OK don't tell anyone but until about 5 minutes ago I didn't know where rice comes from. I know. Shocking. I just never thought about it past the fact that it comes from the shelf and that (according to the dregs of my memory of school geography) it arrived there via rice paddy. I started reading Wiki to get more information but I soon started snoring. Then I Googled it and found that these days everyone just quotes Wiki. More snoring. But just in case you're also blonde I roused myself long enough to learn that rice is the seed from the rice plant. Oh, and that "the edible seed is a grain (caryopsis) 5–12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.12 in) thick". Zzz...
But I digress. The only reason I cared where rice comes from was because I wanted to make Jambalaya. Having heard of it and seen it I was curious as to how it compared to Paella. And of course once I went down that road I wondered how those two differ from Biryani. And what about Kedgeree. And Pilaf. And Risotto. Before I knew it I had broken out into a cold sweat of bewildered fascination. I'm serious, it took the better half of a bottle of gin to compose myself.
I appreciate that most people won't share my awe. It's food. It contains rice. So what, right? But think about it. We're talking about dishes from America, Spain, India, Scotland, Turkey and Italy. And what they all have in common is an itsy-bitsy little seed 5-12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.12 in) thick that made it's way around the world all the way from China.
And that's AWESOME.
xx
J
JAMBALAYA
8 Deboned chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
500g Chorizo sliced
500g Bacon roughly chopped
750g Prawns shelled, topped and tailed
3 Onions roughly chopped
2 Sticks celery roughly chopped
1 Red pepper roughly chopped
1 Green pepper roughly chopped
4 Spring onions chopped (white and green separated)
2T Paprika
1T Dried thyme
3T Creole seasoning (or 1.5T chilli)
1/2t Cayenne pepper
6 Cloves garlic sliced
4 Bay leaves
3 Tins tomatoes
750ml Chicken stock
3c Uncooked long grain rice
Fry the bacon and chicken until browned then add the chorizo and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the onions, celery, peppers and the white of the spring onions and fry until softened. Add the spices and mix through. Turn up the heat and add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to the boil then turn down and simmer for about half an hour. Add three cups of rice and continue simmering until the rice is just done (but not stodgy). Add boiling water as required to prevent burning and ensure the rice cooks through (I ended up adding about a litre) but remember you want a stew not a soup. Once the rice is done stir in the prawns and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir through the green part of the spring onions and serve.
I appreciate that most people won't share my awe. It's food. It contains rice. So what, right? But think about it. We're talking about dishes from America, Spain, India, Scotland, Turkey and Italy. And what they all have in common is an itsy-bitsy little seed 5-12 mm (0.20–0.47 in) long and 2–3 mm (0.079–0.12 in) thick that made it's way around the world all the way from China.
And that's AWESOME.
xx
J
JAMBALAYA
8 Deboned chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
500g Chorizo sliced
500g Bacon roughly chopped
750g Prawns shelled, topped and tailed
3 Onions roughly chopped
2 Sticks celery roughly chopped
1 Red pepper roughly chopped
1 Green pepper roughly chopped
4 Spring onions chopped (white and green separated)
2T Paprika
1T Dried thyme
3T Creole seasoning (or 1.5T chilli)
1/2t Cayenne pepper
6 Cloves garlic sliced
4 Bay leaves
3 Tins tomatoes
750ml Chicken stock
3c Uncooked long grain rice
Fry the bacon and chicken until browned then add the chorizo and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the onions, celery, peppers and the white of the spring onions and fry until softened. Add the spices and mix through. Turn up the heat and add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to the boil then turn down and simmer for about half an hour. Add three cups of rice and continue simmering until the rice is just done (but not stodgy). Add boiling water as required to prevent burning and ensure the rice cooks through (I ended up adding about a litre) but remember you want a stew not a soup. Once the rice is done stir in the prawns and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir through the green part of the spring onions and serve.
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