Red Rice, Beef and Beans Burrito

My mom used to call me "rice bucket" when I was a kid. In Chinese, that means a person who like to eat a lot of rice. I could have lots of plain rice with just a little amount of other food. Rice was not a side dish to me, it was my main dish. But, this was no longer true.  Having too much rice in the past made me opt for other type of staple food whenever possible. Until one day, I found out that there were so many other ways to cook different types of rice in other parts of the world. The result is usually extremely flavorful rice with distinguished texture depending on the type of rice you use.  Having rice is not boring anymore. And once again, I become a "rice bucket". 

One of my favorite types of rice is Mexican red rice. I love the tomato flavor with a bit of spiciness from the jalapeno. To make a complete meal and also to please N, I usually make the bean and beef burrito. But at anytime, I can just have the red rice by itself.  

The following recipe is coming from Cook's Illustrated.  I have tried a few red rice recipes.  The amount of tomato and onion is just right in this recipe, not too overwhelmed. As usual, the measurement showing is half of the recipe as this was how much I made. I have also modified the cooking method. This is a straightly stove-top method, in contrast with the oven method in the original recipe. But perfect cooking rice turned out every time! 

Red Rice (Mexican Rice)

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated Magazine, September 2004

Serve 3 to 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

1 1/2        ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered

1/2           medium onion, peeled and quartered

1 1/2        medium jalapeno, minced

1              cup long grain rice

1/6           cup canola oil

2              gloves of garlic, minced

1              cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1/2           Tbsp tomato paste

3/4           tsp salt

1/4           cup minced cilantro leaves

1              lime, cut into wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Process tomatoes and onion in food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds.  Transfer mixture into measuring cup.  There should be around one cup of mixture.  Pour one cup of chicken broth into mixture. Put it aside.
2. Rinse rice through strainer under cold running water for 1 to 2 mins, drains and put it aside.
3. Heat oil in a sauce pan over medium-high eat, about 1. When you put 3 to 4 grains of rice in the pan and the grains sizzle, the oil is ready. Add rice and saute, stirring frequently, until rice is translucent and light brown, about 5 to 6 mins.  
4. Reduce heat to medium. add garlic and jalapeno, saute for a min.  
5. Add the tomato mixture, tomato paste and salt.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Cover the  rice and let it simmer for about 10 mins, until water is mostly absorbed by the rice.
6. Uncover and let it cook under low heat for another 8 mins.
7. Remove from heat, cover and let it stand for 5 mins.
8. Fluff up the rice with a fork, stir in minced cilantro and serve.

The following is a really quick and easy way to make beef with beans to accompany the rice in the burrito.  I am not sure if this is authentic or not, but it certainly taste good.

 

Beef, Bean and Rice Burritos

Adapted from Bon Appetit, found on epicurious.com

Ingredients

1/2      lb lean ground beef

1/2      onion, chopped

2         large cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2   Tbsp ground cummin

3/4      14 oz can black beans or pinto beans, rinsed, drained

1/2      14 oz can beef or chicken broth

1/2      can diced green chilies

2          green onions, chopped

Red rice, see above recipe

Directions:

1. Heat heavy 10" skillet over medium heat.  Add beef and cook until brown, breaking up clumps with wooden spoon, about 4 mins.
2. Add chopped onion and garlic, cook until onion is transparent, stirring frequently, about 3 to 4 mins.
3. Stir in cumin and cook for 1 min.  Add beans, broth and green chilies. Cook until beans are softened, about 10 mins.  Press and crush beans with back of spoon, continue to cook until beans are creamy and thickened, about 5 more mins.  Mix in green onion.
4. Assemble burrito by wrapping in a tortilla with any combination of beans, red rice, cheese, salsa, gucamole and sour cream.

West Lake Beef Soup

Usually when I have no idea what to cook for dinner or if I need to whip up something really quickly, I go for Chinese food.  You can almost stir fry any type of vegetables, put some meat in, and you have a dish in no time.  But Chinese soup is different.  The ones that my mom likes to make, with meat, vegetables and Chinese herbs,  usually take 2 to 3 hours to simmer. And it is said that those type of soup have medical value.  I have yet to learn the right ingredient combination to make those type of slow-cook soup.  The one that is easy and quick to make is the thickening soup, such as hot and sour soup, egg drop soup and West Lake beef soup. In an unusually windy and cool spring day like yesterday, I suddenly longed for the beefy taste and strong cilantro fragrant. So, I made the West Lake beef soup

*Kitchen notes:  

• This is my version of the recipe. As with other recipes, you can find thousands of ways to cook it on the internet, especially if you can google in Chinese. Like, whether you should parboil the beef first or not, whether you should marinate the beef or not. After trying different ways, I came up with my own way to suit my own taste. 
• I like cilantro a lot. To get the taste of the cilantro into the soup,  I boil the cilantro stems with the soup for a while.  If you do not like strong cilantro taste, please skip the step.
• You can use just the egg white rather than the whole egg to make the egg strands.

