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Posts tagged ‘rice’

Nov 19

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What you need to know about wild rice (and an easy pilaf to get you started)

Wild_rice_pilaf_2

I’ve been feeling a little remiss in my duties as a Minnesotan lately, considering how little I’ve talked about wild rice over the years I’ve had this site. We don’t eat it as often as we should, and that’s probably where the guilt actually lies, but I’m determined to remedy the situation and so here I am.

I know I’ve mentioned wild rice here and again, but let’s back up and get a good handle on the whole business. Wild rice (which is not actually a rice, but we’ll get to that) looks like very long long-grain rice covered by a thin brownish-blackish skin. When properly cooked, that skin breaks open and most of the grains begin to curl in on themselves, which many recipes refer to as “blossoming.” The grains still have their bran intact, which gives it a toothsome, chewy texture similar to brown rice and other whole grains. It has a toasty, nutty, earthy flavor, and can often smell and taste slightly like black tea. The flavor and texture it adds over other rices and grains is worth the extra effort required in cooking it, and it’s interesting to add to soups, breads, salads, and other dishes in a way that other grains seem to act more as mere filler or heft.

WildRice_Kale

That said, I’m from Minnesota. I get it. I’ve eaten wild rice my whole life, and in a million different ways. I’ve always known the difference between real wild rice and the other stuff, just like someone from the Northwest knows about wild salmon and someone from New Mexico knows about real green chile. Wild rice isn’t nearly as pervasive of a thing as those other two, so don’t feel bad if you have no idea where I’m going with this – just know that there’s a difference. Read more

Aug 19

7 Comments

Campsite rice and beans

July 2013 update – looking specifically for backpacking meal ideas? Check out this post for a few trail-appropriate recipes and meal plans. 

A few people have asked for more information about how we’re eating when we’re traveling, specifically when we’re camping. We just finished camping for seven nights in a row, and after one night in a hotel in Calgary are camping for the next four, which means quite a bit of campstove cooking and mobile kitchen setups. Cooking while camping can be a daunting task, but so far we’ve found great ways to nourish our hard-hiking, long-driving days.

rice_beans

I actually like cooking outside quite a bit, and nothing tastes quite so good as a meal around a campfire. Some of the meals I list below may seem pretty ordinary or low-brow, but I can tell you that even the simplest of things tastes amazingly good after a long day of hiking or driving. Sometime soon I’m going to put together a longer, more detailed guide to camp cooking, but for now I just thought I’d share how we’ve been feeding ourselves lately, along with a super-simple, super-healthy, flavor-packed dinner that’s great for camping or at home. Read more

Oct 18

5 Comments

Sprinkles and whole milk make almost everything better

You can learn a lot about yourself through spending time in the kitchen.

Are you a patient person? Are you a detail-oriented person? How do you like to learn? Do you like detailed directions, or a basic idea to work with? Are you willing to put hours of time into something that may not work in the end? How well can you deal with failure? When you bake a cake that immediately crumbles upon taking it out of the pan and a frosting that gloops like thin glue, are you a person who throws it away and instead finishes that two-week-old In-and-Out strawberry shake in your freezer, or do you stick with it and eat it anyway?  Maybe with some sprinkles?  And a White Russian?

Cake_sprinkles_whrussian

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Sep 20

8 Comments

The world’s best coconut rice, and the Bowen Appetit Trifecta of Certainty

There’s a saying about how there are few things you can count on in life aside from taxes and death … or something like that. (I’d like to add sleep deprivation to that list, but that’s just me.)

But the good news is there are plenty of things you can count on in the kitchen.  Like citrus zest, caramelized onions, and garlic. I’m pretty certain that if you add one, two, or all three of those ingredients to almost anything, you’ll make it taste better.  I’ve spent a lot (a LOT) of time this summer proving that hypothesis.

Rice_trifecta

Coconut_rice_start

For instance: coconut rice is pretty great.  Savory, sweet, rich, silky, and exotic. But coconut rice with caramelized onion and lime zest and garlic – now it’s out of this world. And now you have the Bowen Appetit Trifecta of Certainty.

And here’s what you should do – serve it with some easy refried beans made with bacon fat. (This is ridiculously easy – heat 1 Tbsp. bacon fat in a pan, add one can of drained black beans, heat through and mash around a bit. Salt and otherwise season as desired and if needed.)

Well, shoot. Should I add bacon fat to the Trifecta? It’s a pretty certain improvement, in most situations. But what’s the equivalent word for four items?

This is too challenging for my poor morning brain. I’ve been overwhelmed by bacon fat.

Also, while we’re on the topic – salt goes without saying as a certainty. Salt makes almost everything better.  There’s a reason salivate and salt start with the same three letters, my friends. Also salary. And Salzburg. That’s where I learned all kinds of impressive things about salt.

Okay, this is seriously aside from the point.

Coconut_rice

The point is: here’s some awesome coconut rice.

We ate it with a few grilled peppers, refried beans, and some mahi mahi coated in a lime-based sauce and grilled in banana leaves, and it added a perfectly perfumed, sweet note to an other wise fairly savory and citrus-oriented meal.

World’s best coconut rice

  • Canola oil
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, diced finely or minced
  • Zest of one lime
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 cup chicken stock, veggie stock, or water

– Add enough oil to a 1 to 2 quart pan to cover the bottom (a tablespoon or two, probably). Heat over medium high until oil is hot, then add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally. After a minute or two, add the garlic.  Cook until onion is translucent.

– Add rice and the lime zest to the pan and stir until it starts to look a little milky.

– Add coconut milk and other liquid and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.  Check after 20 minutes. If there’s still liquid in the bottom of the pan, uncover and turn up the heat to boil off the liquid.

– Fluff the rice with a fork. Turn off the heat, put the cover back on the pan, and let sit covered for about 10 minutes (if you have time – it makes a bit of a difference, but isn’t necessary).