Ingredients.
1/2 cup wild rice
3/4 cup Basmati rice
The rice suggestion up here is for my international friends.
In Uruguay you won’t find „wild rice, Basmati rice, Jasmin rice“ or
other well known ones. But the local rice „Blue Patna“ is a very good
quality and I use it for almost everything. For fancy dishes, when I
want a bit color, or for sea food dishes, I use the Brazilian brand
„Gourmet, Nam Rado“, nice mix of different rices.
For this recipe, in Uruguay, use
1 full cup Blue Patna rice
3 cups water or chicken broth
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 large red pepper (Paprika), chopped
1 large orange pepper (Paprika), chopped
1/2 a onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 can (c. 450g or 14 oz) diced tomatoes
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
How to do.
Cook the rice as you know ( the Blue Patna not longer then 8 minutes)
Let the rice rest for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile heat a large skillet on medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon
olive oil. In a small bowl combine the cajun seasoning, creole seasoning,
brown sugar, pepper, cayenne, sweet paprika and dried thyme.
It is up to you if you stir all parts in one pot together,
or if you like to serve the rice and meat/veggie mixture separate.
Add the chicken and the spice mixture to the skillet and give it a good
toss. Then spread the chicken in an even layer and allow it to cook for
2-4 minutes. Stir the chicken and add the soy sauce, continue cooking
another 5 minutes or until the chicken is browned all over and cooked
through. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet. Add the red
pepper, orange pepper, onion and garlic. Stir fry the veggies for about
5-10 minutes or until the onions are soft.
Add the chicken back to the skillet and toss well. Now stir in the diced
tomatoes and simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Remove
from the heat and add the chicken mixture to the rice. Toss well and serve.
Garnish with chopped parsley or fine sliced spring onion (green part only).
Tips.
This same recipe you can cook with pork. Or you can add to this dish shrimps
and garnish with chopped coriander for an Asian taste. If you like a more
„saucy-Asian“ effect mix a cup of coconut milk into it. Enjoy !
