vegan rice and peas rice cooker method

Jamaicans love their rice and meat. They would say that rice and peas without salt pork isn’t real rice and peas. And they would be right. But we have become more diet conscious and people I know are vegan but do not want to give up their rice and peas. Who doesn’t want to have their cake and eat it too?

Vegan Rice and Peas, Rice Cooker Method (adapted from West Winds, 2022)

Yield: 4-6 servings

200g dried kidney beans, soaked overnight or 400g can of kidney beans, undrained

2 whole scallions or chives

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2.5cm/1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

3 whole garlic cloves, peeled

300g basmati rice or Thai jasmine rice, washed and drained

200ml unsweetened coconut milk

1 whole scotch bonnet pepper

1 tablespoon coconut cream, optional

Seasoning

1 teaspoon homemade all-purpose seasoning (recipe follows)

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce or browning

1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon brown sugar, optional

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

6 pimento seeds/allspice berries or 1/2-teaspoon ground allspice

Special Equipment: slow cooker, rice cooker, or multicooker

Prepare the kidney beans. About two days before cooking, soak the dried kidney beans overnight. The next day, rinse and drain the beans. Place beans with 600ml water and 1/2-teaspoon baking soda to soften, in a slow cooker. Cook 12 hours or until the beans are softened but still firm to the tooth. Drain the cooked beans but retain the bean cooking water.

Make the seasoning. In a small bowl, mix together the seasoning ingredients. Set aside.

In the cooking pot of a large 10-cup rice cooker place the washed rice and cooked beans. Combine gently with a silicone spatula. Add scallions, thyme, ginger, and garlic. Pour in the coconut milk. Add the seasoning mixture and gently combine. Smooth the top. Add enough of the bean cooking water to come up 1/4-inch or 5mm above the level of the rice and beans. Add the scotch bonnet pepper. Press the cook button. When the button has popped, turn over the rice in the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning.

All-Purpose Seasoning (makes 200g)

3 tablespoons garlic powder

3 tablespoons onion powder

3 tablespoons sweet paprika (pimenton dulce)

1 tablespoon chili pepper (cayenne pepper in the original)

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon pimento/allspice berries or 1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 tablespoon sea salt flakes

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blitz until the pimento berries are finely ground. Use as directed and store the leftovers in a tightly covered jar in a cool, dark place or refrigerate it.

shrimp with spicy green rice

This is based on a Martha Stewart recipe which itself is based on a Venetian recipe called “risi e bisi” or rice and peas. Not at all like Jamaican rice and peas, this rice soup has more in common with SE Asia, particularly Thailand’s boiled rice soup ข้าวต้ม. Lightly spicy and full of flavour, this rice soup is hearty without being heavy.

Shrimp with Spicy Green Rice

Yield: 4 servings

Herb Sauce

4 large cloves garlic (can reduce to 2 but 4 is better)

2 green Thai chilies, chopped

1 cup packed fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh ginger

1 cup fresh Thai basil leaves (กะเพรา)

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Rice Soup

3 tablespoons oil

2 small leeks, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon ginger

3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade and low sodium

4 oz sugar snap peas or snow pea pods, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed, and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup Thai jasmine rice

1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined

For Serving

Herb Sauce

Cilantro, chopped

Basil, chopped

Lime wedges

Special Equipment: medium size Dutch pot with lid

Make the herb sauce. Pulse garlic until finely chopped. Add chili, 2 tablespoons ginger, chilies, basil, cilantro, fish sauce, and sugar. Process until finely chopped. Add 1 tablespoon oil and 3 tablespoons water. Process finely until mixture is the texture of a fine puree. Set aside.

Make rice soup. In Dutch pot without lid, heat 3 tablespoons oil on medium-high heat. Add leeks and 1 tablespoon ginger. Cook until the leeks are softened, 1-2 minutes. Stir in rice, broth and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low. Cover pot and simmer 17-18 minutes or until the rice is very soft. The texture will be soupy as the rice will not absorb all the liquid.

Add shrimp to the mixture, simmer, stirring once or twice, until shrimp turns just pink, 1-2 minutes. Stir in peas and asparagus plus 2 tablespoons of the herb sauce. Cook until the vegetables turn bright green, 1-2 minutes. Taste for seasoning and salt. Add more herb sauce if desired. Reserve the remainder for serving at the table.

Remove from heat and serve with cilantro, basil, and lime wedges as well as the remainder of the herb sauce.

omurice

Omurice is a Japanese portmanteau of two English words omelette + rice. Pronounced om-you-rice-uh, it is a simple meal consisting of vegetable fried rice topped with an egg omelette. I added the crispy fried pork because it made delicious sense. But you can add cubes of ham or bacon to the rice. Or if you wish leave out the meat entirely and it becomes a vegetarian meal. Use any leftover rice but I used Japanese short-grain rice here.

