Category: Rice

Asian flavors · Rice

Easy pork belly and mushroom rice bowl

Belinda

This dish is full of flavor and easy to make from the food blog “The Woks of Life”. A bowl of tender pork belly and glistening saucy rice will get even the pickiest child to enjoy their dinner.

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Serves: 4

1 cup diced shiitake mushrooms (about 5 mushrooms, fresh or reconstituted dried mushrooms)
8 oz fresh pork belly, cut into large, ¼-inch thick pieces (if you can’t get pork belly, try ground pork)
2 tbsp oil
3 slices ginger, minced
1½ tbsp Shaoxing wine
3 tbsp light soy sauce
¾ tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
½-¾ cup water, mushroom soaking liquid, or stock
4 cups cooked rice
1 scallion, finely chopped

If you’re using dried Shiitake mushrooms, rinse them, then submerge them in warm water until softened. This takes at least 2 hours, but it’s easiest to just soak them overnight. Squeeze the water out of the soaked mushrooms before cutting them into quarters, and set aside. Save the mushroom water! If using fresh mushrooms, just dice them.

Prepare your pork belly.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in wok over medium heat. Cook the minced ginger until lightly browned. Add the pork belly, and turn up the heat, stir-frying until the pork is lightly browned around the edges. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another two minutes.

Turn down the heat and add 1½ tablespoons of Shaoxing wine, 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce, ¾ tablespoon of dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sugar, and ½ cup water, mushroom soaking liquid, or stock. (Use ¾ cup liquid if your stove has a higher BTU).

Stir, and turn up the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat back down to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes until the pork is softened and a bit more tender.

Now add the cooked rice, stir, and mix everything well using medium-low heat. Make sure all of the rice kernels are well-coated with sauce. Sprinkle a few drops of water in if the rice looks dry, but unlike fried rice, this should be a little saucy! Lastly, mix in the chopped scallions, and serve!

Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Grains · Rice · Vegan

Moroccan rice with Harissa, dates and orange

Belinda

Enjoy this flavorful, exotic rice dish from the food blog, “Alexandra’s Kitchen”
The combination of the dates and orange gives the rice that wonderful Moroccan aroma.

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3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp harissa
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed until water runs clear (do not use brown rice)
6 Medjool dates, pitted and diced
1 orange, zested and juiced

In a large skillet over high heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the onions and reduce the heat to medium.
Add a pinch of salt, and sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and bay leaf to the onions, and cook for another minute more. Add the harissa. Stir to incorporate.
Add the rice and stir for another minute or until each grain is glistening. Add the dates and the orange zest.
Squeeze the orange into a liquid measure and add enough water to create 1 and 1/3 cups liquid. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pan. Stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer, cover the pan, turn heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
Let stand for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork. There should be a bit of nice caramelization on the bottom of the pan — I like to scrape this up and incorporate it into the rice.
Serve immediately.

Dairy-free · Gluten Free · Meat · Rice

Spiced beef and rice pilaf

Belinda

The food blog “Matters of the Belly” is super. Noha is Egyptian and lives in Australia. Well worth signing up, if you love Middle Eastern food.

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Serves: 6

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1lb lean ground beef
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. mixed spice (any general mixed spice will work)
1 tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. ground cardamom
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
2.5 cups basmati rice
4 cups beef stock
7oz frozen peas
4 oz toasted almonds (blanched whole, or flaked, or slivered)
4 oz raisins
2 oz barberries (optional if you can find them)*
salt & pepper to taste
half a bunch of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Place the oil, onion & garlic into a large pan on medium heat (use a pan that is nice and wide, moderately deep and has a tight fitting lid). Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until softened.

Turn the heat up to high, add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently to break up the beef, until it’s starting to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the spices and cook a further 2 minutes till the spices are fragrant.

Add the rice and stir for a minute to evenly distribute the ingredients; get all the rice grains nicely coated in spices & oil, then add the stock.

Bring to a simmer, then turn down the heat to the lowest possible setting and place the lid on the pot. Leave it covered for 10 minutes.

Take the lid off, add the peas, almonds, raisins & barberries (if using), scattering them onto the surface of the rice, then put the lid back on and let it cook a further 5 minutes.

Take the lid off and use a fork to fluff up the rice. Have a taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Top with the chopped parsley & serve right away.

NOTES
*Barberries are a lovely Persian sour berry that can be found dried in most specialty Middle Eastern stores. It gives nice tangy pops of flavor and color, but the recipe will work absolutely fine without it!
Feel free to change the type of nut and dried fruit in this recipe, such as hazelnuts, pine nuts, chopped dried apricot or prunes etc.