Spicy flavoured rice.

Great with most meats, to bulk out a wrap or rice bowl, compliment crispy chicken or your plate, or in a lunch box with sliced chicken/lean beef.

Ingredients

• 1 cup long grain white rice (you can use brown rice, just increase the cooking time)
• 1 small onion
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1 small Jalapeno (or 5 rings from a pre-cooked jar) This generates a ‘kick’ vs a ‘burn’.
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cups of hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree

Method

Rinse your rice in a sieve (until water runs clear), and set aside to dry. Finely chop onion, red pepper, jalapeno and mince garlic.

Start cooking by warming olive oil in a medium sized pan, then add onions and cook on a low heat until translucent. About 5 min. Increase the heat slightly to medium, and add peppers, jalapeno and garlic and cook about 2 min. Turn heat back down to low, and add cumin, and cook another 1 min to wake up the spice, stirring continuously as it will start sticking by this point. Add rice and cook for 2 min to ‘toast’ the grains in the flavour. Stirring frequently. Now add your stock, tomato puree and salt and mix together well. Bring to the boil, and then move the pot to your smallest / lowest heat setting on the stove or hob and simmer with the lid on for 20min. During this 20min, every 5min or so give it a good stir so it doesn’t stick, put lid back on, and complete when rice is ready (which takes about 20min).

This side dish is perfect to accompany most simple meat dishes and is also a great bulking agent inside a wrap with protein & salads.

It’s great eaten warm or cold…

For packed lunches, add steamed broccoli florets and sliced chicken or lean beef. If you’re pushing the boat out, sneak into the main Tupperware a tiny pot of sauce to mix in just before eating – 2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt + 1/2 teaspoon of either mint sauce or Tahini.