Omurice

Yield: 4 servings

1 recipe Japanese short grain rice (recipe follows) or use any cold leftover rice

2 tablespoons rice bran or vegetable oil, plus more as needed

1/2 cup cubed ham or six pieces of bacon fried crumbled, optional

1/2 onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup corn kernels

1/3 cup diced carrots

1/3 cup baby green peas

4 large eggs, beaten

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sliced cherry tomatoes and scallions for garnish, optional

Sriracha hot sauce, optional

Japanese Rice

1 1/2 cups Japanese short grain rice

1 1/2 cups water

Put rice in a medium saucepan and rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Drain the rice in a colander and return to the pot. Add the measured water and let the rice steep at least 20 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Put the saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to simmer, stirring occasionally. Cover and turn the heat down to low. Cook 14 minutes without removing the lid until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let the rice steam 5 minutes before fluffing the grains with a fork or turning it with a rice paddle. Let the rice cool to room temperature before making the fried rice. Do Ahead 1 day.

Make the fried rice. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Stir fry the onions until translucent. Add the carrots and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the corn and the peas, cooking until peas are bright green. Add the garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add more oil to the pan if it seems dry. Add the rice and quickly turn it until it is heated and the vegetables are mixed in. Combine the ham or cooked bacon, if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Make the omelette. Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper.

Using a non-stick 8- or 10-inch skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat, swirling it in the pan. Pour in enough egg to coat the bottom of the pan, tilting it so that the egg fills in all the gaps. Use a spatula to lift the edges and peek underneath. It is done when the underside is golden and the top has set. To hasten the setting, cover the omelette pan for 30 seconds or up to one minute. Loosen the omelette in the pan. Remove it from heat.

Using a rice bowl, pack it with fried rice then overturn it in a mound in the center of a dinner plate. Tip the cooked omelette over on top of the rice, letting the browned side show. If you wish, garnish with tomatoes and scallions. Repeat the process until the rice and eggs are used up. Serve with Sriracha hot sauce, if desired.

a study in brown: brown rice and shiitake mushroom congee with pork and olives

Congee or Chinese rice porridge, is comfort food. Whether it is cold outside or you have a cold and a stuffy nose, it is very comforting to eat congee without accompaniments but merely sprinkled with oyster sauce. Lee Kum Kee’s boat brand has always been my favorite congee sauce. Yotam Ottolenghi riffed on this most humble of Chinese dishes by using brown short grain rice and, for best umami flavour, chopped shiitake mushrooms. In Asia, in Thailand especially, congee is often eaten with little dishes alongside, balancing meat and vegetables that are salty, sauce-y, bland, and spicy.

Brown Rice and Shiitake Mushroom Congee (Yotam Ottolenghi)

Yield: 4 servings

80ml canola oil

60g/6 scallions, chopped

40g fresh ginger root, chopped fine

6 large garlic cloves, chopped fine

salt to taste

180g brown short-grain rice

50g dried shiitake mushrooms

1.5L water (including mushroom soaking water)

Rayu (or Layu) Spicy Sauce

2 tablespoons red pepper flakes

4 1/2-teaspoons white sesame seeds, toasted

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds, toasted

2 1/2-teaspoons finely grated tangerine zest

7 1/2-teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 of the fried green onion oil mixture

Lightly toast white and black sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat. When the white sesame starts to brown, the black sesame is done. Set aside.

Soak the mushrooms in boiling water in a large bowl, 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut off the stems and chop the mushrooms into 4 or 5 pieces. Save the stems to make vegetable soup stock. Save the mushroom soaking water for the rice.

In a 3quart saucepan or Dutch pot, add the canola oil, green onions, ginger, garlic, and 1/4-teaspoon salt. Fry 12 minutes on medium heat, stirring often, until soft and aromatic. If the mixture seems to be browning too fast, turn down the heat. Remove pot from stove and strain the oil over a bowl to keep the oil. Return half the scallion mixture to the pan but save the rest.

In a food processor, process the brown rice using 5 pulses, until the rice is broken but do not make into a powder.

Add the rice and shiitake mushrooms to the pan with the green onion mixture. Turn heat to medium high. Add the water, including the mushroom water, and 1 1/4-teaspoons of salt. Stir and bring to a simmer, 30 minutes or until most of the water has been absorbed by the rice.

Make the rayu or layu while the rice is simmering. To a small bowl, add the pepper flakes, sesame seeds white and black, tangerine zest and half of the reserved oil.

To serve: spoon congee into a bowl. Top with a spoonful of rayu. Serve with a variety of accompaniments such as (but not limited to): fried Chinese sausage slices, pork and olives (recipe follows), simple sautéed vegetables, pickles, stewed pork ribs, fried fish, fried tofu cubes, egg omelette.

Pork and Olives (adapted from Jia! by Diana Dianxi Zheng)

2 tablespoons rice bran oil

500g ground pork

6 cloves garlic, minced

15 pieces of salted Chinese olives, pits removed and chopped

1 tablespoon olive vegetables

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce, plus more to taste

1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, for garnish

If the olives are dried, soak them in warm water to soften, then chop fine.

Heat a dry wok over high heat. Add the oil. Spread the ground pork in the bottom of the pan and let it cook without turning, 1 minute. Add garlic and stir fry 1 minute. Add the minced olives and stir fry until well combined.

Reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking, turning occasionally, until all liquid has evaporated and the pork begins to crisp. Add olive vegetable and fish sauce, stiring to incorporate. Add dark soy and stir. Taste and add more fish sauce if needed.

Remove from heat and plate. If desired, garnish the top with chopped cilantro.