Okay, so you're not forbidden to eat this. The dish is plated onto a bed of dark "forbidden" rice and piled high with shrimp and vegetables. Black rice is similar in the fiber content of brown rice with the same nutty taste. In ancient Chinese culture it was only served to the Emperor and was off limits to his subjects, thus, "forbidden".
Treat yourself with a dinner fit for the king!
Ingredients:
Forbidden (black) rice, cook according to directions
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 large carrots, peeled and julienne (cut into strips)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 green onions, chopped (reserve 1/4 of this portion for garnish)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup shredded red or green cabbage
1 Tbsp hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
10-12 pre-cooked shrimp, cleaned, no tail
Napa or lettuce leaves for garnish
sriracha or chili sauce for a spicy condiment
forbidden rice (Cook according to directions)
Once you've done all the chopping or prep work, this comes together quite quickly. Cook the rice first. It will take about 45 minutes. In a large skillet heat the oil on medium heat. Add the carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms and cabbage and stir while cooking until slightly limp. Add the shrimp, stir, and add the hoisin and soy sauce. If mixture appears dry, just add a bit of water to loosen.
Serve on a lettuce leaf and a bed of rice. For those of you who like a little spice, by all means add some chili flakes, sriracha sauce or sweet Thai chili sauce.
Makes 2 heaping towers.
Lately, I've been enjoying the bounty of Fall vegetables. Soups and pastas made with pumpkin or butternut squash and herbs or spices like sage and nutmeg are finding their way into my kitchen. One of hubby's favorite meals is ANYTHING rice based. I could boil some rice and cover it with almost anything and he'd like it. Risotto is one of those items on a menu he would gravitate to especially if it was seafood risotto.
Risotto needs your undivided attention with all the stirring involved, but it's worth the trouble and actually very easy to make. The trick is to have all your ingredients ready at your fingertips. Or at least enlist a "master stirrer" to help out.
Ingredients:
4-5 cups of chicken broth
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 of a large yellow onion, chopped
2 bella mushrooms (not the large portabella ones), thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 sage leaves, minced
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup butternut squash, cooked and mashed
1 cup arborio rice
dash of nutmeg
about 10 cleaned and deveined shrimp sliced in half lengthwise
handful of chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
First of all don't let the big list of ingredients scare you. Risotto is simple to make. In a 3 qt saucepan have your broth heated on low. You'll be ladling this as the liquid evaporates.
In a large soup pot cook the onions, mushrooms, garlic and sage in the olive oil on medium heat. Add the wine and start to stir. This will quickly cook down. Now add the squash and the rice and 1 ladle of broth stirring as you go. The heat can be turned down to low/medium.
As the liquid is absorbed keep adding a ladle at a time of the broth. When you are to your last ladle of broth, add the shrimp and nutmeg, while you remain stirring. The shrimp will cook in no time. Right at the end rice should be tender and creamy as you add the cheese, parsley and salt and pepper.
In the last 2 years since I've been writing this blog I've never made this rice pilaf! This was almost a staple in my home starting 30 years ago. How can that be? Lately I've been compiling, sorting, revising, reviewing, testing and listing certain recipes that are worthy of starring in "the book". It's a tedious process but some one's gotta do it!
So, the list of recipes gets longer and there's so many more favorites. This rice pilaf was originally made by my parents and we'd have it as a side dish on many a Sunday dinner at Grandma's. It's recently been lightened up when it comes to how much butter I use. It's true, "Everything tastes better with butter", but I always envision what it's doing in my arteries! Yikes!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup vermicelli coils or Fideo, broken apart
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 tsp garlic powder (can't have enough garlic, right?)
3/4 - 1 cup white rice, basmati preferably
1 can (14.5 oz) of beef broth, fat free, reduced sodium
6 oz. water
1/8 tsp salt
In a large skillet (that has a lid), melt butter on medium, add the vermicelli and stir constantly until lightly browned. Add the garlic cloves, powder, and rice stirring as you go. Add the broth, water and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and cook until done, about 30 minutes. Depending on the weather keep an eye on it so the water doesn't evaporate too quickly. Add a bit more water if it does. Fluff with a fork and serve. Delicious!
If you want to transport yourself to the islands, this rice will do it for you! Because we're becoming "one with the grill" the addition of a light lime infused rice was the perfect complement to go with my grilled trout. The rice also gets more fresh flavor from ginger, cilantro and pineapple.
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup white basmati rice or long grain
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp lime zest
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp dried cilantro (fresh would be much better but I didn't have any!)
a pat of butter (optional)
3-4 oz. crushed pineapple
Bring the water to a boil with coconut oil, zest, ginger, coriander and cilantro. Add the rice, reduce to simmer and cover. Cook for about 20-25 minutes until rice is done. Add a pat of butter, crushed pineapple and at the last moment I added some Thai basil from my garden for more flavor. Stir and serve. Very nice!
