Wholegrain Brown Rice

Yo, Dear Reader, last recipe without a photo, I promise, though it might be the last new recipe for a while, I haven’t much to work with any way and the garden might be taking up more of my time, still I wanted to share this as I’ve posted a lot of rice recipes over the years, but knowing how to cool fluffy, soft rice isn’t something that’s all that well known where I live, mostly because all the packets suggest cooking it like pasta, instead you can cook it the proper way. This is pretty much emulating what a rice cooker does, or maybe it’s the other way round, I don’t use rice cookers, Dear Reader, it’s all single servings for me. Handily there’s no need to wash this, I did give it a quick rinse through, but unlike the hulled rice this retains the hull and doesn’t wash and stays firmer when cooked. It uses more water as here’s no soaking either. I personally prefer the wholegrain basmati, but I have been eating that for so long I’m probably biased. Still, worth a shot even if you dislike rice, when it’s coked well every grain is discernible, but tender, not sticky, but holds just a little. Never thought I’d talk so much about plain rice, but here we are, Dear Reader. I’ll be back again soon, until then stay safe and take care.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Brown Rice
250ml Water

Method

1. Add the Water and Rice to a flat bottomed pot. Put the pan on high heat. Wait until the water boils and starts bubbling then turn the heat down to medium (3 on hob) cover and let it just sit there for 20 minutes.
2. After the 20 minutes is up, turn off the heat open the lid and place a folded tea towel over the pot and return the lid. Let it stand for another 10 minutes or so. After 10 minutes, lift the lid, remove the tea towel and take a fork and fluff the Rice.

Same Old, Same New: Basmati Rice Revisit

I think it’s festival squash, I took them all. I made so many Puree Scones.

Still tending to the birds.

The cold is creeping in now so I have to make sure they have feed they can’t eat all at once. Peanuts were cheap.

Yo, Dear Reader, I have gone back in time, to just before I started eating brown basmati rice exclusively, I had one major issue with basmati rice, well, a few, I have to wash it, brown rice seems indifferent to rinsing and soaking, I’ve heard about overbnight soaking…nah, but it just had a mushy texture, which as it turns out was me adding too much water. So, flash forward, I once again attempted the rice, neglecting to read the cooking time this time around, though I had it listed on the recipe, here, I, well I forgot to read it and started learning from scratch. After two batches I have cracked the code and can safely say that this is really well cooked rice. The grains are distinct, the rice is just so fluffy and tender you can really tell the difference between the brown and white and even between the jasmine and basmati. Cooking it softer and stickier is an option too from what I’ve seen, just leave it longer, 20 minutes, with about 250ml water. Live and learn, Dear Reader, assuming you put in the effort that is.

Finally! Now I have three rices to break up the funk I’m in.

Oh, yes, I fund another, cross-pollination attempts will be made.

Maniac energy fuzz bird.

I managed to raise a few hundred for a local group, all thanks to my baking, I’m a pretty good baker if I’m honest. Everyone is raving about it and if I’m putting up anything for sale in the future it’ll be that. Selling in bulk and stopping when supplies are gone is just the right balance, in a few hours I could make as much as some would in a few days. The concrete casting is going on the back burner, but I am trying a stone plaster mix, a stronger plaster of Paris, so they tell me it’s new to me and you know me, Dear Reader I’m ever curious. I have enough saved for my hot composter so that’ll be the next project, it’s an investment, an expensive one, but having all the leachate saved will be huge and when the bin really gets going it’d be like undiluted compost tea, adding comfrey into that may mean it’ll be even better. All I can do is plan and try, Dear Reader the rest is unknown and all the better for it. Until later, take care.

Glutinous Rice Balls Rice Balls (Tang Yuan) With Rice Flour

Whatever else this is it’s the nicest dough I’ve ever kneaded.

The original is here, Dear Reader, I haven’t altered this at all, just halved it. Yes, Dear Reader, I read about this flour at the start of my journey, heard it made a roux, yes, I’ll get to that too, and here I am way too many years later, but i’m here. I have to say there’s no gluten in this despite the name, hey, blame all the other recipes thinking you’re an idiot and I’m one too, we know better, Dear Reader, Sweet Rice flour is something rarely seen here, but is extremely common all across the vast continent of Asia, I have very little knowledge to impart, but when searching for mochi, which I can’t make because I can’t tolerate the cornflour used for rolling and that I can wouldn’t work for dusting, but I did remember seeing this recipe before and curious quester that I am, Dear Reader, I had to try it when I came across this flour on Amazon. It sounds too good to be true and only myself and my nephew took to it with qualms and I tell you, Dear Reader, I have been missing out.

