recipes
rice is love, three ways
It’s valentines and the poc fam knows we don’t say I love you but feed rice to show our love.
The hardest part, or actually the fun bit, is that it was so hard to find one recipe – because every poc mum has her own spin on their traditional rice dish.
We did adaptations of various recipes to create this rice is love series, inspired by Persia, West Africa and Somalia. And these are feasts to create when you have friends and family over, guaranteed love!
tahchin
persian-inspired
This is a crispy layered rice dish, typically filled with chicken but we decided to go vegetarian and made mushrooms instead.
jollof rice
west africa-inspired
We did a pescatarian spin on jollof rice, in an attempt to end the ghanian and nigerian flavour feud with this famous West African rice dish.
bariis iskularis
somalian inspired
This is Somalian mixed rice – a mix of spice and sweetness – Somalians love their sweet. We didn’t have the traditional Xawaash (pronounced hawaaj) spice blend, so we re-created it with a couple of Amma’s spices.
the stuff
the rice:
1 cup rice, washed and drained
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
the yoghurt mix:
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 egg yolk
2 tsp oil
1 tbsp saffron water
the filling:
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin powder
water, as needed
garnish:
barberries
pistachios
2 tsp saffron water
the method
- Stir fry mushrooms, onions and spices
- Mix all the ingredients for the yoghurt mix
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil
- Parboil the rice in the pot for 7-10 minutes
- Drain the parboiled rice and divide into two portions
- Mix one portion with yoghurt mix
- Heat 1 tbsp oil and 1 tbsp butter in a non stick saucepan, just until sizzling
- Remove from the heat and prepare the layers
- Layer 1: the rice and yoghurt mix
- Layer 2: the filling
- Layer 3: the plain rice
- Drizzle the saffron water
- Tightly cover the saucepan with a lid, wrapped in a tea towel
- Cook on low heat for 30-40 minutes until the bottom is crispy and golden brown
- Top with pistachios and more barberries
- Cut into this delicious rice cake and enjoy!
jollof rice
the stuff
the rice:
1 1/2 cups basmati rice, rinsed well
1 1/2 cups water (or stock)
the filling:
2 small red onions, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
3 bell peppers, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch ginger, sliced
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp chilli powder
3 tbsp vegetable oil
salt, to taste
topping:
500g raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt, pepper
the method
- Blend the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, garlic, ginger, nutmeg, and spices until smooth
- Heat oil in pan over medium high
- Add tomato paste and stir to combine
- Stir in onion-tomato mixture
- Cook, whisking occassionally, until it reduces
- Add rice to tomato mixture and stir to coat
- Stir in water or stock to mixture and reduce heat to medium low
- Simmer until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender
- Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium high
- Grill the shrimp with some black pepper, salt and spices as you like
- Fluff the rice into a bowl and serve with shrimp, mm!
bariis iskularis
the stuff
the rice:
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed well
2 1/2 cup chicken stock
the meat:
2 chicken breasts
the bariis:
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 green chili
1 tomato, diced
250ml tomato paste
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin and coriander powder
1 tbsp curry powder
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves
3 cardamom pods
1 tsp saffron water
3/4 cup raisins
the method
- Boil the chicken breasts until cooked in a pot of salted water
- Keep the stock
- Add olive oil to a large pot and stir in the spices over medium-heat
- Add the meat and coat in spice mix until it sears well
- Remove meat from the pan
- Add olive oil, onion, garlic and fry for a few minutes
- Stir in the chilli and tomatoes, tomato paste, spices and raisins
- Stir in rice and mix well
- Add the chicken stock and combine well
- Bring to a boil on high heat
- Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan
- Cook until the rice absorbs all the liquid, stirring occassionally (about 10 minutes)
- Serve the bariis with the meat and extra raisins to garnish