Category: Foodie Friday

It’s Your Time to Shine! {Foodie Friday}

time-to-shine

This week’s Foodie Friday features posts by our ARWB members for clients of The Women Bloggers. If you have written any food related (not necessarily recipes, y’all) posts for any of our clients, link those. We’re a busy bunch!

Ricci Alexis: Spicy Ranch Chicken and Rice {Foodie Friday}

I don’t know about you but I hate to go grocery shopping. I hate battling crowds, always forgetting something, and the store usually being out of the one thing I came to get. So frustrating!

With all of that being said when I can’t find anything to make for dinner I usuallyplay a game with myself called “Iron Pantry”. It’s similar to the TV show Iron Chef (is that show still on??) in that I just dig through the pantry for random ingredients and make them into a meal. I have created some of my favorite meals this way! Today Iam going to share that meal with you, Spicy Ranch Chicken and Rice!

Riceland, rice, chicken, ranch dressing

I was playing Iron Pantry one night when I created one of my all time favorite meals!! I literally came up with this recipe when I was in college and it’s still around today. Two things that I always keep on hand are chicken and brown rice…I switched from white to brown rice when I was in college and never looked back. It just tastes so much better to me than white rice!!

I marinated my chicken in some fat free Italian dressing and grilled it on my George Foreman. Can I just stop and say right here that I am obsessed with my George? I am a single lady and have not yet mastered an outdoor grill, but I can grill anything on my George!

I usually use whatever brown rice I find but have made it a point lately to buy Riceland Brown Rice. I love knowing that the rice I use was grown and harvested right down the road, Plus it just tastes better than most.

With my protein and grain I had a great start for the base for my meal! The night I created this meal I had some bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic that I needed to use so I decided to sauté them and mix them in with my chicken and rice. The meal was looking better but needed a little something…

rice, chicken, ranch dressing, Riceland

After digging though my spice cabinet I decided to spice it up with some Cajun seasoning. I always have Cajun seasoning on hand; it just goes good on everything!!

Processed with Snapseed.

It was looking pretty good but I decided to kick it up a notch and throw a little Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch on it and HOLY MOLY it was amazing!! And finally finished…HA!

These days I usually have everything I need to make this Spicy Ranch Chicken and Rice on hand and make it at least once a week. Sometimes I switch the veggies up and just use whatever I have on hand but that's the beauty of any recipe, you can totally customize it to what you like!

chicken, Riceland, ranch dressing

So that’s it for my favorite go-to dish!! What’s yours??

Ricci Alexis: Spicy Ranch Chicken and Rice {Foodie Friday}

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup fat free Italian dressing
2 cups Riceland Brown Rice
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 onion
1 cup mushrooms
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoon Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

Instructions

Marinate chicken in Italian Dressing
Grill chicken until done and then set aside
Make brown rice according to the directions on the Riceland bag
Chop up all bell peppers and onions and sauté on medium until veggies are tender
Add in mushrooms and minced garlic
When veggies are done set aside
In a bowl mix brown rice, grilled chicken and veggies and cajun seasoning
Top with Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch Dressing
Enjoy!

https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/ricci-alexis-spicy-ranch-chicken-rice-foodie-friday/

Arkansas Women Blogger Ricci Ellis is an Arkansas native and current central Arkansas resident. Her favorite titles include dog mom, sister, aunt, blogger and respiratory therapist. You can catch up with her on her lifestyle blog, Ricci Alexis, or on any social media @riccialexis.

How to Stir Fry with Renee {National Rice Month}

renee birchfield rice stir fry

ARWB member Renee Birchfield shares her step-by-step method for making stir-fried rice on her blog If Spoons Could Talk.

Stir-fried rice is a popular dish not only when dining out, but also for making in our homes. With a little ingenuity, rice, a few vegetables and a bit of protein, if desired, you can whip up a tasty and filling meal for your family in a short amount of time.

