Issue 029

September 2007

Ingredients

½ mug white or brown rice

½ teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)

½ onion medium diced

½ red pepper medium dice

½ chopped red chilli

1 clove finely sliced garlic

Handful pneapple medium diced

Handful petit pois (defrosted, from frozen)

Handful crushed dried chillis

Salt and pepper

Method

Take your rice and cook as normal. I like to take a coffee cup and half fill it with rice – throw this in a pan and fill the cup full with water and add this to the pan. Add the turmeric and cook the rice on a medium heat. It should be ready once all the water has evaporated. If its brown rice this will take a lot more water. 

While this is cooking dice up all of your ingredients and set aside. Once the rice is ¾ cooked heat a large pan and add some olive oil, once hot, add the onion and sauté for a couple of minutes, now add the pepper and repeat this. Once the pepper is soft add the red chilli to the pan. 

After half a minute fry in the garlic and the dried chilli, throw in the peas and pineapple, season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Rinse the rice under boiling water and toss into the frying pan to collect all the caramelised bits at the bottom – stir and serve.

Storage

You can chill this and eat the next day as a salad. You could also throw in some sultanas to the rice once cooked. If you don’t have one of the ingredients don’t break a leg worrying about it, carry on without it, unless of course it’s the rice!