RED RICE AND VEGETABLE THAI CURRY STEW

This gluten-free one-pot meal is bursting with flavour and vegetables! It's a frequent work lunch for me, and it freezes really well if you want to do that so you can have a grab-and-go meal ready anytime. I used spring vegetables I had in the fridge, but you can use any seasonal produce - can't go wrong. Adjust spice levels to taste, and even top with sliced fresh chiles if you want!

Red Rice and Vegetable Thai Curry Stew

makes: 6 servings

- 3 cups cooked red rice (or black, brown or any other unpolished rice)

- 1 medium onion, diced

- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced

- 2-3 green chiles, chopped

- 1 tbsp. grated ginger

- 4-5 cups chopped greens (chard, spinach, kale, collards, beet/radish/mustard greens, etc)

- 1 bulb fennel, diced

- 1 cup diced celery

- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

- 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

- 1 capsicum, cut into chunks

- 1-2 carrots, diced

- 1 tbsp. cold pressed coconut oil (or ghee, safflower/sunflower/peanut oil - not olive)

- 2 tbsp. Thai red curry paste

- 1 tbsp. Thai palm sugar (or Demerara sugar)

- 5-6 cups vegetable stock (or water)

- 1 tbsp. salt

- 1 tbsp. crushed red chile

- a handful of mint and cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

- 2 limes, halved

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the red curry paste over medium-low heat. If it starts to stick, add a bit of stock and stir to mix. When it's fragrant add the onions, garlic, ginger, and chiles and sauté till the onions are soft.
2. Add the vegetables except the greens and stir. Turn the heat up to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally so the vegetables don't stick to the pan. Add the greens and mix. Cook for 2 minutes until the greens are just wilted. Mix in the cooked rice. 
3. Add 1/2 of the stock and mix to combine. Cook everything until the potatoes are cooked through.
4. Add the sugar, salt, crushed chile and mix. After the sugar dissolves, taste and adjust seasonings.
5. Remove the stew from the heat and squeeze in the lime.
6. Serve in bowls and garnish with the cilantro and mint. Pass around extra lime wedges.

SWEET POTATO RISOTTO, MINT + WALNUT GREMOLATA

Sweet potato risotto is a terrific seasonal variation on risotto. The sweet flavour and creamy texture of the sweet potato complements the risotto really well. Walnuts and sweet potatoes are in season in the autumn - and they pair exceptionally well in this savoury risotto-gremolata combo. A sure favourite!

Risotto is prepared with any Italian starchy, short-grained rice - the most common rice varieties used for risotto are carnaroli or arborio. To properly cook risotto you stir hot broth into the uncooked rice a ladleful at a time and cook slowly. As the liquid is nearly absorbed, add in the next ladleful. This slow cooking and stirring releases the natural starches in the rice and makes the risotto creamy, velvety and irresistible... well, that and the cheese!!

Risotto is best served immediately or soon after cooking because it will become clumpy if made in advance. A properly cooked risotto makes a soft, creamy mound without running across the plate. It also should not be too hard, crunchy, or gummy.

Gremolata is an Italian condiment of chopped fresh herbs, lemon zest, garlic, and a bit of olive oil. In the spirit of other similar condiments like pistou, persillade, any kind of pesto, Indian chutneys, etc. it's simple but packs a punch of brilliant fresh flavour! Ossobucco with gremolata and risotto is a classic Milanese meal! Here I've made it seasonal and vegetarian - I usually serve this risotto with roasted cauliflower or roasted chicken with kale (photo below).