[stextbox id=”custom” shadow=”false” bwidth=”1″ color=”050505″ ccolor=”050505″ bcolor=”050505″ bgcolor=”BAF8FF” cbgcolor=”BAF8FF” bgcolorto=”BAF8FF” cbgcolorto=”BAF8FF” image=”null”]”Stir-Frying is defined as frying rapidly over high heat while stirring briskly. It is the Chinese version of the French’s sauteeing, typically done in a wok over high heat. If you don’t have a wok though that is ok, but if this becomes a common method of cooking for you I recommend that you get a good quality one as it does help when cooking.”[/stextbox]

Renee Birchfield

Check out these stir fry ideas from Riceland:

650_duck_fried_rice_plated_large

Duck Fried Rice

brown_fried_rice

Brown Fried Rice

chinesefriedrice_3

Chinese Fried Rice with Bacon and Mushrooms

Share your favorite stir-fried rice recipe w #ARWB #NationalRiceMonth

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vegetarian_fried_rice

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Fried Rice

mandarin stir fry

Mandarin Stir Fry

Have a favorite stir-fry idea or recipe? Share your recipe link with us or tell us about your idea in the comments.

Celebrating National Rice Month with ARWB

rice harvest nat rice month

Arkansas Women Blogger members enjoy a special relationship with Riceland Foods. Not only is this Arkansas-based company headquartered here, it supports and features some of the best farmers and producers in our state. Riceland is unique because it is a cooperative of rice farmers, meaning it is owned by those farmers. Both Riceland and ARWB take tremendous pride in supporting our local farmers and producers.

Several of our members have recipes which have been featured on Riceland’s blog, including this one for Baked Chicken Marsala and Rice Casserole from Lyndi Fultz of nwafoodie which uses Riceland’s Extra Long Grain White Rice.

baked_chicken_marsala_and_rice_casserole_-_vertical

And I can definitely recommend this Lemony Shrimp Scampi over Gold Perfected Rice, the rice preferred by the hospitality industry.

lemony_shrimp_scampi_riceland_horz

Are you a Tex-Mex fan? Then be sure to put this Poblano Rice and Beans with Shredded Fajita Chicken prepared by our spicy gal Heather Disarro from Heather’s Dish.

poblano-rice-and-beans-4

Captain Mom, also known as Rhonda Franz our Girl Friday of everything The Women Bloggers, starts her family’s day off right with a Favorite Way to Eat Brown Rice for Breakfast. I certainly remember eating and loving steaming bowls of rice with sugar and cream especially on cold, winter mornings.

If you struggle with the preparation of brown rice, follow my method for cooking brown rice and your troubles will be gone! give Riceland’s new boil-in-bag brown rice a try.

riceland_brown_rice_for_breakfast

And who doesn’t love a good dessert? Rice can be your go-to ingredient for sweet craving as well as for your savory. Julie Kohl of Eggs and Herbs, Content Creator for ARWB, recently shared her Jumble Cookie recipe — perfect for lunch box treats.

rice_jumble_cookies

I’m really looking forward to experimenting more with Riceland’s Jazmine (Jasmine) Rice in some of the Indian and Thai recipes I’m learning. (Thanks Swathi!)

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Have you checked out the Riceland blog? Here are a few other examples of some of the jewels you’ll find when you do!

Dad’s Best Barbecued Chicken

You don’t have to have a big fancy grill or even a tiny disposable one to have delicious barbecued chicken. I used to think that barbecue was saved for big family picnics or get-togethers at a local park and you …Continue reading…

Kabobs Over Yellow Riceland Rice

It seems like every restaurant that serves kabobs on the menu or every butcher shop that sells pre-cooked kabobs follow a set routine by only offering chicken or beef. I often wonder, why the discrimination over other kabob meats?Continue reading…

Baked Rice Apple Crisp

As the resurgence of Sunday Suppers, potlucks, and general embracing of comfort foods tease us weekly on our social media apps, I am on the constant lookout for family-style desserts that are easy, delicious, and will please all age groups. …Continue reading…

Rice & Black-Eyed Pea Salad

When I think of black-eyed peas, I am instantly transported to a magical place of antebellum homes, magnolia trees, and mint juleps. In my minds-eye, I am sipping the mint juleps and fanning myself from the summer heat and persistent …Continue reading…

Brown Rice Chicken Skillet Dinner

We all have those times when the day is super busy but there is still a desire to put a healthy, delicious meal on the table. This Brown Rice Chicken Skillet Dinner is quick, easy and sure to please even …Continue reading…

