[Peruvian Style Rice] Easy and tasty rice: A great main dish accompaniment

I got this recipe  from a friend's husband a few years ago, when he cooked a lunch for his wife and me when we were cramming for an exam. He made a delicious lunch. I liked the main dish very much, but the rice was so impressively delicious that I couldn't help but ask for the recipe. 

Gonzalo readily gave me his secret(?) recipe to make tasty rice in Peruvian style. It was easy enough to remember right away and scrumptious enough to make it over and over. 

I found that this Peruvian rice is a good accompaniment for just any main dish since it doesn't taste too bold, but not too plain either. I would recommend this rice for any occasion.  Hope you like it too. It's one wonderfully simple recipe.

Here goes the recipe for the rice in  Peruvian style~

Ingredients

2 cups basmati (or long grain) rice, washed and drained

1-2 cloves garlic, sliced

2 teaspoon  salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 + 1/2 cups cold water or upto the gradation marking for 2 cups of rice cooker

(Oops. I forgot to take an "ingredients" shot)

The amount of salt Gonzalo told me was this much :), but I just quantified it.

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil and saute the garlic over medium heat for about 30 seconds - 1 minute, but not until it's browned.

2. Add water and salt, and then rice. Cook until done. If you cook in a rice cooker, you can leave it until done. If you cook it on stovetop, Turn the heat up to bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down as low as it can go, and then cover. Cook for 15 minutes.

3. Turn the heat off and fluff the rice with a fork.

While cooking it, you will smell a heaven. It's just so simple, isn't it? 

I'm sure anybody who would a very small scoop of this Peruvian rice would love it.

As I said above, any main dish would be a nice match with this one! :)

Enjoy!

You can check my other rice recipes here:

[Paella Mixta] Top Spanish Rice Dish from Valencia

[Dolmades] Tasty Stuffed Grape Leaves with meat & rice filling

[Afghani Chicken Pulao] National rice dish of Afghanistan (Kabuli palao)

Peruvian Style Rice

[Dolmades] Tasty Stuffed Grape Leaves with meat & rice filling

I still remember that I was fascinated by the unknown Turkish person who had first thought of cooking rough and stiff grape leaves, to make edible food. He (or she) must be a genius to come up with this idea using abundant grape leaves. It's not only edible, but also tasty.

 I was wondering how come each of Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and Egypt insist that stuffed grape leaves are their own traditional food. 

All these countries have three things in common: first, all these countries border the Mediterranean sea. Second, they all use more or less the same ingredients for their traditional food. And third, historically, all of the countries mentioned here were ruled by Ottoman Empire, i.e. Turkey of today. That must be why the Turkish word Dolma is from the Turkish verb dolmak which means 'to be stuffed'. (reference: Merriam-Webster). Dolmas (or dolmades) are one of the items I always pick at deli, olives & antipasto bars. It's glossy and refreshing at the same time. Gloss must come from meat and refreshingness must be from young mint leaves. When a Greek colleague of mine explained how her mom was making dolmades, it sounded pretty easy and doable. I got suddenly encouraged and decided to make my very own dolmades. Then I used a half jar of grape leaves to make lots of dolmades! It was soooooooo good and delicious. Here goes the recipe for Mediterranean stuffed grape leaves! :)

 Dolmas

(adapted from Greekfood.about.com)

Ingredients

1/2 jar of large grape leaves in brine (about 30-40 leaves)

8 cups of water

1 pound of lean ground beef

1/2 cup of uncooked short-grain rice, rinsed 

1 medium-large onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of fresh mint, chopped

1 tablespoon of flat leaf parsley, chopped

juice of 1 lemons

1/8 teaspoon of pepper

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

1 cup of water

Directions

1. Bring 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot, add juice of 1/2 lemon and the salt. Turn off the heat when boiled, and put 1/2 jarful grape leaves in the pot. You don't need to separate them. 

Leave for 5 minutes before remove and rinse under the running cold water. 

Drain and pat the leaves with kitchen towel.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Sauté the onions in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until translucent. 

Add rinsed rice and sauté for 3-4 minutes. 

3. In a bowl, combine the onions, ground beef, rice, remaining olive oil, parsley, mint, juice of 1 lemon, and pepper. Mix well.

4. Gently separate one leaf and place it shiny side down on a work surface. Place 1-2 teaspoons of the filling on the leaf at the point where stem joins the leaf. 

Fold up the bottom of the leaf over the filling, then each side inward in parallel folds, 

and roll up the leaf. 

Roll should be firm, but not tight, to give enough space for the filling to expand during cooking. Repeat the steps.

5. To prevent the leaves on the bottom from burning while the filling cooks, place a few layers of damaged grape leaves in the bottom of a heavy-bottomed pot. 

Layer the dolmades in the pot, packing them closely together, seam side down. 

6. Add 1 cup of water and cover. Bring the water to a boil. 

Add remaining lemon juice and reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45-50 minutes. 

(Check to see if done)

7. Serve dolmades warm or at room temperature with lemon wedges, tzatziki or Greek yogurt.

Dolmades store well for a few days in the fridge, if there's any left. :)

Enjoy!

Dolma - Dolmades

[Paella Mixta] Top Spanish Rice Dish from Valencia

The best paella I've ever had was in Fontainebleau, France, over a decade ago. When a friend from Valencia invited a few of us to a paella dinner, obviously our expectation was quite high. As I was decided to have at least two servings of paella, I only had an apple and a slice of brie cheese at lunch, to save some space for dinner. And, naturally I was starving by the time I arrived at dinner. BUT! there was some important fact that all the non-Spanish guests including I had overlooked: Andria was Spanish!!!!, i.e. her normal dinner time was 10 p.m. :( I was so hungry that I finished a few bowls of chips with wine, before dinner. 


