Cajun Rice - A Little Makeover for Your Daily Grains

Plain rice is good, but sometimes just want to jazz it up a notch. I've made rice with cilantro, also rice with quinoa before, but both are just a simple mix together with extra ingredient. This Cajun rice, however, is a little different. With few more steps and ingredients, it provides the carbs needed and also acts like a side dish at the same time.

Cajun rice -

Ingredients (about 5 to 6 portions)?

• 3 1/2 to 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups uncooked long grain rice
• 2 cups cubed celery
• 1 loosely packed cup cilantro
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon Cajun creole seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

How?

Cube the celery. Peel and cube half of the onion. Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Finely chop the cilantro. Remove the stem and seeds from the red bell pepper then cube it.

Measure the rice using regular measuring cup, not the smaller Chinese rice cup that comes with the rice cooker. Need two cups for about 5 to 6 servings.

Take a big pan or big pot, add in the butter and turn to medium high heat. Once melted, add in chopped onion, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cook till aromatic and the onion turns slightly translucent.

Transfer cubed celery and bell pepper over and cook for few more minutes.

Add the long grain rice to the mixture and give it a quick stir, making sure every grain is coated with butter. Wait one more two more minutes.

Add the Creole seasoning and chicken stock. Use about 3 1/2 cups of chicken stock first. It's better to start with a little less of liquid since you can always add more if needed. However, if you pour in all the chicken stock in the beginning, there's no return and have to bear the risk of potentially soggy rice.

Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover with lid and cook for about 20 minutes. Check towards the end and see if need to add more chicken stock.

Once ready, use a fork to fluff the grains. Mix in chopped cilantro right before serving.

Not too heavy and not over-powering. This Cajun rice can serve as a fancier side dish for steak or blackened fish. No meat diet? It also works great with grilled vegetables.


Other Cajun related recipes:

• Broccoli and cauliflower stir-fry with Cajun creole seasoning
• Grilled salmon ciabatta sandwich for two - with a hint of creole seasoning