Turkey Tetrazzini with Rice

I keep leftover turkey and chicken in my freezer just about all of the time. It comes in handy for those evenings when I need a quick and easy dinner.During the holiday season when the prices are really good, I …Continue reading…

Riceland Rice Ole’

Just about everyone enjoys the spicy taste of Mexican food. From tacos to burritos to enchiladas, we just never seem to tire of all the combinations of meat, cheese, rice, beans, avocados and peppers. While we do enjoy those, one …Continue reading…

Riceland’s Vegetable Dip

In late August and early fall in the South, all thoughts turn to football. And that, of course, means it’s time to tailgate! And while tailgate used to be just that —a picnic on the tailgate of your honey’s pickup …Continue reading…

Taramahoota Pollo Sopa con Arroz

Good friends are such a blessing. And they are especially so when they share delicious, original recipes with you and allow you to share those as you please. My good friend, Chef Liz Bray, created the original version of this …Continue reading…

Cherry Rice Salad

Every Sunday, my in-law’s church hosts a dessert social following the evening sermon. Parishioners bring a variety of desserts to share while they mill around and enjoy each other’s company.  My mother-in-law is always looking for fun new recipes and …Continue reading…

Brown Rice Breakfast Tacos

If Taco Tuesday isn’t a thing in your house, it should be. And if you’re not eating breakfast for dinner on a regular basis, well you should be doing that too. We love Taco Tuesday and breakfast for dinner in …Continue reading…

Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Pudding

Even though I try not to indulge in sweet stuff too often, every now and then my sweet tooth strikes out in full force. It usually happens in the evening. You know, the times when you are already in pajamas and …Continue reading…

Join me Tuesday, September 27 when I’ll be sharing some of our favorites from Riceland on THV11 This Morning — at 6:15 am (go ahead and set your DVR:)

Bon Appetít Y’all

All recipes and photos courtesy of Riceland Foods.

Alison Chino: Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp {National Rice Month}

thai coconut curry allison

I love a curry.

I enjoy Indian curries with all kinds of lentils and veggies and I also like the fresher feel of Thai curries with citrus flavors and seafood.

These days you can buy your own curry pastes in the grocery store, but there is something sort of nourishing about crushing the garlic and mixing the flavors all together yourself. Making a curry from scratch is not hard, but it can involve a lot of ingredients.

thai coconut curry past

This Thai curry is fairly simple and a lot of the ingredients you might already have on hand, like the spices. Consider tracking down lemongrass and fish sauce a kind of flavor treasure hunt. Both of these make this dish smell and taste divine.

I put together this recipe after ordering a similar dish in a fairly expensive Thai restaurant. It is way less expensive to make, of course, and my whole family enjoys it. (Always a win!)

This is a good curry for the warmer months of the year because it’s not as heavy as many other creamy rice dishes.

Hope you enjoy!

Alison Chino: Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp {National Rice Month}

Ingredients

For the paste:

1 inch ginger root, peeled and chopped
1 stem lemongrass, ends trimmed and sliced lengthways
1 jalepeno pepper
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice

For the curry

2 cups cooked shrimp
2 cups green vegetables (I used broccoli and sugar snap peas)
1 onion
1 can coconut milk
1 teaspoon fish sauce
Cooked Basmati rice (to serve on the side)
Fresh cilantro (for serving)

Instructions

Make the paste by taking all ingredients and crushing them with a mortar and pestle, or you can use a food processor. I like the mortar and pestle method but you will end up with larger stems of lemongrass. You can leave them large and then pull them out just before serving.
Heat a large skillet.
Add paste and cook for about five minutes.
Add prawns (shrimp), then the coconut milk and fish sauce. Cook for about five minutes before adding green vegetables.
Simmer 5-10 minutes more. Serve with Riceland Long Grain White Rice and garnish with cilantro leaves.

https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/alison-chino-thai-coconut-curry-shrimp-national-rice-month/

alisonChino

Alison Chino is a born and bred Arkansan who lives in Scotland (soon to be Germany), where she is learning to walk everywhere and to live with tiny appliances. She loves hiking the Scottish Highlands with her husband and kids on the weekends. She’s blogs at the Chino House and she’s pretty much obsessed with Instagram.

