Red beans in tomato & Cilantro-lime rice

I think the category of ‘bean and rice’ would encompass almost 90% of the meals that I cook and I do not complain at all. Rather, I rejoice it and am thankful for the pantry full of different beans and pulses. All it takes is some overnight soaking, which is hardly labor-intensive. If you forget that, you can always go for split lentils and pulses. Having a pressure cooker further reduces the cooking time. So no wonder that I keep making it. Plus, there is such a diversity of flavor profiles across different cooking cultures. For example, same staples that I used this time for a Mexican bean-rice bowl, can be used for making Indian rajma-chawal. You just need to pick the flavor of the day, and then choose the spices and condiments accordingly. So today, we go South…

RED BEANS IN TOMATO & CILANTRO-LIME RICE

Ingredients:

For red beans in tomato:

1 cup dried red/ kidney beans
3-4 tomatoes
1 onion
1-2 teaspoons of chili powder
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon cumin powder
2 tablespoon of crushed dried oregano herb
Salt to taste
2-3 tablespoons oil
Water

For cilantro-lime rice:

1 cup rice
1-2 cloves of garlic
2-4 green chili peppers (depends on your liking)
Bunch of cilantro
Lime juice to taste
Salt to taste

Method:

For read beans in tomato:

1. Wash and soak the beans overnight.
2. Cook the beans with enough water till beans are cooked tender, but not mushy. The water in which beans are cooked can be later used as the stock in this prep. So save it 🙂
3. In pot, heat oil, and fry chopped garlic till fragrant.
4. Add thinly chopped onion to it and sauté till it turns translucent.
5. Add cumin powder and chili powder to the onion. Sauté for a minute and two and add cooked beans and mix properly.
6. Make a puree of tomatoes and add it to the beans pot along with salt and oregano.
7. Once the tomatoes loose their raw flavor, you can add the beans stock that we had save earlier and some more water, based on the desired consistency.
8. Let the beans simmer on low-medium heat for 5-10 more minutes and then take off the stove.

For cilantro-lime rice:

1. Wash and cook rice per instruction.
2. Thinly chop green chili peppers and garlic cloves. Further grind them to coarse consistency in mortar and pestle, with some salt, lime juice, and half of cilantro.
3. Mix this paste with cooked rice.
4. Adjust salt and lime juice to your liking and serve with adding some more chopped cilantro.

Take in a bowl and dig in 🙂

 

Mushroom Coconut Rice with Mint

Mushroom cooked in coconut milk is one of my favorite food combinations. Coconut milk imparts perfect creaminess without overpowering their natural flavor. Mix in some cooked rice to that and you have a comforting lunch bowl. Over the years, I have cooked number of variations of this combination. Most often, I prepare it just with a tempering of whole garam masala (with spices such as clove, bay leaves, star anise) and red chili pepper. Today, however, I made some more tweaks to the recipe, using fresh and frozen supplies from our fridge.

MUSHROOM COCONUT RICE WITH MINT

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
10-12 Baby Bella mushrooms
1 cup grated fresh coconut (I used frozen)
Handful of mint leaves
1 cup of fajita veggie mix/ half a onion and some chopped bell peppers
1 inch ginger
3-4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoon oil (I used coconut oil)
Salt to taste.

For garnish: chopped scallions and nooch i.e. nutritional yeast (optional)

Method:

1. Cook rice as per directions.
2. Grind shredded coconut, mint leaves, ginger, and garlic with some water to form a paste.
3. In a pan, heat oil. Sauté chopped onion and bell peppers, till onion changes color.
4. Add chopped mushrooms to it. Season with salt. Stir fry for two more minutes. Mushrooms will start cooking in its own water that is released due to salt.
5. Add the coconut-mint paste to the pan and sauté till it loses its raw smell.
6. Take off the heat and mix with cooked rice.
7. Add garnish of your choice. I used chopped scallions and nooch flakes.

The result is as creamy as its master recipe. Plus, mint adds a pleasant aroma and color.

Tamari-Ginger Rice with Fresh Vegetables

I did struggle with a title for this post. After all, it just a simple bowl of rice flavored with few things I found in my refrigerator and spice shelf. I guess, all flavored rice preps share that description. Consider all the famous dishes from across various cuisines. Spanish tomato rice, Mexican cilantro rice, Indian lemon and tamarind rice… All you require is a handful of common ingredients.

Today, I decided to go Asian. This side of the world has been warm since last week. Days are long and bright with blue skies. Of course, given it is Michigan we can have snow again in another ten days…. (well, I enjoy that too. So, never mind). But today’s view from my window made me feel like eating something light and fresh and I came up with the following:

TAMARI-GINGER RICE WITH FRESH VEGETABLES

Serves two

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
Handful of Edamame beans
2-3 sprigs of spring onion
1-2 small radishes
1 inch of ginger
Dash of dark roasted sesame oil
Tamari/ Soy sauce to taste
A teaspoon of wasabi seasoning (optional)

Method:

1. Cook rice as per directions.
2. Bring 2-3 cups of water to boil and let edamame beans cook in it. Even with frozen pods, five minutes were enough for me.
3. Thinly slice radish.
4. Chop spring onions.
5. Julienne ginger into thin strips.
6. Add all these vegetables to pot of rice.
7. Season with tamari, sesame oil, and wasabi seasoning. Mix and enjoy!

Note that a side of pan-fried tempeh or egg would make this rice bowl a complete meal.