African Rice Experiment
I have just arrived back from 4,5 months in Cameroon. Maintaining a healthy diet was not easy there I have to say, for meat eaters and vegetarians alike. But thankfully, with a little experimenting and imagination, I managed to come up with this tasty, aromatic creation. I was motivated to use up leftover rice, but the dish can easily be made from scratch if you add 10 minutes to the cooking time, and sufficient extra water). The herbs and spices combine beautifully, and it smells really good! You can easily experiment with different kinds of vegetables or adding a meat replacement such as ‘meat’balls or veggie sausages if desired. This one is 100% vegan too! Hope you enjoy it.
Serves: 4, Preparation: 15mins, Cooking time: 15mins
Serves: 4, Preparation: 15mins, Cooking time: 15mins
Ingredients
· 2-3 tbsp olive oil
· 1 onion, diced
· 2 cloves garlic, crushed or diced
· 1 large zucchini (courgette), diced
· 2 capsicum (paprika), diced
· 2 tsp Provencal herbs
· 2 tsp cumin seeds
· 1 tsp ground nutmeg
· 1 tsp chilli flakes, or 2-3 dried chilles
· 2 cups of cooked rice (or replace with uncooked and allow rice to cook with all other ingredients and extra water to
match packet instructions)
· 6 tomatoes, diced or 1 can diced tomatoes
· 1 tbsp tomato paste
· 1 cup boiling water
· 1 tbsp stock (bouillon) powder or 1 large vegetable stock cube
· 100g unsalted peanuts (or cashews)
· ½ cup white wine (optional)
· Pepper and salt to taste
· Fresh parsley to serve
· 1 onion, diced
· 2 cloves garlic, crushed or diced
· 1 large zucchini (courgette), diced
· 2 capsicum (paprika), diced
· 2 tsp Provencal herbs
· 2 tsp cumin seeds
· 1 tsp ground nutmeg
· 1 tsp chilli flakes, or 2-3 dried chilles
· 2 cups of cooked rice (or replace with uncooked and allow rice to cook with all other ingredients and extra water to
match packet instructions)
· 6 tomatoes, diced or 1 can diced tomatoes
· 1 tbsp tomato paste
· 1 cup boiling water
· 1 tbsp stock (bouillon) powder or 1 large vegetable stock cube
· 100g unsalted peanuts (or cashews)
· ½ cup white wine (optional)
· Pepper and salt to taste
· Fresh parsley to serve
Preparation
Heat the oil in a large, heavy based, non stick frying pan. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Add the zucchini and capsicum, as well as all herbs and spices, and fry for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the rice, tomatoes, tomato paste, water, wine (optional) and stock, and allow the whole mix to cook for a further 5-10 minutes, or until the majority of the liquid has evaporated. Add the nuts when the majority of the liquid has evaporated. Serve with ground pepper and parsley… enjoy!