I was going to fill them, but I was interrupted, but I did end up with a tester.

Two ingredients, one is water and the other would lead you to believe it’d be a heavy, stodgy mess, but, no, Dear Reader, whatever properties this rice gets when being ground, this is a fast version, I think it’d use pounded cooked rice otherwise, it becomes something greater than it should be. The dough is so light and elastic, but it stretches too, it seems impossibly good as a sweet, different definitions of sweet wherever you go, Dear Reader, big world and all that, base because it has the perfect texture, when cook it becomes somewhere between a turkish delight and a marshmallow, but even hat can’t do it justice. My nephew and I ate them unsweetened and loved them, with a little honey they became even more amazing. They’re surprisingly light and airy, not to chewy, but wit just enough bite and a little natural sweetness, but they would be better in something or filled with something. They’re eaten warm, they don’t heat too much, but let them cool a little. They stick to you and stretch they’re an honest joy, Dear Reader, they’re happiness encapsulated in a squidgy little ball. I haven’t much of the flour, I don’t want to make all sweets either, but I’m going to see what I can do with this curiosity. Until later, Dear Reader, take care.

Next time I try them in a syrup.

Ingredients

70g Glutinous Rice Flour
60ml Water, More As Needed

Method

1. Add the Rice Flour to a bowl and add Water, mix with a fork until a mallable dough has formed. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, if too dry and more flour, a pinch at a time, if too wet. Knead into a ball.

2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. While the Water is boiling pinch off a teaspoon of dough and roll it into a ball, place onto grease-proof paper and continue until all dough is used up. Keep covered until water is boiling.

3. Add Balls to pot and cook until the Balls rise to the top and float. Scoop out and let cool for a minute before eating.

Same Old, Same New: Kind Words Curry

Everything can look like a white sauce if you try.

Yes, you to can make a simple white sauce with just a parsnip and coconut milk! Hah! Scared you there, Dear Reader, you thought I’d succumbed to the temptation to write up descriptions of my recipes that don’t reflect the truth, didn’t you? No? I appreciate your staunch faith in Jack, but really it shows how easy it is to present a recipe disingenuously and how unlikely you are to be called on it. I’m just me, Dear Reader, I never think of anything I eat beyond myself and you, the Dear Reader of every post, if I’ll eat it and you might too then you deserve absolute transparency in every post. Today I was playing with my Pumpkin Curry recipe, a great Winter warmer thanks to the spices, it’s May first, but still: Curry! I have done this format with this recipe before, but today I’m using Parsnip. See the title does make some semblance of sense. Why? Because I’ve been curious as to the texture of blended parsnip in a curry for the longest time. You have no idea how much I think about food, Dear Reader, there’s a very good reason I grow tired at times.

Oil and Sunlight make for glistening curry.

I’ve made this curry with pumpkin, squash, freshly harvested too, and sweet potato, but the sweet potato makes it too thick, this is where parsnip is useful, squash isn’t very good this year, it’s been on a decline and I have to hope it improves, it helps thickens the sauce, but lets it retain a measure of looseness, it coats the chicken and the spices mask the strong flavour of the parsnip well, but it doesn’t feel heavy. I sauteed the parsnip in butter first, I keep it in the freezer so I thought I may as well while I was going to need to cook it before blending anyway, it blends smoother than carrots which I often find lumpy, but then again it was blended with a lot of liquid. This curry could work with any vegetable, but some are just naturally more suited, the spices overpower the vegetables unless they’re sweet, like Uchiki Kuri, so you can toss in cheap vegetables and never notice. I blended the parsnip and coconut milk, but left the onions as is, I like the texture and never thought I’d say that. A simple curry, one that freezes well, has a really warm taste profile, but isn’t hot and does heat you up on a cold day. Whether you use pumpkin, parsnip or sweet potato you’ll find it a velvety, smooth curry. That’s it for today, Dear Reader, I’ll have to root through my own recipes to see where I’ll diverge next. Until later, take care.

Same Old Same New: Mild To The Max

Mix it all up and just slather it everywhere.

