Spicing Up My Rice

[carpy1985]

Got to say I agree with everything you just said. I really am a fan of the K.I.S.S. type principles.

Keep
It
Simple
Stupid



Just give me what I want without a load of extra rubbish (and gluten) and salt thrown in lol

 

[taxlady]

Making your own stock is easy.

I usually make mine from chicken bones that I saved from meals that we have eaten. I keep them in the freezer until I have enough to 1/3 fill a large pot. Then I cover with water and about 5 cm more water. I bring it to a boil kinda slow and then simmer for hours. After that I strain out the bones. Sometimes I reduce it so I have a concentrated stock. I don't put any seasoning. I can always add that later. I freeze it in chunks in my silicone muffin "tin" and have them handy for whatever. It's very cheap, easy, low labour, but time consuming.

 

[Izghoga]

Try a powder from dried mushrooms and fennel.
Mushrooms with strong taste and aroma are necessary.

Or.

If there is a possibility to buy a truffle.
Put it in bank with dry rice. In which it it is stored.
For couple of weeks rice will absorb in itself aroma of a truffle. And dried up a truffle it is possible to rub on a grater and to add in cooking as spice.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Just give me what I want without a load of extra rubbish (and gluten) and salt thrown in lol

If you want to add extra stuff, use a lot of fresh ingredients like onions, carrots, garlic, shallots, parsley, bell peppers, hot peppers, etc. All of those add vitamins, nutrients, anti-oxidants and plenty of flavor to your cooking, without adding a bunch of chemicals and preservatives..

Making your own stock is easy.

It is easy, but it's a lot of work. Yeah I know most of the work is at the front end, and then some straining at the end, and storing it. Most of the cooking time can be spent out of the kitchen since the stock cooks itself with little tending. But... Canned stock is so convenient and is inexpensive particularly stocking up on stock when it's on sale. I used to make stock out of every turkey I cooked (and I cooked lots of them) but usually I just buy stock on sale and keep it in the pantry.

When I make my own stock and use it in my recipes, I find that I have more pride in the food I've cooked, and that's a good thing. From the labor standpoint it's not worth it to me, but from the satisfaction side it is worth it. I'll continue both making it when I have leftover ingredients to use, and buying canned stock the rest of the time.

 

[carpy1985]

Just had my first test run and it seems to have gone down pretty well!!

Rice with Knor stock (plus all the other crap they throw in lol)
Chicken left overs from yesterday pan fried (with 1 cal type spray) with chopped up leek, onions (can only describe them as crushed) and green beans.
Threw on some paprika and peri peri seasoning.

I found the paprika and peri peri hid most of the taste of the onion which I don't like and just left a subtle hint of it behind.

Next time I'll be increasing the amount of veg in it as I just wanted to taste it first before diving in lol

EDIT: This was done in a Teflon frying pan - wok action tomorrow when I have some high heat oil!

 

[merstar]

I would add green peas at or near the end of cooking because they need warming only not cooking.

Absolutely! I always add them (frozen, thawed), at the end, just to warm up - otherwise, they get mushy!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Try shallots instead of onions for a milder but similar taste. If you don't like the shallots then maybe you should skip onions altogether. You can either dice the shallots, or what I like even better just slice them very thinly.

I don't believe you need any particularly high heat oil for the stir fry you're doing here. Although peanut oil has the reputation of being one of the highest smoking point oils I see no reason why you couldn't use olive or canola oil, or any of a number of other vegetable oils.

I really love leeks. Of course they're in the onion family too.

I had to google to figure out what it is, piri piri, a type of chili pepper. You might consider using some kind of fresh chili peppers. Be careful in your selection since some are mild while others are very hot. You might slice them very thinly on an angle, for use in this recipe. You can throw them in with your saute, or you can sprinkle over before serving.

My advice in using chili peppers instead of a ground seasoning is along the same lines as my stock suggestions. I prefer to go to the more natural, fresher ingredients, fresh spices instead of dried spices, whole dried spices instead of ground dried spices, etc. I believe the more primitive and less processed you get the better it tastes.

By the way, everybody should be very careful about following any of my advice about using chilis, because I'd think nothing of adding lots of very hot chili peppers to many recipes I cook. I like spicy food and I suspect a lot of people would find some of my spicy recipes too hot for them. Again, this is one of the advantages of cooking your own food, that you can get it just exactly as spicy as you like, no more and no less.

 

[Claire]

Try a powder from dried mushrooms and fennel.
Mushrooms with strong taste and aroma are necessary.

Or.

If there is a possibility to buy a truffle.
Put it in bank with dry rice. In which it it is stored.
For couple of weeks rice will absorb in itself aroma of a truffle. And dried up a truffle it is possible to rub on a grater and to add in cooking as spice.

Dried mushrooms can also be put in a food processor and powdered, then used in any broth.