Still, I was hungry enough to have two full servings when Andria's signature paella was finally served. It was truly the best paella I've ever had, so far. Now, I am not sure if Andria's paella was really the best of the best, or my hunger and waiting deluded me into thinking that her paella was the most delicious thing I had ever had. It will always be one of the best paellas to me, though.


Paella is a name of a Spanish rice dish originated from Valencia region, but also means a pan traditionally round, shallow and made of polished steel with two handles, which is used to make paella dishes. 


It is believed that paella was made under the Moorish influence in Valencia in 18th century, where rice had become a staple already in 15th century. Traditional paella valencina (Valencian paella) made with white rice, green vegetables, meat (rabbit or/and chicken), and green beans. 


The two other popular paellas from Spain are paella de marisco (seafood paella) and paella mixta (mixed paella). I usually make the latter one because I want to eat both meat and seafood at the same time! :) Yes, I admit that I'm greedy. This Valencian rice dish is an ultimate one-pan-wonder which consists of meat, vegetables, seafood and carb.


Saffron is "the" most expensive spice, but its fragrance is exquisite.
 

Here goes the recipe for my paella mixta!

Ingredients
4 cups chicken broth
2 good pinches saffron
1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
4-6 chicken legs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chorizo sausage, sliced into 1/4" pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tomatoes
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 pound 30/40 shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
1+1/2 cups short grain rice such as Bomba or Calasparra (I used Italian arborio)
2 bay leaves
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
18-24 clam or mussels, scrubbed

½ bunch parsley, finely chopped for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

Dice tomatoes and onion, and slice chorizo sausage.



2. In a medium pot, heat the stock with the saffron and paprika. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes.


3. Season the chicken legs well with salt and pepper. 


4. In a metal Paella pan, heat the oil. Add the chicken and sauté over medium high heat until golden. 


5. Add the chorizo to the pan and cook together for about 10 minutes.


6. Add the chopped onion, and garlic, and saute until the onion is soft.


7. Add chopped tomato and mix well.


8. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it well with the oil. 


9. Add the hot broth and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, over medium high heat about 10 minutes. 


10. Add shrimps and mussels in the rice, pushing them into the rice. 


11. Bake at preheated oven at 350 F , uncovered, for 13-15 minutes.

To serve, decorate with lemon wedges (optional)


Saffron's exotic fragrance amplifies the tastiness of paella.

Bon appétit!


Paella Mixta

[Paella Mixta] Delicious Spanish paella with chicken, shrimps, chorizo, & mussels

Well, I know that it's kind of hard, but if you really have to choose one, What is you favorite source of carbohydrate? I like pasta, quinoa, oats, and all sorts of wheat product, but my favorite of all is couscous. I just love couscous. 
One of my favorite couscous recipes is here:
[Algerian Couscous with tomato sauce]

Rice is not my favorite types of carbohydrate, but there are some great rice dishes I adore, one of which is Spanish paella. I had my first paella at Takeout corner(Traiteur) of Carrefour supermarket in Annecy, France, more than 15 years ago. I couldn't tell if it was a great quality paella since it was my first paella experience. 

One of Colleen's favorite rice recipes is here:
[Afghani Chicken Pulao]


But, it must be not too bad as I liked paella immediately. If our holidays plan works as planned, we will go to Spain in 2017. I can't deny that a big part, if not the biggest, of attraction we are drawn to is food, i.e. paella, seafood and endless tapas... :)

The paella recipe I'm writing now is a mixture of Spanish friends' family recipe and my personal experiments I accumulated for more than a decade. When I make paella, there is anything left for the following day's lunch box. The type of paella what I make is not Valencian or seafood paella. My(?) paella should be called paella mixta or mixed paella that use both white meat and seafood. I guarantee~ It's really good :) (sorry for bragging about it, but it is very true :)) It's amazingly delicious.


The most distinctive flavour and colour of paella is coming from this saffron.
Without saffron's exotic flavour, you can't make a real paella.
It looks reddish, but it makes everything it touches yellow.

Paella has two different meanings: 

i. the specialized shallow pan used for cooking paellas. and 

ii. Valencian rice dish which non-Spanish people consider "Spanish" rice dish. In reality, paella is Valencian specialty.

Here goes Colleen's Paella Mixta / Mixed paella recipe:

Ingredients

4 Cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon saffron

1 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 chicken drumsticks or 4 thighes

2 Chorizo, sliced (12 ounces in total)

1/2 onion

2 tomatoes

1+1/2 Cups Arborio rice or paella rice

15-25 mussels, depending on the sizes

12-15 shrimps

salt, pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (or 180C)


2. Have ingredients ready: slice chorizo, chop tomato and onion.

3. Meanwhile infuse the chicken broth with the saffron. 

Simmer over the low heat. Add paprika and continue to simmer for another 7-8 minutes

4. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. 

5. Heat a little olive oil in a paella pan or a large pan and fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides. 

6. Push chicken to the corner of the pan and add the sliced chorizo and fry until browned and crispy.

7. Then add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. 

8. Add tomato and mix well.

9. Add rice and stir well with other ingredients.

10. Add infused chicken broth and leave to cook on a medium heat, stirring from time to time.

Add 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Simmer for 10 minutes. Rice should be almost cooked by now.

11.  Turn off the heat and add mussels and shrimps.

12. Place the paella pan in the preheated oven and cook/bake for 10-15 minutes, or until all the broth will be absorbed completely.

Take out paella pan form the oven and leave it for another 10 minutes before serving.

I forgot the lemon, but paella mixta is even better with a wedge of lemon.

It's much easier than it looks, isn't it? Hope you like it as much as I do. Enjoy!

Paella Mixta