Comforting Breakfast Rice from Gina K {National Rice Month}

When the days grow shorter and darker and colder, Gina K of Desperately Seeking Gina, turns to one of her favorite comfort foods she fondly remembers from her youth growing up in Michigan. Breakfast Rice was a staple Gina’s mother prepared every Saturday morning.

[stextbox id=”custom” shadow=”false” bwidth=”1″ color=”050505″ ccolor=”050505″ bcolor=”050505″ bgcolor=”78F6FF” cbgcolor=”78F6FF” bgcolorto=”78F6FF” cbgcolorto=”78F6FF” image=”null”]On cold winter mornings, usually weekends, she would make a pot of plain white rice. On the kitchen counter she would set out sugar, a tub of margarine, and a gallon of cold milk straight from the fridge and we were free to fix our own bowls of breakfast rice. The older we got, the more exotic breakfast rice became. We experimented with additions of brown sugar, imitation vanilla, and sometimes a shake of cinnamon. There was always a side of buttered toast for dunking[/stextbox]

Breakfast rice_Desperately Seeking Gina

Many of us grew up eating rice for breakfast just like Gina did. Maybe there was butter and sugar. Or perhaps cream–the good kind straight from the top of the milk can. However we seasoned it or otherwise adorned it, it was a blessing of comfort that filled our tummies and started our days well.

Arkansas has historically been the largest rice produced in the United States. Rice production contributes more than $6 billion to the state’s economy and accounts for over 25,000 jobs. The five largest rice-producing counties in the state of Arkansas are Poinsett, Arkansas, Cross , Jackson (101,762 harvested, and Lawrence.

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”Fun Fact” shadow=”false” bwidth=”1″ color=”050505″ ccolor=”050505″ bcolor=”050505″ bgcolor=”82FBFF” cbgcolor=”82FBFF” bgcolorto=”82FBFF” cbgcolorto=”82FBFF”]Rice & The Environment Rice growing is eco-friendly and has a positive impact on the environment. Rice fields create a wetland habitat for many species of birds, mammals and reptiles. Without rice farming, wetland environments created by flooded rice fields would be vastly reduced[/stextbox]. Arkansas Rice Federation

So how much did Gina enjoy her mother’s special breakfast rice? For more, check out her post on Desperately Seeking Gina.

Celebrate #NationalRiceMonth with @gknupp and #ARWB. It’s comfort itme.

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Sister Schubert’s Cinnamon Bread Pudding {Foodie Friday}

Sister Schubert, aka Patricia Barnes, made a whole bunch of new “sisters” at this year’s Megaphone Summit Foodie Friday when she shared this Cinnamon Bread Pudding! Plus, along the way, she shared some life lessons she has learned while becoming the “roll lady.” Barnes travels the world promoting good food and good deeds—both ways to “share warmth” with friends just met and people loved most.

nwafoodie diningwithdebbie sister schubert prattplaceinn bread pudding foodie friday

Photo Courtesy of Lyndi Fultz

Foodie Friday was held at the gorgeous Pratt Place Inn and Barn, a true jewel of a place in Fayetteville. The day was beautiful, the weather a little breezy and the company and speakers were amazing. Sister paid us the highest compliment when she said, “These are my people.”

Pratt Place Inn Veranda

Don’t you just love that?

sister schubert and debbie arnold check out the recipe for rum glaze

When she arrived Thursday evening, she jumped right in the middle of our bread pudding preparations showing us some of her tricks with the dish. For example, Sister says to always put the raisins in the bottom of the baking dish. Otherwise, she says the raisins will get too brown if they are placed on top. She also suggested that you just might want to use a pan and a half of her frozen cinnamon bread rolls. Be sure to push the bread cubes (we cut cubes, she tore cubes) down into the custard so that they get thoroughly soaked.

Oh, and don’t skip soaking the raisins in the bourbon. Woops!

