Lubia Polo
with
Royal® Basmati Rice

(4-5 servings)

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef

1 each onion, Spanish (yellow), peeled and minced

2 Tbsp curry powder

1 qt (approx.) chicken broth, low sodium

¼ cup tomato sauce, prepared

½ pound green beans, fresh, stemmed, cut into small pieces (approx 1" long)

3 cups Royal Basmati Rice, uncooked, rinsed and drained

1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

  1. Brown the ground beef, in a large sauce pot, over high heat until the beef is fully cooked (no pink).
  2. Add the onions, stir to combine evenly and cook until the onions are soft & translucent.
  3. Add curry powder, stir to combine evenly and cook additional 1 minute.
  4. Add chicken broth, tomato sauce and cut green beans. Bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes until the beans are down. The mixture should be thick in texture. Remove the sauce pot from the heat and reserve the mixture hot.
  5. Boil the rice, per bag instructions - but only cook partially until almost tender, as the reserved rice will be cooked again. Drain partially cooked rice in colander and reserve hot.
  6. In a large non-stick sauce pot, heat the 1-2 Tbsp of vegetable oil. Add ½ the reserved rice to cover the oil and the bottom of the sauce pot. Top the rice with the reserved ground beef/onion/curry/bean mixture. Add the remaining ½ of reserved rice to cover the bean mixture.
  7. Cover the sauce pot with a lid and heat, over medium heat, for approx. 5-8 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cook, covered, an additional 12-15 minutes.
  8. Remove the sauce pot from the heat and allow to rest, covered, for 5 minutes.
  9. Take off the sauce pot lid. Place a platter over the sauce pot and gently invert the rice onto the platter. The rice should hold its form and have a crispy/browned outer shell & edges. You can also cut into wedges.
  10. Serve hot and enjoy!

Rice Salad
with
Royal Basmati Rice

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

1 cup Royal Basmati Rice

½ onion (finely chopped)

1 tsp wine vinegar

1 tsp oil

1 celery stalk (diced)

½ cup mushrooms (finely diced)

½ yellow bell pepper (finely diced)

2 cups spinach (washed & dried)

½ cup carrot (finely chopped)

½ cup frozen green peas (cooked, drained & chilled)

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ cup mayonnaise

Directions:

  1. Cook the rice as per cooking instructions.
  2. While the rice is warm, mix well with onion and vinegar, let it stand to cool.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, vegetables and seasonings.
  4. Just before serving, toss cooled rice and salad mixtures together.

Adas Polo
with
Royal Basmati Rice

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

3 cups Royal Basmati Rice

5 ½ oz. lentils

3 ½ oz. raisins

Directions:

  1. Wash and cook lentils for 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Place the washed and drained rice into a saucepan, adding water, oil and salt per cooking instructions.
  3. Place the saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil, stir occasionally.
  4. When water reduces slightly below the rice level, add cooked lentil and lower the heat to the minimum.
  5. Place a tight lid on the saucepan and let simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  6. Sauté raisins for 3 to 5 minutes until warm.
  7. When ready to serve, pour raisins over rice and lentil mixture.

Baghala Polo
with
Royal Basmati Rice

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

3 cups Royal Basmati Rice

3 ½ oz. frozen lima beans

1 ½ oz. finely chopped dill weed

Directions:

  1. Wash and cook lima beans for 15 to 20 minutes.
  2. Place the washed and drained rice into the saucepan, adding water, oil and salt as per cooking instructions.
  3. Place a saucepan over high heat and bring to boil, stir occasionally.
  4. When water reduces to the level of the rice, add cooked lima beans and dill weed, stir to mix.
  5. When water reduces slightly below the rice level, lower the heat to a minimum.
  6. Place a tight lid on the saucepan and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  7. Serve when ready.

Curry Chicken
with
Royal Basmati Rice

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 cups Royal Basmati Rice

2-3 lbs. chicken drumsticks cut in small pieces

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

6 tbsp cooking oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbsp curry powder

2 tsp cooking white wine

4 cups chicken broth or water

½ cup frozen green peas (cooked,

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground white pepper

Directions:

  1. Cook the rice as per cooking instructions
  2. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan, fry potatoes until the color of potatoes turns light brown, then set aside.
  3. Heat 3 tbsp of oil, stir in garlic until light brown.
  4. Reduce to low heat, stir in curry powder, chicken and white wine. Stir-fry until the chicken turns brown.
  5. Adding water or chicken broth to the pan, season with ginger, salt and pepper. Cover the pan and let simmer for 20 minutes.
  6. Add potatoes to the pan and let simmer for another 5 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
  7. Serve hot accompanied with Royal Basmati Rice.