Sweet Potato Risotto, Mint + Walnut Gremolata

makes: 4-5 cups (a typical serving of risotto is 1 cup)

- 2 cups peeled and diced sweet potato 

- 2 cups carnaroli or arborio rice

- 5-6 cups vegetable or chicken broth

- 1-1/2 cups dry white wine (like a Pinot Grigio)

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 small white or yellow onion, diced

- 1 tbsp. butter

- 2 Tbsp olive oil

- 1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

- 1 tbsp. freshly ground pepper

- 2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

- salt, to taste

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. When it's hot, add the onion and garlic and sauté on low heat for 1-2 minutes so the onion doesn't brown. Add the sweet potatoes and red pepper flakes and continue to sauté.
2. Heat the broth in a saucepan, and adjust the heat so it remains at a simmer.
3. When the onion is translucent, add the rice and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently so that the rice doesn't brown or stick to the pan.
4. Once the rice is coated with oil, add the wine and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the wine is absorbed.
5. Add 1 cup of the hot broth to the rice and stir until it is absorbed. Stir constantly so that the rice doesn't scorch or stick to the pan. Add the next cup of broth as soon as the rice has absorbed the broth but don't wait till the rice is dry - you should see a sheen of liquid in the rice.
6. Continue adding broth by the cup and stir while the liquid is absorbed, then add more broth when the rice is almost dry. The rice will start getting a creamy consistency as its starch is released. Cook the rice this way until until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite - without being crunchy or tasting raw. If you run out of broth before the risotto is done, use hot water to finish cooking, stirring while it's absorbed.
7. Stir in the pepper, butter, and cheese, and season to taste with salt. Serve garnished with a tbsp. of gremolata (recipe below) and a grind of black pepper.

Mint + Walnut Gremolata

makes: approximately 1/2 cup

- 2 tbsp. lemon zest (zest from one lemon) 

- 2 cloves garlic, crushed into a paste

- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

- 1/2 packed cup mint

- 1/2 packed cup parsley

- 1/4 cup olive oil

1. Finely chop the parsley and mint.
2. In a bowl, mix the chopped parsley, mint, and all the other ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to use.

EATING SPRING: MUSHROOM AND ASPARAGUS RICE WITH TOASTED BLACK PEPPER

This is an easy and refreshing sattvic spring recipe that's so great on its own, with roasted vegetables like zucchini and carrots, or a salad of romaine lettuce and sliced cucumbers dressed with lemon juice and salt.

It won't be sattvic meal any more, but this rice would also be a terrific side with salmon, sea bass, barramundi (Asian seabass, bhetki in Bengali), or cod.

Ghee and black pepper are the big flavours in this dish, so if you use olive oil, the flavour will be very different. Butter will certainly work very well if you don't have ghee but it's heavier than ghee and not really a sattvic food.

Mushroom and Asparagus Rice with Toasted Black Pepper
Makes: approximately 4 servings (1-1/2 cups per serving)

- 1 cup basmati rice, soaked (at least 30 min, up to 24 hours)
- 3/4 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 in. pieces
- 8 oz. crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. salt
- 3/4 - 1 tbsp. toasted black peppercorns, coarsely ground
- 1 tbsp. spiced ghee, regular ghee, or butter
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 4 tbsp. finely chopped parsley (i.e. finely chop enough parsley to make 4 tbsp.)

1. In a large pan on medium-high, heat the ghee. Lower the heat to medium and add the toasted peppercorns.
2. Add the mushrooms, then minced garlic and saute (turn the heat down to medium-low if needed until the mushrooms release water, then turn it back up to medium to evaporate the water and finish sauteing the mushrooms.)
3. Drain the rice well and set aside - you want minimal water on the rice.
4. When the mushrooms are sauteed, keep the heat on medium and add the asparagus and drained rice and saute for 3-5 minutes or until the rice is opaque and looks mostly dry.
5. Add the 1-1/2 cups water to the rice and vegetables and turn the heat up to high. Let the water come to a boil, add salt and stir.
6. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the water is almost all absorbed. Then lower the heat to low, cover the pan and cook the rice until you can't see any water.
7. Take the lid off and serve garnished with 1 tbsp. parsley per serving.

