January 2021 Challenge - rice!

[koukouvagia]

FORBIDDEN RICE PUDDING

This is not the rice pudding of my youth... adapted from a recipe of Sherry Yard, this features both Forbidden and Basmati rices. Rather than coconut milk I use cream to satisfy the tastebuds of my family. Also, rather than vanilla extract I use vanilla sugar (even though the extract is depicted in the photo).

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FROM THIS:
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TO THIS:
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That’s really special well done!
Do you make your own vanilla sugar? How long would you say that lasts?

 

[koukouvagia]

Sadly I had a reaction to the beans in my Hoppin John. Same as any soy, or peanut product. Looks like legumes are off my ingredient list.

Oh no! What kind of reaction?

 

[brianshaw]

Do you make your own vanilla sugar? How long would you say that lasts?

Yes, I have a large container of sugar that I put the vanilla pods, after the beans are removed for other purposes. It seems to take a couple of months for the initial “perfuming” and lasts virtually forever so long as it is dry. As I use the vanilla sugar I top off with more white sugar and add more “spent” vanilla pods as they become available. It is a fantastic way to use leftovers and discards!

 

[koukouvagia]

Yes, I have a large container of sugar that I put the vanilla pods, after the beans are removed for other purposes. It seems to take a couple of months for the initial “perfuming” and lasts virtually forever so long as it is dry. As I use the vanilla sugar I top off with more white sugar and add more vanilla pods as they become available.

Thanks. I’m always meaning to do this. I used to do it and somehow got out of the habit. It’s so nice to have vanilla sugar around for whenever I want to bake anything.

 

[teamfat]

A nice selection of varied entries already. Keep up the good work folks, make it really difficult for me to choose the next host, please.

mjb.

 

[eastshores]

My brother in law wanted to do an Italian ribbolita since he had it for the first time a while back and had never attempted it. With the monthly challenge in mind I decided I would try to make Arancini di Riso for the first time. If you're not familiar these are basically Italian rice balls. They can be stuffed with different things. Meat, peas, marinara, etc. For mine I went with a bit of mozzarella.

First step cook the risotto. A little white wine and shallots, along with chicken stock.


After the risotto gets a deep chill it's time to set up the breading station. Risotto is formed around the mozzarella and shaped into a ball. Then dusted in flour. Then dredged in the egg wash. Finally into the seasoned bread crumbs before hitting a 350F deep fry.



I made a basic marinara using San Marzano tomatoes with a little garlic, olive oil, basil, and salt. I must say this ended up being very difficult and I stopped after doing 6 of them. I believe my risotto was a little too hydrated and also it probably should have chilled longer. Overall though they were quite tasty and a good addition to our ribbolita.



Bonus image of the spread. I baked some rosemary focaccia. It was a good thing I hadn't eaten all day!

 

[phatch]

I'm told the name means telephone wires for the cheese stretching as you bite into it.

 

[eastshores]

So this isn't anything fancy with regards to the rice, but saffron basmati stands on it's own as something wonderful in the world of Indian food. The funny thing about this is that I used the last 2 jars of Patak Jalfrezi simmer sauce that I received when Cheftalk had a fun contest where they sent us samples to use.

I've also gotten into meal prep. So this was chicken breast cubes in a jalfrezi curry with safron basmati, mint chutney and cilantro (coriander I guess if you're not from the states!). I'm trying out these small aluminum trays. I vacuum seal and freeze so with these I would reheat them either in boiling water or if I want I can remove the bag and reheat them in the oven. The sous vide method is the most gentle and I find it keeps the food closest to how it was when it was packed.

I did add some sliced red onion since I had some that needed to be used



Cooling down for the vacuum sealer!



These seal very well and should hold up well in the freezer.

 

[eastshores]

Winner winner chicken fried rice dinner? Picked up a blackstone a while back since I'm cooking a lot more at home rather than going out. So far the only thing I've done has been smash burgers. I was a little worried about burning the rice but it handled it really well on high.

I thinly sliced chicken breasts and made a concoction marinade from things I had. Stir fry sauce, garlic paste, ponzu, black vinegar, and grated ginger.

The rest was pretty standard as far as I know - rice, soy sauce, peas and carrots, scallions and some egg.





Tada!

 

[singularity6]

Winner winner chicken fried rice dinner? Picked up a blackstone a while back since I'm cooking a lot more at home rather than going out. So far the only thing I've done has been smash burgers. I was a little worried about burning the rice but it handled it really well on high.

I thinly sliced chicken breasts and made a concoction marinade from things I had. Stir fry sauce, garlic paste, ponzu, black vinegar, and grated ginger.

The rest was pretty standard as far as I know - rice, soy sauce, peas and carrots, scallions and some egg.

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Tada!

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Any fried rice dishes should be posted with a video subject to a review from Uncle Roger. If you're not familiar with Uncle Roger's fried rice reviews, look them up. He's pretty entertaining.

