too.
4. Add the stock cube and water and cream.
5. Cook, covered, over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
6. Season with pepper and paprika and serve over rice.

Lentils and Vegetables

Ingredients:
1½ cups puy lentils
water
1 carrot
1 bag green beans
½ half cabbage or 1 head spring greens
3 tbsp cream or yogurt
seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, etc – I actually seasoned it with truffle olive oil for a luxurious edge)
rice, if desired

Instructions:
1. Rinse the lentils and cover with water. Boil them over low heat for about 15 minutes.
2. Wash the veg. Peel and chop the carrot. De-string the beans. Chop the cabbage/greens.
3. Add the veg to the pot and add more water if needed. Continue to cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Mix in the cream/yogurt. Season to taste.
5. Serve over rice if desired.

Cauliflower Pilaf

This is a simple, healthy, flavourful pilaf rice dish. It is good enough to be the starring dish of the meal, but it can also be served as a side dish.

Ingredients:
2 onions
oil
100 g puy lentils
water
1 sweet potato
1 cauliflower
25 g coconut
2-4 tbsp green curry paste
onion seeds
100 g brown basmati rice
1 vegetable stock cube
yogurt

Instructions:
1. Chop the onions and fry them lightly in the oil in a large pan.
2. Rinse the lentils and boil them in water for about 20 minutes, then drain.
3. Peel and dice the sweet potato and chop the cauliflower. Add them, the coconut, the curry paste, and the onion seeds to the onions and fry for a few minutes.
4. Rinse the rice and add it to the pan along with the stock cube and enough water to cover everything.
5. Simmer until the water mostly boils away, adding the lentils towards the end.
6. Serve with yogurt.

Miso Tofu Stir-Fry

I work long hours and though I enjoy cooking, I don’t always have time to make a gourmet meal. That’s where dishes such as stir-fries or grains/rice/pasta and veg come in. They’re quick and simple to make, you can vary them according to what you have at home, and they’re healthy and tasty. I like to try different vegetable combinations and different spices, so this time I used miso, red pepper, and asparagus, and I found that they worked well together and also looked pretty. Of course, I livened mine up with extra Tabasco sauce.

Ingredients:
1 package tofu
miso paste (about 1 tbsp, but it depends on how salty you want it)
brown basmati rice
water
1 onion
oil
vegetables (I used red pepper and asparagus)
yogurt

Instructions:
1. Drain as much of the water from the tofu as you can. Spread miso paste on the tofu and place it in an oven-safe dish. Roast it for 10-15 minutes at 180 C.
2. Set the rice to boil in the water.
3. Dice the onion and fry it lightly in the oil. Chop the other vegetables and add them to the pan. Stir-fry for about 10 minutes.
4. Dice the tofu and add it to the pan as well. Stir-fry for 5-10 minutes.
5. Serve the tofu and vegetables over rice, accompanied by yogurt.

Avgolemono Soup with Tofu

I already posted my recipe for avgolemono soup, but when I had the flu one night after work, I wanted that soup, just a bit heartier. So I added tofu. Thus, here is my version of avgolemono soup with tofu.

Ingredients:
75 g rice (I used brown basmati)
water
2 onions
olive oil
200 g tofu
1 vegetable stock cube
1 lemon
3 eggs

Instructions:
1. Cook the rice in the water in a soup pot, according to directions.
2. Chop the onions and then fry them lightly in the oil in a frying pan. Dice the tofu and fry it too.
3. When the rice is almost ready, add the onions and tofu, along with the stock cube. Add another ½ l of water.
4. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pot.
5. In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Then pour them into the soup, stirring the whole time. Do not let them boil.
6. Serve.

Cauliflower, Lentil, and Paneer Curry

Okay, so this isn’t a traditional curry by any stretch of the imagination. It combines Indian elements – lentils and paneer cheese – with Thai ones – coconut milk and curry paste – and with other ones – cauliflower and fennel. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t good nonetheless. The flavours all work well together and the dish is very healthy, if a bit flatulence-inducing. So don’t eat it before a romantic evening.

Incidentally, paneer is great to use in cooking. It softens when cooks and takes on all the flavours you throw at it. Plus, it’s completely vegetarian.