I never actually run out of much because, Dear Reader, I write the shopping list, do the shopping and that will never happen. I don’t like hunger and outside of the set things I eat daily and weekly there isn’t anything I can just grab so I never let it happen. I do occasionally run low, I buy a lot of fruit and vegetables that wouldn’t stay fresh if I buy too many, so sometimes I’m left wondering what I’ll make with what I have. Today I wanted something mild tasting, not to be mistaken for bland, something warm, since the weather is miserable, filling and just gentle. So I took this and this and smashed them together.

I found a shallot, so add shallots.

The carob chicken is intense due to the prevalence of aniseed flavours, I mitigated that by using garam masala as the spice instead of the Five Spice, just a rough teaspoon this all rough, Dear Reader, I used a tablespoon of honey and carob syrup, surprisingly this isn’t noticeably sweet, the honey cuts the tahini’s sharp taste, I mixed all that with a little salt, pepper and garlic granules, it’s just a thick paste, but I rubbed it all onto the chicken anyway, you’ll have to scoop it all into the pan when frying, but it cooks better when mixed first.

I’m sparing this carob syrup, so much that I forget to use it.

I used an onion, garlic, I love garlic, and a shallot, fried in olive oil this time, rather than butter. Tossed the chicken into the pan on a low heat, keeping it from caramelising too much, again: mild, left that to cook for a while, this was being cooked alongside the rice so times vary, I love this post format as this is how I often cook, Dear Reader, rather than he methodical posts you often see accompanying recipes, I do that for my Dear Reader who wants to learn, but you can lean here too, just in a less structured way.

Coconut cream because it’s all I had.

I tossed in the coconut cream, which was thickened by the tahini and peanut butter, about half a tablespoon each. There can be an issue getting the sauce to reduce when using nut or seed butters, you’re better to let the coconut cream or milk residue first and then add them, otherwise you’ll have to crank up the heat and potentially spilt the cream, which isn’t bad, but it can be very oily and might not be that pleasant. The whole thing just simmered away, I occasionally tossed the chicken about, more for something to do than for any real purpose, though flip it at least once to ensure and even cook.

Anything like this ends up either Golden Brown or Sunny Orange.

As for the taste? It was just a gentle, warming dish.It is funny how you can add too much to a dish and destroy the balance and here there was a very simple flavour, that tasted just right, if there wasn’t enough it’d be noticeable, but it isn’t so strong that you notice the flavour all that much either. I’m no great expert on spices, Dear Reader, I’ve learned a lot over the years, but I still add too much, forget to taste. There are so many useful spices and I try to vary it, there are many health benefits to everything I use, it’s why I eat what I eat, I just no longer think of that as I cook, I just do it and enjoy it. Hopefully I’ll have something new soon, Dear Reader, I did make scones and quinoa bread, I used teff and buckwheat and it is very tasty as a combo. Worth thinking of for future recipes. Until later, take care.

Coconut Jasmine Rice

I’m cleaning up some of my recipes pages, dear reader and splitting off the ones that have become too crowded. If possible I’ll update these with photos in the future, but for now this will have to do. I’ll schedule these so they won’t overrun the site.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Jasmine Rice
160ml Coconut Milk
90ml Milk
2 Tsp Desiccated Coconut

Method

1. Mix together the Coconut Milk and the Water and set aside.

2. Heat Olive Oil in a pot on a medium heat. Stir in Rice and Coconut and cook for 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Rice should be slightly translucent and may brown slightly. Add Coconut Milk and Water and stir up the Rice, and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium (3 on hob) cover and let it cook for about 12 minutes.

3. After the 12 minutes is up, remove it from the heat. Let it stand for another 10 minutes or so. After 10 minutes, lift the lid and take a fork and fluff the Rice.

Cashew Jasmine Rice Pilaf

I’m cleaning up some of my recipes pages, dear reader and splitting off the ones that have become too crowded. If possible I’ll update these with photos in the future, but for now this will have to do. I’ll schedule these so they won’t overrun the site.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Jasmine Rice
250ml Water
1 Tbsp Butter
1 Clove of Garlic, Minced
1/8 Tsp Turmeric
1/8 Tsp Cumin
1/8 Tsp Salt
1/16 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Bay Leaf
20g Cashews, Chopped
1 Tbsp Dried Fruit (Raisins etc)

Optional: Cilantro to Serve

Method

1. Cook Butter, Cumin, Turmeric, Cinnamon, Garlic in a pot on a medium-low heat for 2 minutes.

2. Stir in Rice, turn to medium and cook for 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add Water, Salt, Fruit, Cashews and the Bay Leaf and stir up the Rice. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium (3 on hob) cover and let it cook for about 12 minutes.