 

[butzy]

Pad prik king with jasmine rice:

Quite a simple dish, and still very tasty

The ingredients....
It's normally made with pork, but I had bacon bits so used those instead.
Missing on the picture: fish sauce and palm sugar.


And for the rice:
I like to use this pot. And 2 volumes of rice and 3 of water.
Stir
Bring to a simmer and stir. Put lid back and don't touch or stir anymore.
I put the pot on 2 diffuser plates and the heat as low as possible. Turn off the heat after about 10 minutes and let stand.
Just before eating, open pot and fluff the rice.
Works for me with this rice, this pot and this stove

 

[harpua]

Apple rice pilaf

Long grain, onions, apples, rice, chix stock, fresh Bay, toasted almonds and cranberries.

Served with roasted root veg.

 

[butzy]

I decided to try my hand at making lontong, with mixed success.
My banana, galangal and turmeric plants are still too small, so I got a turmeric leaf from a friend (normally lontong is made in banana leaf)


I managed to fold it in more or lass the right shape


Filled for about 1/3 with raw Jasmine rice and closed the package


And put into the pot, brought to a boil and cooked for 30-45 minutes

That 1/3 filling came from one of the recipes I found on internet. Normally a pretty reliable site, but not this time.
I should have foreseen this. I should know how much rice expands when you cook it through and through.
Anyway. my package broke open.....
So the rice didn't compact as much as it should.
I removed from the water with a slotted spoon, used some off cuts of turmeric leaf and lined a small sieve. Pressed out as much water as I could, let it cool down a bit and moved to the fridge.
Lontong is mostly eaten cold and you can also only cut it when it is cold.

This is the lontong, the next day.
You can clearly se the colour difference between the boiled and the fresh turmeric leaf


And cut in pieces


<to be continued in the next post as not all my pictures will fit>

 

[butzy]

I had chicken thighs as well and did those on fairly high heat on my smoker.
Rice comes into play here as I crumbed them with ground rice
I used my coffee grinder to grind the rice (just raw Jasmine rice)


And mixed with a homemade spice mixture


Then coated the chicken with it

They went on the smoker


Lontong is quite often eaten with gado gado or satay, but I decided on eggs in satay sauce
I fried some finely chopped onions, then added garlic, ginger and chili


Followed by sweet soy, soy, kaffir lime leaves and peanut butter


Chicken done:


Lontong as ready as it will ever be


Eggs ready


And ready to eat


I'll need to work on my lontong, but it was definitely a very tasty meal!

 

[teamfat]

A third of the way into the month, and so many wonderful looking dishes already. You folks are doing great! Keep 'em coming!

Was going to put this in the What did you have for dinner thread, but hey, there's rice involved. Butter miso poached catfish, spicy edamame ( garlic and togarashi ) and rice with a sprinkle of noritamago furikake.



mjb.

 

[butzy]

I've been browsing my cookbooks (on kindle), thinking I should make dosa.
But I have no urad dhal. Then I came accross a recipe gor "Appam" in my "Indian cookery course" by Manisha Bharadwaj and decided to give that a go.
I just reduced the amount.
Washed and soaked 100 gr Jasmine rice in water for 3-4 hours.
Blended with coconut milk and left outside overnight.
Next morning I added sugar, salt and bicarb. The mixture was quite stiff, but stirring and very little water made it into what I thought a good consistency for a batter.
Fried in my wok.
I should have ended up with 5 pancakes, but I got only 3.
Since I have never had them before, I can't say if that was because mine were bigger or thicker (or both).
I think I will leave out the sugar next time!

Blending soaked rice and coconut milk

Blended mixture. Looked similar in the morning, just a bit thicker, so no extra pic


Frying

 

[Hank]

Ginger Shrimp on Black Rice



I started the rice with softened shallots and a couple ginger slices.




I made a sauce with hosin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, chopped ginger, chopped garlic chives, white pepper, and a little water



On high heat I quickly sauteed the shrimp on both sides then added the sauce and cooked until just warmed.

 

[Hank]

Smoked Salmon Risotto






Just salmon, onion and parsley, plus white wine and butter.




I broke up the salmon and mixed it with melted butter to add at the end.

 

[Hank]

Risotto Omelet. The next day for lunch from the leftovers



3 or 4 cups of risotto, 2 eggs, parmisan cheese, parsley, tomato sauce.



On low heat melt a fair amount of butter and place the mixture in the pan. The trick is to let it cook a long time rotating the pan to get an even crust. Then invert it on a plate, add more butter if necessary and crust the other side.




Not my best work.




The soft interior and crunchy exterior make a great contrast.

 

[eastshores]

"Mexican Rice" .. this is just long grain rice cooked with seasonings like chicken bullion, tomato, chilies and the color is more red, and comes from annatto as opposed to "Spanish Rice" which is colored by saffron.

This was a side dish for fajitas. I tried out two cuts of steak tonight. "Flap meat" which was $9.99 a lb vs. skirt steak at $7.99 a lb. I don't think the flap meat was worth the extra cost. At least not in this dish. It was more tender than skirt even though it had a very similar texture.