Cooking with Golden Rice
Love goes through the stomach or so the saying goes
What better way to share love than by improving the health status of millions of people? Getting to know the cuisine of different cultures is a way to get to know each other and a fantastic starting point to access those cultures. Golden Rice will be cooked just like any other rice, from using plain water to highly refined sauces and spices, and it will always taste good, as all rice does. Most people in the world eat rice on a regular basis. For half of them it represents the main source of caloric intake, hence rice is a main ingredient of innumerable dishes, of which we would like to share but a few with you. At some point, maybe new dishes will be created around Golden Rice, to honour its high nutritive value and not least because many people might find the colour attractive in itself.
Half the world eats rice as their main source of daily energy, but about as many people suffer under malnutrition. With Golden Rice people will be able to stick to their preferred recipes —because of taste preferences or as a matter of affordability— but with the difference that at the sametime they will be able to cover some of their essential dietary needs.
Once Golden Rice has gone through the regulatory process in a country, the next most important task is for breeders to breed locally adapted varieties capable of producing provitamin A. Different regions in the world base their local varieties on different basic rice types, known as indica, japonica or javanica types. These differ in a number of characteristics, like grain length, aroma and stickiness. The outcome of a recipe can therefore vary widely, depending on the rice variety you use, and in some cases the wrong choice may lead to unwanted results, so be warned and enjoy. Bon appetit!
Below you will find some very tasty international rice dishes. You may also want to visit Home Chefs of the World, where you will find a collection of recipes compiled by Ms Inderjeet K Virmani and located at the International Rice Research Institute website.
Paella Valenciana
A typical Spanish dish cooked on an open fire in a large, round, flat-bottomed pan with metal handles. Alternatively use a large fireproof casserole for cooking in the oven.
Ingredients (4 persons):
2 sweet red peppers
600 g beef tomatoes
1 large onion
5 garlic cloves
1 oven-ready chicken
250 g pork loin
400 g clams
6 raw deep-sea prawns
8 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
300 g peas
200 mg powdered saffron
1 tsp mild paprika
1 bay leaf
1.25 litres meat stock
500 g round grain rice (Spanish or Italian arborio)
1 lemon
Light the grill or preheat the oven to 250°C. Wash the peppers, wipe dry, cook briefly in the oven and remove the skins. Halve the skinned peppers, remove the seeds and ribs and cut into narrow strips. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C. Plunge the tomatoes briefly in boiling water, skin, halve and deseed. Coarsely chop the flesh. Peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic. Divide the chicken into 12 pieces. Dice the pork. Scrub the clams under cold running water, removing the beards; discard any that remain open. Rinse the prawns. Heat the olive oil in a paella or fireproof roasting pan. Fry the chicken pieces over high heat until brown all over, remove from the pan, season with salt and pepper and keep warm. Repeat with the diced pork. Add the clams to the pan and fry until they open; remove from the pan, discarding any that remain closed and keep warm. Finally fry the prawns until they turn red, remove and keep warm. In a saucepan bring the meat stock to the boil. In the remaining fat sauté the chopped onion and garlic over medium heat until transparent. Add the tomatoes and the peas and sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the saffron and the paprika, then season generously with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf. Add the rice to the paella pan, stir and add the boiling stock. Simmer for about 25 minutes, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid. Stir in the strips of red pepper, check the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Arrange the chicken pieces, pork, clams and prawns on the rice. Cover the pan with foil and cook in the centre of the oven for a further 15 minutes. Serve straight from the pan, accompanied by wedges of lemon.
Jambalaya
This popular Cajun dish resembles Spanish paella, but is distinguished by the addition of fiery spices.
Ingredients (4 persons):
2 tbsp of oil
225 g boneless, skinless chicken, cubed
225 g chorizo sausage, cut into chunks
3 celery sticks
1 red and 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
cajun spice mix with chopped onion and garlic
250 g long grain rice
200 g chopped tomatoes
600 mL chicken stock
celery leaves to garnish
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan. Fry the chicken and chorizo sausage until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the celery and red and green pepper and fry for 2-3 minutes. Return the chicken and sausage to the pan. Stir in the cajun spice mix with the garlic and onions and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes. Stir in rice, tomatoes and the stock. Bring to the boil and stir. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Garnish and serve.
Tip for variation: Instead of chicken and sausage use duck and ham, add raw tiger prawns to the rice.
Thai Fried Rice
Ingredients (4 persons):
50 g coconut milk powder
375 g jasmine rice
2 tbsp groundnut oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2,5 cm fresh root ginger, grated
225 g skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
115 g drained canned sweetcorn kernels
1 tsp chili oil
1 tbsp hot curry powder
salt
2 eggs, beaten
spring onion shreds, to garnish
In a saucepan, whisk the coconut milk powder into 475 mL of water. Add the rice, bring to the boil and stir once. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Spread the rice on a baking sheet and leave until completely cold. Heat the oil in a wok, add the garlic, onion and ginger and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Push the vegetables to the side of the wok, add the chicken to the centre and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir-fry over a high heat for 3 more minutes. Stir in the peppers, sweetcorn, chili, oil, curry powder and season with salt. Toss over the heat for 1 minute. Stir in the beaten egg and cook for 1 more minute. Garnish with chopped spring onion and serve.
Pilau Rice with Whole Spices
This fragrant rice dish makes a perfect accompaniment to any Indian meal.
Ingredients (4 persons):
generous pinch of saffron strands
600 mL hot chicken stock
50 g butter
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ cinnamon stick
6 cardamoms
1 bay leave
250 g basmati rice, rinsed and drained
50 g sultanas
1 tbsp oil
50 g cashew nuts
Add the saffron strands to the hot stock and set aside. Heat the butter in a large saucepan and fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon stick, cardamoms and bay leave and cook for 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Pour in the stock and add the sultanas. Bring to the boil, stir, then lower the heat, cover and cook gently for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid has all been absorbed. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the cashew nuts until browned. Drain on kitchen paper. Scatter over the rice and serve.