3. After the 12 minutes is up, remove it from the heat. Let it stand for another 10 minutes or so. After 10 minutes, lift the lid, remove the Bay Leaf and take a fork and fluff the Rice.

Pistachio Jasmine Rice Pilaf

I’m cleaning up some of my recipes pages, dear reader and splitting off the ones that have become too crowded. If possible I’ll update these with photos in the future, but for now this will have to do. I’ll schedule these so they won’t overrun the site.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Jasmine Rice
250ml Water and 1/3 of a Chicken Stock Cube
1 Tbsp Butter, Divided in 2
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/8 Onion, Chopped Fine
2 Cloves Garlic, Grate
25g Shelled Pistachio, Crushed Roughly
Salt and Black Pepper to Taste
1 Bay Leaf
Pinch of Dried Parsley

Method

1. Heat 1/2 Tbsp Butter and Olive Oil in a pot on a medium heat. When Butter has melted add the Onion and Garlic and cook covered for 2-4 minutes until Onion is soft.

2. Stir in Rice and Pistachio and cook for a minute, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add Chicken Stock, Bay Leaf, Pistachios Salt, Black Pepper and Parsley and stir up the Rice and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium (3 on hob) cover and let it cook for about 12 minutes.

3. After the 12 minutes is up, remove it from the heat. Let it stand for another 10 minutes or so. After 10 minutes, lift the lid, remove the Bay Leaf, add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp Butter and take a fork and fluff the Rice.

Yellow Jasmine Rice

My late night photos are never the best.

I’m cleaning up some of my recipes pages, dear reader and splitting off the ones that have become too crowded. If possible I’ll update these with photos in the future, but for now this will have to do. I’ll schedule these so they won’t overrun the site.

There are a fair few ways to cook rice. This is my second method for jasmine rice, the first is here, instead of washing and soaking you’re just tossing the rice in and giving it a bit of a fry. It’s quicker, but results in a less sticky rice, then again if that’s why you’re after then it’s ideal, isn’t it? You end up with a aromatic, flavoursome, slightly slippery rice. I added onion to the batch above, the smell pervaded the entire house. Rice has been a staple of my diet since the beginning, it’s very versatile, but it seems as if there’s this dread of cooking it incorrectly. Once I was given a method I adapted it through trial and error for different rices and the result is that I have never had rice fail to cook properly. Once you get the knack it’s hard to lose it. I’ll be back again soon, dear reader.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Jasmine Rice
250ml Water and 1/3 of a Chicken Stock Cube
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1/4 Tsp Turmeric
1/8 Tsp Cumin
1/16 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Bay Leaf

Method

1. Heat Butter in a pot on a medium heat. When Butter has melted add the Garlic and Spices and cook for a minute or so.

2. Stir in Rice and cook for 2-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Rice should be slightly translucent and may brown slightly. Add Chicken Stock and Bay Leaf and stir up the Rice, and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium (3 on hob) cover and let it cook for about 12 minutes.

3. After the 12 minutes is up, remove it from the heat. Let it stand for another 10 minutes or so. After 10 minutes, lift the lid, remove the Bay Leaf and take a fork and fluff the Rice.

Ginger Jasmine Rice

I’m cleaning up some of my recipes pages, dear reader and splitting off the ones that have become too crowded. If possible I’ll update these with photos in the future, but for now this will have to do. I’ll schedule these so they won’t overrun the site.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup of Jasmine Rice
250ml Water and 1/3 of a Chicken Stock Cube
1/2 Tbsp Butter
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 1/2 Tbsp Grated Fresh Ginger
Pinch Salt

Optional: Add 1 Tbsp Fresh, Chopped Cilantro just before serving.

Method

1. Heat Olive Oil and Butter in a pot on a medium heat. When Butter has melted add the Garlic and Ginger and cook for a minute or so.

2. Stir in Rice and Chicken Stock, stir and bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium (3 on hob) cover and let it cook for about 12 minutes.

3. After the 12 minutes is up, remove it from the heat. Let it stand for another 10 minutes or so. After 10 minutes, lift the lid and take a fork and fluff the Rice.