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”Sister Says” shadow=”false” bwidth=”1″ color=”050505″ ccolor=”050505″ bcolor=”050505″ bgcolor=”FFFCAB” cbgcolor=”FFFCAB” bgcolorto=”FFFCAB” cbgcolorto=”FFFCAB” image=”null”]…Soak raisins in a few tablespoons of bourbon until plump and rehydrated. The alcohol cooks out during baking, leaving the wonderful flavor behind. This bread pudding bakes up beautifully—golden brown on top, soft and rich inside and brimming with sweet cinnamon flavor.[/stextbox]

500-sisters-bread-pudding-foodie-friday-megaphone-summit

Photo Courtesy of Stacey Valley

Attendees received an autographed copy of her cookbook Celebrations From the Heart, co-authored with Betty Sims. Proceeds from the sale of Celebrations go to 3 foundations near to Sister’s heart:

500-sister-with-jodi-debbie-kellee-megaphone-summit-foodie-friday

Many thanks to the best kitchen crew EVER! Kellee Mayfield and Jodi Coffee, you are incredible.

jodi coffee and kellee mayfield sister schubert's bread pudding foodie friday 16

Thanks as well to Talya Boerner, Keisha McKinney and Lyndi Fultz for handling the registration and for pitching in whereever and whenever it was needed. You guys are pretty darn special yourselves.

foodie friday, megaphone summit, keisha, talya, penguin

Photo Courtesy of Talya Boerner

Sister Schubert’s Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Mama's Rum Sauce

6 - 8 servings

Caloried: Don't ask.

Ingredients

Bread Pudding

1/2 cup golden raisins
4-5 Tablespoons bourbon ( We substituted hot water.)
1 pan Sister Schubert's Cinnamon Rolls
8 egg yolks
2 eggs
1 quart heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
2 teaspoons bourbon or 1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

Mama's Rum Sauce

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons rum extract or dark rum

Instructions

Bread Pudding

Soak raisins in a few tablespoons of bourbon or hot water until plump and rehydrated. Drain.
Prepare a 9 x 13-inch casserole with nonstick spray or butter.
Cut 1 pan Sister Schubert's Cinnamon Rolls into 1- inch cubes. (Sister sometimes uses an extra 1/2 pan.)
Place raisins in the bottom of the casserole and top with bread cubes.
Using a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs with egg yolks until light and fluffy.
Add cream, sugar, salt and bourbon or vanilla to eggs; whisk until thoroughly combined. Stir in cream and vanilla.
Pour custard over bread cubes and raisins pushing down with a spatula so that all of the bread is wet with custard.
Dot casserole with butter and sprinkle with pecans.
Cover tightly and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350*.
Bake on center rack until pudding is golden and center is set, approximately 55 to 60 minutes.
Allow pudding to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Mama's Rum Sauce

Using a heavy saucepan over low heat, combine butter, sugar and evaporated milk, stirring until mixture is slightly thickened, approximately 3 - 5 minutes; remove from heat.
Stir in vanilla and rum extracts, stirring until well combined.
Pour sauce over warm bread pudding in the casserole
Serve bread pudding still warm from the oven.

Notes

Mama's Rum Sauce may be prepared ahead of time and left at room temperature for up to 24 hours. If desired, serve bread pudding with sauce on the side, allowing each guests to add sauce as desired. This recipe works equally as well with chopped, dried apples instead of the raisins. Walnuts may replace pecans. Toast nuts slightly, if desired.

https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/sister-schuberts-cinnamon-bread-pudding-foodie-friday/

[stextbox id=”custom” caption=”Sister Says” shadow=”false” bwidth=”1″ color=”050505″ ccolor=”050505″ bcolor=”050505″ bgcolor=”FFFCAB” cbgcolor=”FFFCAB” bgcolorto=”FFFCAB” cbgcolorto=”FFFCAB” image=”null”]Mama says not to worry about storing leftovers [of the sauce]; there won’t be any![/stextbox]

Rhonda Franz: Sensory Activities with Rice {National Rice Month}

Rice isn’t just for eating, you know.

Rice can be used for crafts and to keep salt from clumping and as the noisemaking element in a homemade rain stick.

As a wedding guest, I have thrown rice at brides and grooms running from their ceremony to their decorated getaway car. As a special education teacher, I used dry rice to help my students develop fine motor skills and as a tool for working on sensory issues. As a mom, I’ve used dry rice at home with my children as they developed their imagination while working on measurement concepts, and used the rice as a calming when a child needed a few minutes of quiet.

