The new rice bowl: combine easy toppings and versatile rice for worlds of flavor - Food & Entertaining

Sunset, March, 2003 by Charity Ferreira

For most of us in the West, a meal composed of rice with a saucy topping of meat and vegetables means Chinese or Japanese cuisine. But as a staple food for more than half the world's population, rice partners well with an unlimited number of flavors, making this convenient dish easily adaptable to many cuisines. Combinations like spicy flank steak and bell peppers in chili sauce, or quickly braised chicken with leeks and mushrooms, can be prepared in about the time it takes to cook the rice. Together they make simple, self-contained meals.

Mexican Flank Steak with Brown Rice

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 1 hour

MAKES: 4 servings

  1 pound beef flank steak, fat trimmed
  3 dried New Mexico or California
    chilies (each about 5 by 2 in.),
    rinsed, stemmed, seeded, and out
    into 1-inch pieces
  6 tablespoons lime juice
  1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
    About 1/2 teaspoon salt
  2 cups brown rice
  1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  1 pound red and yellow bell peppers
    (about 2), rinsed, stemmed,
    seeded, and thinly sliced
    lengthwise
  1 red onion (8 oz.), peeled and
    slivered lengthwise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Rinse beef and pat dry; cut across the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices and place in a bowl. In a blender, cover dried chilies with 3/4 cup boiling water; let stand until chilies are soft, about 15 minutes. Add lime juice, garlic, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and whirl until smooth. Pour over beef, cover, and chill for 30 minutes.

2. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over high heat, bring 4 cups water and the brown rice to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender to bite, about 45 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, pour oil into a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over high heat. When the oil is hot, lift beef from marinade with a slotted spoon (reserve marinade) and add to pan. Stir until meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer beef to a rimmed plate or bowl. Add peppers and onion to pan; stir frequently until limp, 5 to 6 minutes. Return beef to pan along with reserved marinade; bring to a boil and cook, stirring once or twice, for 1 minute.

4. Spoon rice into four wide, shallow bowls and top equally with beef, vegetables, and sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro. Add more salt to taste.

Per serving: 625 cal., 23% (144 cal.) from fat; 33 g protein; 16 g fat (4.8 g sat.); 89 g carbo (7.6 g fiber); 393 mg sodium; 57 mg chol.

Chicken, Leeks, and Mushrooms with Wild Rice

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 45 minutes

NOTES: Packaged wild rice blends are available in most supermarkets; look for one without seasoning.

MAKES: 4 servings

1 1/2 cups unseasoned wild rice blend
      (see notes)
      About 1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 pound boned, skinned chicken thighs
    2 leeks (about 1 lb. total)
    1 tablespoon olive oil
    1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
    8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms,
      rinsed, stemmed, and sliced; or
      common mushrooms, rinsed, stem
      ends trimmed, and sliced
  3/4 cup dry white wine
  1/4 cup whipping cream
    1 tablespoon soy sauce Pepper

1. In a 3- to 4-quart pan over high heat, bring 3 1/2 cups water, the rice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender to bite, about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, rinse chicken and pat dry; cut into 1-inch chunks. Trim and discard root ends, tough green tops, and tough outer layers from leeks. Split leeks in half lengthwise and rinse well under running water, flipping layers to release grit; thinly slice crosswise.

3. Pour oil into a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add chicken and stir until no longer pink in the center (cut to test), about 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to a rimmed plate or bowl. Reduce heat to medium and add leeks and garlic to pan; stir until leeks are limp, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir until mushrooms are browned and have released their juices, about 5 minutes. Add wine and bring to a simmer, scraping bottom of pan to release any browned bits.

4. Return chicken to pan. Add cream and soy sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Spoon rice into four wide, shallow bowls and top equally with chicken, vegetables, mushrooms, and sauce.

Per serving: 486 cal., 24% (117 cal.) from fat; 30 g protein; 13 g fat (4.5 g sat.); 55 g carbo (2.1 g fiber); 666mg sodium; 111 mg chol.

Seafood in Red Curry with Sticky Rice

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 30 minutes

NOTES: Thai red curry paste, which is not the same as Asian red chili paste, is sold in the Asian food section of many well-stocked supermarkets and in Asian grocery stores.

MAKES: 4 servings

1 1/2 cups short-grain white rice
    1 cup coconut milk
  1/2 cup fat-skimmed chicken broth
    1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste (see notes)
    1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
      (nuoc mam or nam pla)
    1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
    1 pound asparagus, rinsed, tough stem
      ends snapped off, and cut into 1-inch pieces
    8 clams in shells, suitable for steaming (8
      to 12 oz.), scrubbed
    8 ounces bay scallops, rinsed
    8 ounces shelled, deveined shrimp
      (30 to 35 per lb.), rinsed
    1 tablespoon lime juice