Red Rice with Mushrooms

Name: Red Rice with Mushrooms and Vegetables
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Red rice 1 cup (180 g); Water for the rice 0.5 l; Fresh mushrooms (porcini, bay boletes) 400 g; Garlic 1 head; Carrot 1; Onion 1; Red bell pepper 1; Olive oil 50 ml; Spices: sweet paprika, ground black pepper, salt to taste

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60 mins

Rice with mushrooms makes an excellent side dish or a dish in its own right. Any rice will do: white, red or brown. Rice varieties actually come in quite a range of colors. There is also black rice, pearly white rice and matte rice.

For most of the planet’s population, rice is the staple food. Rice, also called the Saracen grain, has been grown and eaten for a very long time, and rice growing may be one of the oldest forms of cereal cultivation. I was surprised to learn that there are hundreds and even thousands of varieties of rice in the world, which you would never guess from the shelves of our stores. All we know is a faceless “rice”. People rarely look for a particular variety of rice for the dish they want to cook.

Sometimes you can see “black” or wild rice. It has very long, matte black grains, slightly curved (by the way, is it even rice?). It is quite expensive, and they say it used to be served only to noblemen. Or brown rice: I do not know if it is a separate variety, and I suspect it is just ordinary rice sorted by husk color before polishing. And red rice, which is probably the healthiest variety of all.

In fact, red rice on its own, as a side dish, is already a self-sufficient dish. It is not only tasty but also very healthy. Red rice is a great choice for all kinds of dishes.

Red rice with mushrooms and vegetables turned out absolutely wonderful.

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Ingredients

2 servings

Red rice 1 cup (180 g)
Water for the rice 0.5 l
Fresh mushrooms (porcini, bay boletes) 400 g
Garlic 1 head
Carrot 1
Onion 1
Red bell pepper 1
Olive oil 50 ml
Spices: sweet paprika, ground black pepper, salt to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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Rice is the head of everything, or so Asian proverbs surely say. With so many varieties of rice, that is hardly surprising. Moreover, the same rice can turn up in completely different forms, depending on where it was grown, how the grain was processed, and so on.
For example, the same parboiled rice variety can be sold as brown rice or as unpolished rice, though they seem to be the same thing. The tough outer husk is simply not polished off the grains. And the husk contains most of the nutrients and vitamins. Polish the grain and you get ordinary long-grain rice, white or even snow-white. Steam such rice and you get the popular parboiled rice, with pearly translucent grains.
The red rice you can easily buy is most likely just ordinary parboiled rice, selected by color before polishing.
Since red rice is unpolished and still in its husk, it is better to cook it separately. Bring 500 ml of water to a boil in a saucepan. According to the package instructions, the recommended ratio of liquid for cooking is 1:2.5, so do just that. Add a little salt to the water, really just a little, and, if you like, a couple of pinches of dried aromatic herbs from a “herbes de Provence” mix. Add the rice to the water, wait until it boils, and cook the rice over the lowest heat, covered, without stirring, for 35-40 mins. The rice should absorb all the water.
The mushrooms are best if they are porcini or bay boletes. Wash the mushrooms, cut them into pieces and boil in lightly salted water for 10-15 mins. If you have porcini, simply boil them. If you have bay boletes, add 1 tbsp of regular vinegar to the water so the mushrooms darken less. Transfer the boiled mushrooms to a bowl and let the excess water drain, then discard the water.
Peel and coarsely chop the onion. Fry the chopped onion in olive oil until soft. It is best not to overcook it.
Peel the carrot and red bell pepper and cut them into pieces of equal size, not too small. Add the carrot and pepper to the onion, and add the head of garlic separated into cloves, unpeeled. Fry everything over medium heat, stirring, for 10 mins.
Add the boiled mushrooms. Fry, stirring, for another 5 mins. Only then add the spices.
It is better not to use strongly aromatic spices at all. Half a teaspoon of sweet red paprika, and a little salt with ground black pepper. Fry the vegetables and mushrooms with the spices for a few mins.
Add the boiled rice. Simmer, covered, over the lowest heat for another 5-6 mins.
By and large, rice with mushrooms will not be fluffy but slightly sticky, so the dish will not look like red pilaf. The onion and mushrooms will also release their share of liquid.
You can also sprinkle the red rice with mushrooms with finely chopped parsley, but that is optional.
Serve the red rice with mushrooms hot, and do not let it cool. A reheated dish loses its flavor and aroma.