Tag Archives: garlic

Cooking Brazilian Rice

by stuporglue Posted on July 17, 2010

This is part 2 of a series on Brazilian cooking. Several more articles are scheduled for the next two weeks. Part 1 of the series was Cooking Brazilian Beans.

Brazilian Rice

Before going to Brazil I don’t think I would have paired rice and beans together. I mean, sure there was often Spanish rice and re-fried beans on taco night at home, but beans ON rice wouldn’t have crossed my mind. One of the great things about traveling is that you get to experience new things. Beans and rice is one of those experiences you will want to bring back home.

I was taught visually without measurements but these are approximations should turn out well. Modify them to suit your tastes if it doesn’t turn out how you want.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Long grain rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tbsp oil (soy oil is typical in Brazil, canola or other vegetable oil works fine)
  • 1/4 onion, chopped
  • 2 teeth of garlic, crushed or chopped

Instructions

Add the rice, onion, garlic and oil to a wide saucepan and turn the stove to medium heat. Simmer and fry it, stirring frequently until the rice turns white and shiny. At about the same time the onion should be wilted and just barely starting to brown, and the garlic smell should be making you hungry.

Add the water, stir it up once quickly and put a lid on the pan.

Simmer on medium-low until the water is gone. The rice should be soft but not sticky. If it’s too hard add a few tablespoons of water and DO NOT STIR.

Fluff it with a big wooden spoon and serve.

Variations

A popular change is to add vegetables that steam well to the rice while it is cooking (green beans, zucchini, broccoli, chopped carrots, peas). Other changes include adding chicken broth instead of water (or bullion cubes with the water), adding cooked chicken or meat to the rice before or after cooking, or using the rice in fried rice or stir-fry. Enjoy!

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Brown Rice with Garden Veggies (Including Summer Squash!)

by stuporglue Posted on July 8, 2010

Squash time has arrived, which leads to the question “What can I make with squash!” Two years ago we had a bumper crop of summer squash and nearly overdosed on the stuff. This year I intend to record each recipe that we make using summer squash (including zucchini) so future me can more easily decide what to do with it. Part of our strategy this year is to pick them when they’re smaller. They should be more tender and less intimidating this way, right?

Summer squash and zucchini
Summer squash and zucchini. About 9 inches long

Brown Rice with Garden Veggies (Including Summer Squash)

We really liked this recipe, even my 4 year old. It’s kind of a cross between fried rice and Hawaiian haystacks. The squash isn’t very prominent, but helps make the rice more interesting. Nutty brown rice mixes nicely with the sweetness of the pineapple and pulled pork while the ginger and turnips help it from being too sweet. The peas round out the dish adding a nice fresh crunch to it.

Enjoy!

Plate of brown rice with garden veggies (including yellow squash!)
Plate of brown rice with garden veggies (including yellow squash!)

Ingredients

  • Brown Rice
  • 1 medium (9 inch!) summer squash, chopped
  • 1 cup Peas in the pod, stems removed
  • 1/2 cup chopped turnip
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • Pineapple
  • Pulled Pork (we used leftover fake Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa)
  • Ginger (powdered, but I bet grated would taste awesome)
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • A little oil, butter or cooking spray

Cook It!

  1. Prepare pulled pork using your favorite recipe (or buy it, if you’re in a hurry).
  2. Put the rice on to cook. You want to stop it while it still has a nice bite and isn’t stuck together. None of this mushy rice stuff.
    1. When it is done add a couple tablespoons soy sauce
  3. Lightly oil a frying pan and fry in the onions and turnips on medium heat. These are the hardest of our vegetables tonight, so we start them first.
  4. After about 10-15 minutes, when the onions and turnips are just starting to soften, add the squash and peas. Immediately add the ginger, garlic and salt to taste.
  5. Cook the vegetables for another 10-15 minutes. You will know that it’s done when the squash starts to get soft. We’re just cooking the squash and peas just enough to make them start to release their juices.
  6. Mix the finished rice and vegetables together.

Serve It!

Put down a bed of brown rice with vegetables, add the pulled pork and pineapple on top.

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