Arroz Dulce
(Sweet Rice Pudding)
with
Royal Basmati Rice

Ingredients:

1-½ cups cooked Royal Basmati Rice

2 egg whites (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 cups evaporated milk

½ cup sugar

Directions:

Combine rice, milk and sugar in large saucepan. Bring to boil; simmer over low heat; add cinnamon. If desired, whip 2 egg whites and add to hot rice mixture, stirring rapidly. Add vanilla. Serve immediately. May be served cold also. Makes 4-5 ½ cup servings.

Grilled Pancetta
Wrapped River Fish
with Three
Cabbage-Rice Salad

Ingredients:

4 whole freshwater fish, such as rainbow trout, 4 small fins removed from bottom, eviscerated, and scaled

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large lemons, thinly sliced

½ pound pancetta, sliced into thin strips, like bacon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 thick slice ginger

Directions:

Using a sharp knife, score the fish on each side. Season the inside with salt and pepper, and place 2 or 3 lemon slices inside the cavity of the fish. Rub the outside of each fish with the slice of ginger, and season the outside of the fish with salt and pepper. Wrap each fish with enough pancetta to cover the flesh, by laying the pancetta side by side in a shingled rectangle, and rolling the fish up in it.

Prepare an outdoor grill or preheat the broiler. If cooking outdoors, spray the grill with nonstick cooking spray. Grill the fillets over high heat, turning once, until the pancetta is crispy, about 4 to 6 minutes per side or until the fish is cooked through.

Plating: On a large oval plate, place a mound of the Three Cabbage Rice Salad and top with fish. Drizzle with a little reserved vinaigrette and sprinkle a dash of paprika on top.

Three Cabbage
Rice Salad

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/3 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapenos

2 tablespoons cilantro, whole leaves

½ cup grapeseed oil

½ cup scallions, green parts only, cut 1/8-inch thick

1 cup red cabbage, cut into 1/8-inch ribbons

1 cup green cabbage, cut into 1/8-inch ribbons

1 cup Napa cabbage, cut into 1/8-inch ribbons

2 cups cooked Royal Basmati Rice, cooked with 1 teaspoon paprika, and cooled to room temperature.

Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the mustard, vinegar, chiles, cilantro, and whisk in the oil. Put aside a couple of tablespoons, for garnish. Add the cabbage and scallions and toss well. Season with the salt and pepper and allow to rest to flavor, about 3 minutes. Toss with rice and check for seasoning.

Basmati Rice Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups Royal Basmati Rice

½ cup clarified butter or veg.oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion

2 teaspoons sliced garlic

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

6 cardamom seed pods, crushed to release the small seeds and pods discarded

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

¾ cup golden raisins

½ cup toasted slivered almonds

½ cup cooked chickpeas, drained

½ cup fresh peas, or defrosted frozen peas

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Place the rice in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Place the rinsed rice in a large bowl and cover with 4 cups of water. Let soak 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the water for cooking.

In a large pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring, for 45 seconds. Add the cardamom seeds, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, salt, coriander, pepper, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the reserved soaking liquid and raisins, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, stir, cover and simmer until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit covered for 15 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Combine with the remaining ingredients and remove the cinnamon pieces and bay leaf. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Rice and Peas with
Garam Masala

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Royal Basmati Rice

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small onion, cut into thin half rings

¾ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground garam masala (see note 2)

4 tbs finely chopped fresh dill

2 cups chicken broth, fresh or canned

1 cup peas, fresh or frozen, cooked in boiling water for 2 minutes or until just done

Directions:

Wash the rice in several changes of water and drain. Cover generously in water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Heat the oil in a small, heavy pot over medium high heat. When hot, add the onion and stir until it is brown. Add the rice, salt, garam masala, and dill. Stir for a minute. Now put in the broth and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn heat to very low, and cook 20 minutes. Add the drained peas. Cover tightly again and cook another 5 to 7 minutes. Stir gently before serving.

Stuffed Grape Leaves
with
Royal Basmati Rice

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked Royal Basmati Rice

2 tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

5 cups chopped mushrooms

1 tbs. dried parsley or to taste

¼ tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

¼ tsp turmeric

1 cup cooked yellow split peas

16 oz jar grape leaves

1 cup water

Directions:

In a skillet, heat oil and sauté onion and mushrooms until soft. Add parsley and spices. Transfer to a bowl. Mix in peas and rice, Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 3-quart baking dish with a few grape leaves to keep stuffed leaves from sticking and burning. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of rice mixture (more or less, depending on size of leaf) in the center of grape leaf. Fold in sides, then roll leaf form stem to tip. Place in casserole. Repeat procedure with remaining grape leaves until rice mixture is used up. Pour water in bottom of dish (to prevent sticking and drying out). Bake for 25 minutes.