 

[carpy1985]

Try shallots instead of onions for a milder but similar taste. If you don't like the shallots then maybe you should skip onions altogether. You can either dice the shallots, or what I like even better just slice them very thinly.

I don't believe you need any particularly high heat oil for the stir fry you're doing here. Although peanut oil has the reputation of being one of the highest smoking point oils I see no reason why you couldn't use olive or canola oil, or any of a number of other vegetable oils.

I really love leeks. Of course they're in the onion family too.

I had to google to figure out what it is, piri piri, a type of chili pepper. You might consider using some kind of fresh chili peppers. Be careful in your selection since some are mild while others are very hot. You might slice them very thinly on an angle, for use in this recipe. You can throw them in with your saute, or you can sprinkle over before serving.

My advice in using chili peppers instead of a ground seasoning is along the same lines as my stock suggestions. I prefer to go to the more natural, fresher ingredients, fresh spices instead of dried spices, whole dried spices instead of ground dried spices, etc. I believe the more primitive and less processed you get the better it tastes.

By the way, everybody should be very careful about following any of my advice about using chilis, because I'd think nothing of adding lots of very hot chili peppers to many recipes I cook. I like spicy food and I suspect a lot of people would find some of my spicy recipes too hot for them. Again, this is one of the advantages of cooking your own food, that you can get it just exactly as spicy as you like, no more and no less.

I like hot food! So I'm all good

I really don't like onions BUT I don't like a lot of veg so this is a cheeky way of adding them in without actually eating them if you know what I mean?!

Also the other half really likes them so I'm keeping the people happy whilst upping the veg count for me! Can't lose!

I will certainly be venturing down the shallots route though lol

 

[Caslon]

Hello All

I got a new set of Prestige Pans and a Wok for Xmas and since i have been a bit more adventurous with my cooking!

My favourite so far is to bring some water to the boil and add a chicken stock to the pan and adding rice once this has dissolved. Beautiful!

What i want to do next is to add some spice / colour to the rice... but i am a bit fussy and dont like onions and so was wondering what you would suggest i try adding!

So far i am thinking to finely chop in some peppers or something to add flavour and colour!

If it helps this is to accompany a load of diced up chicken (which i tend to dry fry with some Nandos hot sauce)

Also i am Gluten Intolerant which shouldn't make a difference but just in case!

Thanks Guys and Happy New Year!!

Andrew

You might try adding some curry powder with a little butter, it would go well with the chicken and other fixngs.

 

[Zhizara]

I agree with you about sneaking veggies in. Sometimes I'll add a handful of frozen mixed vegetables at the beginning of cooking rice. You don't really taste the veggies so much, but it's really pretty. LOL

 

[Fabiabi]

I like the idea of adding cumin seeds to rice. I really like rice salads, you can literally add anything you like and it will probably taste great.

 

[carpy1985]

Adding seeds is appealing too as things like pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds are really good for you too!

Goes with the whole lumping veg in sneakily to stay healthy

 

[CWS4322]

A friend of mine is married to a gentleman from India. She makes the loveliest curry powder (which she gives me in exchange for FRESH eggs). I like to add her curry powder to rice.

 

[Timothy]

A friend of mine is married to a gentleman from India. She makes the loveliest curry powder (which she gives me in exchange for FRESH eggs). I like to add her curry powder to rice.

MMMmmmmmmmm, I love curry. It's my "Comfort Seasoning"

 

[Addie]

Must admit I've never tried Shallots. Think my stigma with Onions is that I hate it when they are either fried or people put massive chunks of them in my food.

I may try some of the things you have suggested including some finely diced dry fried onions (I'm dry frying everything at the minute ha) to see what I like.

Not a clue what saffron is though - nothing google won't solve though!!

Saffron is one of if not the most expensive spice on this earth. It leaves a color of orange/yellow on the food and is used very sparingly. It comes from Spain and Portugal.

 

[Caslon]

A friend of mine is married to a gentleman from India. She makes the loveliest curry powder (which she gives me in exchange for FRESH eggs). I like to add her curry powder to rice.

Got there first a few posts back about adding curry powder to rice, its delicious. One thing I noticed about adding curry to rice tho, you have to add a lot as the rice keeps neutralizing the curry flavor as I add it. That's why I think adding in a pat of butter to the rice is a good idea as it coats the rice and allows the curry to stay on top, and not be absorbed and nulled.

 

[carpy1985]

Saffron is one of if not the most expensive spice on this earth. It leaves a color of orange/yellow on the food and is used very sparingly. It comes from Spain and Portugal.

That's why my other half balked when I mentioned it then

 

[Addie]

That's why my other half balked when I mentioned it then

I would have passed out. It is kept under lock and key.

 

[Timothy]

Saffron is one of if not the most expensive spice on this earth. It leaves a color of orange/yellow on the food and is used very sparingly. It comes from Spain and Portugal.

I found it listed for $145 an ounce for spanish saffron stigma threads. I guess this is one seasoning I'll just have to do without.