Recipe:  West Lake Beef Soup (西湖牛肉羹)

Serve 2 to 4

Ingredients:

  

For marinade:

1/2    lb extra lean ground beef

2       Tbsp light soy sauce

1       tsp Chinese cooking wine

1       tsp cornstarch

1/2    tsp sesame oil

dash of white pepper

For the stock:

1       cup low sodium chicken stock

3       cup water

3       thin slices of ginger

1       box of soft tofu, diced

1       bunch (about 10 stalks) of cilantro, rinsed, pick the leaves off the stem*
1/3    cup frozen peas

         salt

         soy sauce

3       Tbsp of cornstarch

1       egg, lightly beaten*

Directions:

1. Whisk all the marinade seasonings together and toss with the beef. Let the beef marinate for at least 15 mins.
2. Combine 3 Tbsp of cornstarch with 3 Tbsp of water.  Stir until all the lumps are gone.  Put it aside.
3. Boil the chicken stock, water and ginger together in a saucepan over medium heat.. When the stock is boiling, put the tofu and the cilantro stems in. Let the stock simmer for about 1 to 2 mins. When the stock is boiling again, put the marinated beef in. Break the clumps of the beef with a wooden spoon. Let the stock simmer for a while, about 4 to 5 mins, or until the beef is no longer pink. Stir in the frozen peas. Let it simmer for another min.
4. Take out the cilantro stems. Skim off the foams or the impurities on the surface of the stock. Adjust the taste or the soup with salt and soy sauce. I put around 1/2 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of soy sauce in.
5. Stir the cornstarch mixture again before adding to the soup.  To thicken the soup, pour in half of the cornstarch mixture while the soup is simmering. Stir and let the soup simmer for a while, check the consistency of the soup before pouring in more cornstarch mixture. The soup should turn a little bit translucent when it is thicken to the right consistency.
6. Remove the pan from the heat.  Drizzle the egg into the soup in a steady, continuous stream while stirring the soup at the same time. The egg will turn into thin strands that floats in the soup.  Stir in the cilantro leaves.  Serve hot.

Simple Chili with Kidney Beans

When I first learnt how to make chili on Bebob's request, I always thought that I had accomplished a great deal since this was the first real Mexican food that I made.  But I was wrong, according to Wiki and History and Legends of Chili, Chili Corn Carne, chili is not Mexican food at all.  Although the real origin cannot be known for certain, there is no doubt that it evolved and got popular in Southwestern American, in particular Texas where chili is the official state food.

No matters where it came from, a bowl of rich and lush chili is always a soothing meal. This recipe of simple chili is adapted from the The Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated. It is so simple and easy to make by using stable available in supermarket and yet the flavor it produces is deep and complex.

Recipe: Simple Beef Chili with Kidney Beans

Adapted from The Best Recipe by Cook's Illustrated

Ingredients:

2    tbsp vegetable or corn oil

2    mediums onions, chopped fine (about 2 cups)

1    red bell pepper, cut into 1/2" cubes

6    medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tbsp)

1/4 cup chili powder

1    tbsp ground cumin

2    tsp ground coriander

1    tsp red pepper flakes

1    tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like to increase the heat)

1    lb lean ground beef*

1    lb ground chicken breast*

2    cans (16oz. each) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1    can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, with juice*

1    can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, pureed in blender*

      Salt

* See kitchen notes

Directions:

1. Cook veggies with spices - Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking, about 3 to 4 mins.  Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, oregano, and cayenne. Saute until veggies are softened and started to brown, about 10 mins.
2. Cook meat with veggies - Turn heat to medium high and add chicken to the veggies.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink, about 3 to 4 mins.  Add beef and cook until it is no longer pink, another 3 to 4 mins.  Breaking up large clumps of chicken or beef with wooden spoon during cooking.
3. Add beans, tomatoes, tomatoes pureer and 1/2 tsp salt; bring to boil and then reduce heat to low for simmering, covered and stirred occasionally, for 1 hour.
4. Remove cover and let it continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, for another hour or so, until the meat is tender and the chili is slightly thickened. Taste it and adjust seasoning with salt. Serve with lime wedges and other condiments, such as diced avocado, chopped red onion, sour cream and shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese. 

Kitchen notes:

• Original recipe is made with all beef.  To make it a bit leaner, I substituted half of the beef with chicken.  I have tried the recipe with all extra lean ground beef but the result was unsatisfactorily. With half of the chicken, the rich beefy taste is still there.
• Original recipe is made with 1 can diced tomatoes with all the juice and 1 can tomatoes puree. I do not usually keep tomatoes puree in my pantry, so I made my own with whole tomatoes. Sometimes I use crushed tomatoes.  No matter what you use, just watch out for the amount of liquid.  If it seems to be too runny, just reduce the amount of juice from the diced tomatoes added to the pot.