Ingredients:
½ cup puy lentils (or other lentils according to preference)
water
rice (I usually go for brown basmati)
1 head cauliflower
1 fennel (onion would be fine too)
oil
4-6 tbsp red curry paste (depends on how hot you like it)
1 container paneer cheese
1 tin coconut milk
onion seeds or mustard seeds (depends on the seasoning you want; I have been having an onion seed kick lately), optional

Instructions:
1. Wash the lentils and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Wash the rice and cook over low heat for about 25 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, wash and chop the cauliflower. Dice the fennel. Fry lightly in oil for about 10 minutes, then add the curry paste.
3. Dice the paneer cheese and add it to the pan as well. Fry for another 7-9 minutes, then add some of the coconut milk. Add a dash of coconut milk to the rice as well.
4. When the lentils are ready, add them to the cauliflower mixture. Season with onion seeds, if desired.
5. Add the rest of the coconut milk to the curry and cook for another few minutes.
6. Serve the curry over the rice.

Vegetable Risotto

People always think risotto is difficult to make. It’s not. You have to stir it once in awhile, sure, but that isn’t terribly fiddly. You can vary the dish according to what you have on hand or what you feel like eating; I like the combination of peas and mint, for example, or some greens mixed with a few tomatoes, or pieces of roasted squash. You can also vary what sort of cheese you use; many people like parmesan in risotto, while here I use gorgonzola to add a different flavour.

Ingredients:
1 onion
oil
1 vegetable stock cube
150 g arborio rice
¾ l water
2 courgettes
1 tsp sugar
1 handful cherry tomatoes
100 g spinach
gorgonzola cheese
olive oil

Instructions:
1. Chop the onion and fry it in the oil in a soup pot. Add the stock cube and break it up.
2. Add the rice and stir, so it gets coated by the oil and onion pieces. After a couple of minutes, add some of the water and cover the pot. Let it cook for 20 or so minutes, adding more water as necessary, stirring occasionally.
3. Slice the courgettes and fry them in some oil in a frying pan. Add the sugar and stir. Wash and halve the tomatoes, then add them to the pan.
4. When the rice is mostly cooked, but still has a bit of bite to it, add the spinach and the cheese. Stir well.
5. Add the courgettes and tomatoes to the risotto and stir.
6. Top with a dash of olive oil and serve.

Hoppin’ John

I don’t make the traditional hoppin’ John, as I flavour it with roasted garlic (see the previous post), but this close enough. Basically, you cook black-eyed peas and rice together, and that’s all there is to the traditional African-American New Year’s meal. It is a tasty, healthy dish. You can add spinach to get some extra nutrition or other vegetables. You can serve it as a side dish or just eat this as it is.

You can buy legumes in tins or else dried. Then you soak them overnight, which is cheaper and healthier, as the tinned versions tend to have a lot of salt. If you use tinned, wash the legumes off.

Ingredients:
rice (I use brown, which is healthier)
water
black-eyed peas (1 tin or buy dried legumes and soak them overnight)
1 clove roasted garlic
1 tsp parsley
50 g spinach

Instructions:
1. Wash and boil the rice in the water according to the directions. About halfway through (10-15 minutes), add the peas.
2. Add as much of the garlic as you want. I used five cloves, but if you’re a real garlic-lover (or you’re not kissing anyone later), you can use the whole head. Save any cloves you don’t use for another day.
3. Add the parsley and spinach. Continue cooking for another 5 or so minutes.
4. Serve.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Kale and Ricotta

In the winter, the grocery stores stock many more types of root vegetables and so it’s the perfect time to try out new dishes with them. Simply roasting them and serving them with nutty rice enhanced with a bit of brightly coloured kale and creamy ricotta is an easy, hearty meal.

Ingredients:
1 celeriac
1 swede/turnip
3 carrots
3 garlic cloves
olive oil
sea salt
brown basmati rice (about 50 g per person)
75 g kale
50 g ricotta

Instructions:
1. Peel and dice the vegetables. Place them in an oven-safe dish and drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle sea salt. Roast them in the oven for 35 minutes at 180 C.
2. Meanwhile, rinse and boil the basmati rice as instructed on the package. Wash the kale and add it to the rice when there are just 5-10 minutes left of the cooking time.
3. Stir the ricotta into the rice when it is completely cooked.
4. Serve the vegetables over the rice.