Perfect Brown Rice

I can’t walk and drink at the same time.  Even with a straw it’s awkwardly done.  I can’t really even walk straight for that matter.  I zig and zag a lot, and have blamed many a missteps on my poor dog.  While I accept that I am clumsy and prone to any accident you can think of, I really just can’t handle the basics.  Whether I subconsciously will myself to fail or if I just can’t understand it, certain basic things are just really hard for me.

If you will entertain me, rice is one of those things.  I don’t know why but I had a propensity to mess it up.  Too dry.  Too mushy.  Undercooked.  Whatever you want to say, it was always off.  And, then I baked it, which I thought was the answer.  It was perfectly cooked and tasted wonderful the day of.  However, leftovers were back to being slightly dry.

Then, I went to my mother.  Why was she the last resort?  If you met my mother, you would understand that I would never hear the last of it.  I haven’t.  But, it was well worth it.  Unlike most people and sites I have checked, my mom does not let the water absorb into the rice (the way I make quinoa).  She boils the rice and strains.  Never mushy.  Perfectly cooked.  And, the test that it works – leftovers are perfect, as well.

Perfect Brown Rice

from my mother

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice
• 5 cups of water

Directions:

1. Clean the rice by rinsing it thoroughly under cold water.
2. Bring water in a large pot to boil on high.
3. Once boiling, add rice, bring back to a boil.  Immediately reduce the heat to medium and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the rice is tender.
4. Once ready, remove the pot from heat.  Drain the rice and put the drained rice back into the pot (off heat).  Cover with a lid until ready to serve.

*You can increase the water if you want more rice, of course.  Just make sure the rice is completely and utterly covered and has enough room to boil.  Think similarly to pasta and water.

Catch Up

I’ve been gone for a while – I apologize.  Well, I apologize if you missed me.  If you didn’t, well hello there!

I’ve been busy doing some family stuff and trying to catch up to some semblance of normalcy.  Let me see if we can update each other (me first) on what’s been happening on this end.

1.  I made the most delicious red velvet cupcakes with the most dreamy cream cheese frosting.

The recipe comes from none other than Ms. Deen herself.  I had it once at a chili-cook off and finally made it myself.  I can’t wait to make it again – with a slight twist that I’ll be sure to share.

2.  I’m attempting to be crafty.  

Mind you, I have no creative bone/nerve in my body.  But, when I saw this, I had to try.  Here is my current progress.

I can’t wait for the finished result.  So far it’s been easier than I thought.  Well, I’ll probably eat my words once the felt flowers come into place.

3.  We have been eating out more.  And the spicier the better.

Now that we have been balancing more with my mom/sister and making sure that we have a lot of family interaction to make this transition somewhat easier, I have been ignoring my home-cooking duties.  Therefore, a lot of lunches and dinners taken to go.

I thought my pregnancy spicy-cravings would decrease as time went on but alas – no.  I can handle the heat and the some.  It’s quite pathetic.  When someone asks me what I want to eat, my answer has almost always been ‘something spicy.’

Luckily, I work across from one of my favorite Thai restaurants in Dallas (Thai Soon), and they have an excellent lunch special.

Pictured above is a beef enchilada and puffed taco from Ojedas.  What is not pictured is the pitcher (yes, pitcher) of salsa that I drank with a side of chips.

4.  We have been painting.

What started out as a project just to paint the nursery turned into a whole-house paint project.  Working closely with our favorite Benjamin Moore paint and advice we read online, it’s been a project that’s mainly done by Binks.  Although I work very closely at the end to make sure he knows all the places he missed.  I’m sure he loves that.  🙂

I’ll show you finished projects soon!

So tell me, what are you up to?  

I Lied.

I Lied.

I said I was going to make naan.

I didn’t.

I made fried brown rice.

I said I would make dal makhani.

I didn’t.

I made “Everyday Dal.”

Christin @ Purple Bird Blog requested I make saag aloo.

I didn’t.

I made regular Saag.

And, my MIL made aloo gobi.

I’m horrible I know.

I’ll make up for it.

I made rajma.

That’s one step above and beyond.

Right?

I’ll make it up to you – and me – with the naan.

I promise.

You can trust me.

😉

Fried Brown Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown rice, rinsed well and drained
• 2 tbsp olive oil or butter  (I used Earth Balance)
• 1 bay leaf*
• 1 inch cinnamon stick*
• 1 tsp cloves*
• 1 tsp black peppercorn*
• 1 tsp cumin seeds*
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 cups boiling water – I start my tea kettle around the time I start adding oil to my pot

Directions:

• Heat the oil/butter in a heavy pot until melted.
• Add cinnamon stick, cloves, black peppercorn, cumin and bay leaf.
• Saute over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.  (The flavors really will just come alive.)
• Add rice and saute for another 3 minutes.
• Add salt.
• Add water.
• Cover and let it cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until rice is perfectly done.   The water (after 20 minutes) should have been absorbed.  If not, leave it covered for another 5 minutes.  Brown rice does take longer to cook than white rice.

*Do not replace the actual ingredients with the powdered version.  You are better off leaving it out altogether.

Saag

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch of spinach, chopped
• 1 bunch of greens (turnip or mustard), chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeno or serrano peppers, chopped (please adjust based on your spice preference)
• 2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• salt, as required

Directions

• In a large pot, add olive oil over medium heat.
• Add onions, ginger, garlic, peppers and saute until tender.
• Add the spinach, greens and a cup of water.
• Cover and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes until the leaves of the spinach and greens are tender.
• Take spinach mixture and pour into a blender (if you can’t fit it all into a blender, split it up into batches).
• Puree until the spinach mixture is fairly smooth.  I pulse about 4 times for 20 seconds each to leave some leaves still in tact.
• Return the mixture to the pot over medium heat.
• Add salt to taste.  I usually add about 2 tsp and increase from there based on my taste.
• Simmer mixture over medium heat.  The longer you simmer, the better and concentrated the taste.
• Simmer for at least 30 minutes.  I have left it on simmer for more than an hour, and the flavor just intensifies.

Everyday Dal

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup dry brown/green lentils, rinsed and drained – I can’t quite tell if my lentils are brown or green.  It’s a mixture and the kind you get anywhere.
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp of ginger, minced
• 2 jalapenos or serranos (again, please adjust to your liking)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 3 cups water

Directions:

• In saucepan, boil lentils  in 3 cups of water over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils start getting soft.  Do not drain after.
• In a separate pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
• Add onion, garlic, ginger and peppers, and saute until tender.
• Add turmeric, garam masala, cayenne pepper, cumin seeds and coriander.  Mix until the raw spice smell is gone.  Warning: the cumin seeds may sputter so be careful.
• Add the spice/onion mixture to the cooked lentils.
• Add salt to taste.
• Allow the whole mixture to boil/simmer for another 30 minutes until the water has absorbed more into the lentils and the mixture becomes thick (rather than watery).