Notes:

1. It's really not necessary to laboriously wipe the dirt off each mushroom. Give the mushrooms a quick wash and dry them thoroughly with paper or cotton dish towels before slicing.
2. Trim off the dried bit of each mushroom stem, and keep the rest of the stem on, or remove and slice separately if it's easier to handle the mushrooms that way. If you must discard the stems from mushrooms for a recipe, save them and use to make mushroom stock, or use in a recipe where you can use sliced or diced mushrooms.

RICE, RED LENTILS, AND VEGETABLES WITH RAS EL HANOUT

Ras el hanout meaning 'best of the shop' is a Moroccan spice blend that, much like Indian garam masala or even American barbecue rubs, has endless regional variations. It does have staple ingredients including turmeric, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, paprika, cardamom, with other things like rose buds, saffron, and various berries or pepper mixed in based on the region and blender's choice.

I'm no expert on ras el hanout but one day when I was shopping at the Rainbow co-op market where I normally shop, and often stare at the countless spices they have in bulk, I saw ras el hanout. I'd heard of it and read about it but never cooked with it... so what? Rome wasn't built in a day, was it?

Rainbow not only allows but encourages shoppers to bring their own containers. In addition to my usual olive and coffee jars, I'd brought along a few spice jars that were running on empty, and I had an extra one so in went a very generous amount of ras el hanout.

FFwd to last night. First day back in office after a few weeks of being at various project sites with 14 hour days starting at 5 AM that involve no sitting but a lot of climbing, squatting, kneeling, and walking in all varieties of the summer sun. And of course, I was eating out at every meal. So when I finally got into the kitchen I was craving something warm, nourishing, and comforting. Something casserole-y, something like risotto, something like khichadi, something aromatic, something easy to make, not too laborious. Enter rice, lentils, ras el hanout... and me.

Rice, Red Lentils, and Vegetables with Ras el Hanout

Servings: 4, as a main dish

- 1/2 cup Jasmine rice or other rice of choice

- 1/2 cup red lentils

- 2 shallots or 1 small yellow onion, sliced

- 2 large cloves garlic, minced

- 1-1/2 tsp. caraway seeds

- 1-1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

- 1 tbsp. or more, ras el hanout

- 1 tsp. turmeric (optional)

- 1 tsp. red pepper powder, or crushed 'flakes'

- 1 tbsp. ghee or expeller-pressed virgin coconut oil (or any other high temperature cooking oil - NOT olive oil)

- vegetables of your choice, diced

- 2 tbsp. flame raisins

- 2 cups water, or enough to completely cover the rice, lentils, and vegetables (see #10 below)

- 3 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1. Put the rice and lentils in a bowl and rinse until the water runs nearly clear. Drain.

2. Add warm/hot water to the bowl enough to cover the rice and lentils and let everything soak while you prep the vegetables. The hottest kitchen faucet water is hot enough for this.

3. Cut the vegetables into chunks that are fairly same-sized, so that they cook uniformly.

4. Heat the coconut oil on medium heat in a large pan, till a fennel seed dropped into it sizzles.

5. Add the fennel and caraway seeds and let them sizzle until you can smell the aroma.

6. Add the shallot and garlic and saute till the shallot is translucent and is just getting a bit brown.

7. Add the cut vegetables and spices and saute everything for 5 minutes. Stir often enough to prevent vegetables from sticking to the pan or burning.

8. Drain the rice and lentil mixture.

9. Add to the pan and saute on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes along with the vegetables.

10. Add enough water to cover the rice, lentils, and vegetable mixture.

11. Turn the heat to high. When everything starts to bubble a bit, turn the heat to low.

12. Cover and cook on low for 10-15 minutes.

13. Uncover, add the raisins and give it all a quick stir.

14. If the rice isn't cooked yet, cover the pan and let everything cook for another 5 minutes or so.

15. When it's cooked, turn off the heat and add the chopped parsley.

16. Enjoy!