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Caribbean Rice Bundles recipe
Caribbean Rice Bundles recipe
While I am typing up recipes, I will post this one for the woman who wanted recipes for a St. John cookbook. This is a great side item for a Caribbean party.
Caribbean Rice in Grilled Banana Leaf Parcels
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, very thinly sliced
2 teaspoons curry powder (I tend toward a sweeter curry powder for this recipe - Sambhar from Whole Foods is good).
1 large ear of corn, kernels removed.
1 large carrot, peeled, diced, cooked, and set aside
1 red pepper, finely diced, and lightly sautéed
1 cup or so of fresh peas
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup good chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you are vegetarian)
1 cup uncooked basmati rice (I like the Kalijira, either white or brown)
1 pungent bay leaf
Banana leaves (which can be bought, Goya brand, folded and frozen in large, flat packages), defrosted
Lengths of twine approximately 16" long, soaked in water
Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onion until it is soft but be sure not to burn it. Stir in the curry powder and the uncooked rice. Stir for two or three minutes as this mixture cooks. Add the juice, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the rice simmer for 20 minutes or until it is cooked and the liquid has been absorbed. Here's what it looks like to start.
When rice is done, remove the bay leaf. Add the cooked carrots, corn kernels, red pepper, jalapeno, and peas. Remove from heat.
Wash and dry the banana leaves. With scissors, cut them into squares approximately 8 inches wide.
Place a scoop of rice into the middle of the banana leaf square.
Carefully fold the sides of the leaf up and over to form a package. Tie up as if you were putting ribbon around a gift and knot the top. Cut off extra twine at the ends of the knot. Repeat until rice is gone.
At this point, you can refrigerate the parcels. They taste best if you make them the day before serving.
Later, remove the bundles about an hour before grilling. Grill them for about fifteen minutes. The leaf will blacken and char.
The recipe makes about 6 bundles. They are truly delicious--the rice takes on a smokey flavor and gets a crust in some places. Also, looks great on a plate.
Eternal thanks to Mary Beth for explaining how to post pix!
Caribbean Rice in Grilled Banana Leaf Parcels
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, very thinly sliced
2 teaspoons curry powder (I tend toward a sweeter curry powder for this recipe - Sambhar from Whole Foods is good).
1 large ear of corn, kernels removed.
1 large carrot, peeled, diced, cooked, and set aside
1 red pepper, finely diced, and lightly sautéed
1 cup or so of fresh peas
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup good chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you are vegetarian)
1 cup uncooked basmati rice (I like the Kalijira, either white or brown)
1 pungent bay leaf
Banana leaves (which can be bought, Goya brand, folded and frozen in large, flat packages), defrosted
Lengths of twine approximately 16" long, soaked in water
Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onion until it is soft but be sure not to burn it. Stir in the curry powder and the uncooked rice. Stir for two or three minutes as this mixture cooks. Add the juice, chicken broth, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the rice simmer for 20 minutes or until it is cooked and the liquid has been absorbed. Here's what it looks like to start.
When rice is done, remove the bay leaf. Add the cooked carrots, corn kernels, red pepper, jalapeno, and peas. Remove from heat.
Wash and dry the banana leaves. With scissors, cut them into squares approximately 8 inches wide.
Place a scoop of rice into the middle of the banana leaf square.
Carefully fold the sides of the leaf up and over to form a package. Tie up as if you were putting ribbon around a gift and knot the top. Cut off extra twine at the ends of the knot. Repeat until rice is gone.
At this point, you can refrigerate the parcels. They taste best if you make them the day before serving.
Later, remove the bundles about an hour before grilling. Grill them for about fifteen minutes. The leaf will blacken and char.
The recipe makes about 6 bundles. They are truly delicious--the rice takes on a smokey flavor and gets a crust in some places. Also, looks great on a plate.
Eternal thanks to Mary Beth for explaining how to post pix!