Specific skills children can work on with tubs of textured materials:

For children who avoid certain textures, allowing play in dry rice provides a structured way for them to develop a tolerance to the littlest of surfaces that bother them when they walk or wear certain clothing.

For children who seek certain textures, allowing play in dry rice lets them get that sensory input.

Pinching rice between fingers and scooping up a batch with hands gives children hand eye coordination practice.

Experimenting with measuring cups, spoons and funnels helps children develop their spatial and measurement skills.

I like putting magnet letters or numbers in a bowl of dry rice, and letting my youngest pull them out and practice identifying each one. All of my boys find it fun and a little calming to work the rice with their hands and let it spill through their stretched fingers (and it’s kind of calming for their mom, too).

Ideas for dry rice:

Empty 2 or 3 2-lb bags or Riceland rice in a bowl or tub small enough for rice to fill a third to one-half the container.

Toss in a couple of funnels, spoons, and a couple of measuring cups.
Hide large wooden beads in the rice and provide a string for children to lace each bead as they find it.
Squeeze liquid glue on a large print writing of their name. Have kids pinch the rice grains between their fingers and sprinkle it over the letters. Allow glue to dry and shake off the rest of the rice, revealing their name.

rhonda franz headshot

Rhonda Franz is an educator and mom of three boys. Her kids like a tub of dry rice almost much as they liking eating cooked rice. As a result of both these activities, her kitchen floors are rarely clean.

Keri Bucci: Mushroom Brown Rice {National Rice Month}

Arkansas Women Blogger, Keri Bucci who writes at My Table of Three, likes to keep it simple yet full of flavor. On today’s Foodie Friday, she’s sharing one of her family favorites – Mushroom Brown Rice. While Keri uses instant rice, you could easily prepare it my favorite way – Perfect Brown Rice Every Time – using Riceland’s Long Grain Brown Rice.

Or, you could use one of Riceland’s newer products – Premium Brown Rice Boil in Bag which cooks in only 10 minutes!

Features of Premium Brown Rice Boil in Bag:

Cooks in 10 minutes
Made from premium long grain brown rice
Cholesterol Free
Sodium Free
Gluten Free
Fat Free
No MSG
Rice kernels stay separate when cooked
Consistent cooking results
Grown by American family farmers in Arkansas and Missouri

(Photos courtesy of Riceland Foods)

For additional recipes using Riceland’s boil-in-bag white or brown rice check out the round-up of great ideas on Riceland’s web site. I’m anxious to give these suggestions a try soon.

I know we’ve shared this before, but I still absolutely love this video of the Martin Family, a former Cross County Farm Family of the Year, featuring former Miss Arkansas Rice, sweet Jenna Martin. If you can watch this without getting a lump in your throat or a tear in your eye, I’d be shocked.

Keri Bucci: Mushroom Brown Rice {National Rice Month}

Ingredients

3 cups instant brown rice
2 (14 oz) cans fat-free beef broth ( or veggie broth for vegetarian version)
8 ounces of Baby Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup of chopped red onions
1 Tbsp of olive oil for cooking mushrooms
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

See Keri's blog, My Table of Three, for full diections.

https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/keri-bucci-mushroom-brown-rice-national-rice-month/

Swathi Iyer: Qubooli {National Rice Month}

I think I always have at least one rice dish in a day, and without that I don’t feel like I have had a proper meal. I have felt like that many times while I am traveling. Yes, we people from South India consume rice more than other parts of India. We make dishes with rice for our breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The most flavorful way of cooking rice in India is to make Biriyani, a dish that originated in the royal kitchens of Mughal emperors. Usually rice and meats mainly lamb, chicken, fish etc. are cooked in gravy and then incorporated with separately cooked rice and arranged in layers just like lasagna sans any cheese but with spices. Hyderabadi Nizams have a few vegetarian versions of biriyani; one is called Tahiri (Tehri) Biryani which is made with vegetables, spices and rice. The second one is qubooli, a flavorful combination of lentil, rice and spices the preparation is most like biriyani.

According to the author of The Emperors Table: The Art of Mughal Cuisine, Salma Husian, Aurangzeb, said to be the most devout of the emperors, was a vegetarian for most of his life. Based on the Rukat-e-Alamgiri, a book with letters from Aurangzeb to his son, there is anecdotal evidence that the ruler loved qubooli, a type of mega-biryani with rice, split chick peas, dried apricot, basil, almond and curd.

