This brown rice, pea and cucumber salad has a delicious lemony dressing and plenty of fresh mint. Good for you too! Cook 1½ cups of brown rice in a saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water then leave to drain while you prepare the other ingredients. In a…… Continue reading brown rice salad
Category: grains
carrot fried rice + mint raita
This delicious Indian style fried rice served with fresh mint raita comes from Swasthi’s Recipes. It makes a great meal on it’s own or can be served as part of a larger spread. Cook the rice in advance if possible – good quality extra long basmati rice makes all the difference. Soak 1 cup of…… Continue reading carrot fried rice + mint raita
carrot risotto with chilli
This risotto, made from everyday ingredients, is wonderfully creamy and naturally sweet with a great contrast of roasted carrots and crispy chilli on top. Adapted from this recipe by Alexa Weibel from NYT Cooking. Heat the oven to 205ºC (400ºF). Finely chop or grate 340g (¾ lb) of carrots and set aside. Now slice another…… Continue reading carrot risotto with chilli
pea and dill pilaf
A simple but delicious pilaf. Serve it as a side dish or on it’s own with some yoghurt. Heat some vegetable oil and butter in a heavy pot and add 1½ cups of basmati rice, 1 heaped teaspoon of dried mint and salt to taste. Stir the rice until it’s coated with the oil and…… Continue reading pea and dill pilaf
steamed sticky rice
Chinese savoury sticky rice, nuo mi fan (糯米飯), is made of glutinous rice with various ingredients and flavourings, which are wrapped in lotus leaf parcels and then steamed until the flavours combine into a delicious mass. This is one of those ubiquitous dishes which has many different variations. I chose to make one large parcel…… Continue reading steamed sticky rice
buckwheat and mushrooms
Buckwheat is a popular grain in the Slavic countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Poland. Here it’s paired with dried porcini (cep) mushrooms in a deliciously nutty and flavourful casserole. Soak 55g (2 oz) of porcini mushrooms in 2 cups of warm water for 2 hours. Now preheat your oven to 190ºC…… Continue reading buckwheat and mushrooms
lamb shanks + pilaf
These lamb shanks, adapted from this NYTimes recipe by David Tanis, are braised with a subtle mix of Persian spices and citrus and served with the soup-like braising liquid. Generously salt four meaty lamb shanks. Mix together 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom, 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper…… Continue reading lamb shanks + pilaf
congee with pork and corn
Congee is a staple dish in China which varies from region to region. White rice is boiled in 10-12 times its weight in water until it breaks down and becomes a thick porridge. Considered the ultimate comfort food, congee is eaten at any time of day. Savoury congee is often cooked with flavourful ingredients and…… Continue reading congee with pork and corn
beef larb + sticky rice
Larb is an authentic and ubiquitous Laotian dish, a spicy beef salad which is packed with fresh herbs and chilli and served with steamed sticky rice. Make a marinade for 250g (1 lb) of beef steak (we used sirloin) by combining 2 tablespoons of Thai fish sauce, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of…… Continue reading beef larb + sticky rice
saffron rice cake
This rice cake, called Tahchin, is a speciality of Iran. The long-grained rice is usually enriched with saffron, yoghurt and egg yolks and can also include fruit or vegetables. The crispy crust which is called tahdig (Persian for bottom of the pot) is often made with rice, bread or potato. In this version, from recipetineats,…… Continue reading saffron rice cake
michelle picker cooks 