My version of qubooli is different from the book as I didn’t use any almond, holy basil, or dried apricot. It is closer to modern day version. I did use yogurt as in is traditional version. If you want to make it vegan use cashew or any other vegan yogurt. For this recipe you need to cook both split chickpeas and rice separately.

When you cook rice (Riceland Extra long grain rice) you need to make it aromatic using whole spices like caraway, green cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves and herbs like cilantro and mint leaves. Then make gravy with cooked split chickpeas. Layer the rice and split chickpea gravy alternatively with fried onions, extra herbs and saffron and finally heat them through it once again. Traditionally, you need to seal the pot with dough and cook in low flame which is called “Dum,” an essential part of any biriyani. You can cheat that process with either baking them in oven at 300°F for 10 minutes or even cooking them in a Dutch oven. I used a Dutch oven to finish off cooking qubooli. Make sure not to overcook the rice or split chickpeas or you will get risotto, not qubooli. Any perfect biriyani requires rice should be in separate grains.

Here comes the recipe, even though it requires some preparation, in the end it is worth all the effort. You can‘t get this yummy dish at any Indian restaurants, so give it a try.

Swathi Iyer: Qubooli {National Rice Month}

Ingredients

For the Rice

1 cup Riceland Extra Long Grain rice ¼ teaspoon caraway seeds
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 clove
2 cardamom pods
½ of one bay leaf
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon finely chopped mint

For cooking split chick peas

1 ½ cup water
½ cup split chick peas/chanadal
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

For frying onion

Peanut oil for frying
1 ½ cup chopped onion finely

For Gravy

2 tablespoon oil (Use the one in which onion is fried)
1 clove
1 inch cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon caraway seeds
1 black cardamom
2 green cardamoms
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon garam masala powder
1 green chili
½ cup yogurt
1/2 cup red onion finely chopped
2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
¼ teaspoon salt or to taste

For assembly

Cooked drained rice with spices
Cooked split chick peas
¼ cup milk
Juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon saffron
2 tablespoons finely chopped mint
2 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
1 tablespoon onion fried oil

Instructions

Cooking rice 

Cook rice according to manufacturer’s instructions making sure to add the spices and herbs while rice is cooking.
OR you just add water, spices, herbs and rice and cook until it is almost 3/4th done. Set aside

Cooking split chick peas

In another pot cook split chickpeas with turmeric and salt with 1 ½ cup water.
Cook for about 30 minutes until it is cooked well and soft but not mushy.
Drain and set aside.

Frying onion

Fry onion in peanut oil until it is golden brown in color; you need to use low flame as it burns when you fry in higher flame drain; set aside.

Making gravy

In a pan heat oil and then whole spices like green and black cardamom, cloves, caraway, cinnamon sticks and add chopped onion and green chili.
Add ginger garlic paste and fry for another minutes.
To this add garam masala, cayenne pepper then add yogurt and cook for 30 seconds.
Add cooked split chickpeas cook for another 2 minutes; switch off the flame and set aside.

Assembly

In a Dutch oven add a very thin layer of rice at the bottom. Add the gravy and spread it uniformly.
Then add another layer of rice, top with ½ of lemon juice, half of fried onions, half of saffron milk, half of chopped mint leaves and chopped cilantro.
Then add layer of gravy and finally finish with a layer of rice, rest of lemon juice, fried onion, saffron milk, mint and cilantro leaves.
Finally add oil.  Cook it over a low flame for ten minutes with a closed lid.
When you are ready to serve scoop rice from the bottom, that way you get every layer.  Enjoy.

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Swathi (Ambujom Saraswathy) was born in Trivandrum Keral, India and blogs at Zesty South Indian Kitchen. She loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. She has a weakness for freshly baked bread and is still counting all the recipes she would like to try. After earning her PhD in microbiology and working in Japan, Sweden and the U.S., Swathi is now a Texas stay-at-home mom to two wonderful young kids. Her loving husband is her primary taste-tester who gives an up or down vote for the dishes she makes. Please connect with Zesty South Indian Kitchen’s Social Media Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,Google Reader and Instagram.