How to spice up cooked brown rice?

Make brown rice rice with butter and lots of black pepper. Add chopped tomatoes and cilantro. After the rice is cooked, add apple cider vinegar and mix for a slightly sweet taste. Add lemon juice and cilantro and taste a little sour rice.

How to cook near east rice pilaf in microwave?

Microwave Directions In round 2-quart microwaveable glass casserole, combine rice, contents of Spice Sack, 2-1/4 cups water and 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil. Cover, microwave at HIGH 18 to 21 minutes or until most of water is absorbed.* Let stand about 5 minutes or until all water is absorbed. More items...

Do you season brown rice before or after cooking?

To cook your rice with herbs and spices, bring your rice and water to a boil, then set it to simmer for 35 to 45 minutes. Once your rice is fully cooked , add your seasonings, like soy sauce, dried basil, ground ginger, or cayenne pepper. If you want more subtle flavors, use whole spices.

Do you need to rinse brown rice before cooking?

And before you ask: Whether you choose to rinse your rice is a personal choice— some sources say you don't need to rinse brown rice at all . Our opinion: For the fluffiest brown rice possible, rinsing is the way to go.

What is the pilaf method of cooking rice?

In both the pilaf and risotto methods, we first sauté some finely minced onion in butter or oil, then add the uncooked rice and sauté it until it until it gives off a faint nutty aroma. For pilaf, we then add hot stock, cover, and transfer to the oven where it cooks until the liquid is absorbed .

What spices are in near East Spanish rice?

Ingredients. PARBOILED LONG GRAIN RICE, SALT, RED BELL PEPPER *, ONIONS*, TOMATO*, GARLIC*, PAPRIKA SPICE AND COLOR, NATURAL FLAVOR, YEAST EXTRACT, SPICES, ANNATTO EXTRACT COLOR.

How do you jazz up already cooked rice?

As for those additions, here they are: Stir in a tablespoon or more of butter. Stir in a tablespoon or more of olive oil. Drizzle with soy sauce. Add lots of pepper. Stir in a couple of tablespoons minced fresh herbs, ideally warmed first in melted butter. More items... Oct 18, 2019

What is a good seasoning to add to rice?

Spices Cumin. Curry powder. Paprika. Red pepper flakes. Garlic powder. Onion powder. Chili powder. Cajun seasoning. More items...

How do you make pre cooked rice taste better?

14 Ways To Make Instant Rice Taste Way Better Cook it in broth. Mironov Vladimir/Shutterstock. ... Add herbs. Fotografiabasica/Getty Images. ... Don't forget butter. Manuta/Getty Images. ... Turn it into fried rice. ... Use it to make burritos. ... Cook it in coconut milk to pair with Thai dishes. ... Make a quick gumbo. ... Add texture. More items... Jul 1, 2023

What kind of sauce goes with brown rice?

Brown rice comes in several varieties, from short-grain to long-grain. The long-grain variety will cook up drier and more separate in its rice grains, while the shorter-grained types will be softer and more pearly. With soy sauce – Plain brown rice, nutty and sweet, with a splash of soy sauce is a wonderful lunch.

Sephardic Megedarra with Garlicky Brown Rice Pilaf Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Make Ahead

by: creamtea

December26,2010

2 Ratings

Sephardic Megedarra with Garlicky Brown Rice Pilaf Recipe on Food52 (1)

Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 45 minutes
Serves 6 as a main or 8 as a side dish

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

Megedarra is a Middle Eastern staple of savory rice and lentils. My version is based on a recipe by Gilda Angel from her book, Sephardic Holiday Cooking, and my standard garlicky brown rice pilaf is based on a Brazilian way of preparing rice I learned from my babysitter years ago. Instead of brown lentils, I use French green or black beluga lentils since I like their flavor and firmness. A tangle of sauteed onions and shallots, a dollop of yogurt, and some minced scallions garnish the dish. It can be cooked as a meatless main dish or served as a side. It is delicious made a day ahead and re-heated the next day. It is easily doubled (or, indeed, halved). I cook the components separately to maintain the distinct flavors of each. Note that the technique for cooking the brown rice ensures that it will be non-gloppy! - creamtea —creamtea

Test Kitchen Notes

The lentil megedarra makes for an ideal comfort food, even for someone unfamiliar with Middle Eastern cuisine. The lentils are cooked soft and the sautéed alliums lend support to its nutty meaty character without overpowering it. The well-sauteed shallot/onion mix add those little morsels of caramelized taste complemented by the bites of the fresh ground peppercorn. The garlicky characteristic in the rice is toned down due to the long cooking time, resulting in little bites of sweetness from the garlic. —Panfusine

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

Garlicky Brown Rice Pilaf
2 to 3 tablespoonsolive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 fresh bay leaves, slightly torn and bruised
3 cupsshort grain brown rice
More than enough water to cover rice (about 3 1/2 cups)
¹/₄ teaspoonsalt (or to taste)

Lentils with sautéed onions and shallots
2 cupsFrench green or black beluga lentils
2 cupscold water
3 tablespoonsolive oil
2 medium to large onions, halved lengthwise
1 to 3 large shallots, thinly sliced vertically (the more the better)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pinchsalt
1 dashfreshly ground pepper
Plain or goat's milk yogurt, for garnish
Sliced scallions, for garnish

Directions

Garlicky Brown Rice Pilaf
Heat plenty of water in a kettle until boiling. In a large saucepan, heat olive oil until hot but not smoking over medium high heat. Add garlic and bay leaves, and saute until fragrant and bubbly. Add rice, stirring until rice appears "tweedy." Add boiling water -- it should be about one "finger joint" above the level of the rice. Important note: Stand back when adding boiling water! If the rice kernels are very hot and your flame is a little higher than normal, it may bubble up furiously -- as it did for me today. Stir in salt (be careful to avert face), then raise heat to high. At this time, set a timer for 40 minutes, and boil until the water evaporates to the level of rice, about 10 minutes. (A small pool of olive oil and garlic will migrate to the center of the rice -- this is okay.) Cover pan, lower heat to lowest setting and simmer for remainder of the time (about 30 minutes). Rice should be tender and water absorbed. Remove and discard bay leaves, then stir to distribute garlic bits and fluff slightly.

Lentils with sautéed onions and shallots
Sort and rinse lentils, draining excess water. Dice one onion half and thinly slice the rest. In a 2-quart saucepan, sauté the minced onion and about a clove's worth of the minced garlic until fragrant. Add the water and the lentils and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, adding salt to taste during the last 5 minutes of cooking, until everything is tender and most of the water has been absorbed (I like mine just barely soupy).
While lentils are simmering, heat oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and shallots and stir until slightly softened. Add garlic and stir, sautéing until garlic is fragrant and the onion mixture is translucent and starting to brown at the edges. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper to taste -- a little more than you think you need. Continue to sauté until nicely browned, adjusting heat as necessary. Remove from heat and set aside.
In individual bowls, layer rice and lentils. Garnish with the sautéed onion mixture, yogurt, and scallions.

Tags:

Sephardic
Clove
Green Onion/Scallion
Bean
Shallot
Grains
Brown Rice
Make Ahead
Serves a Crowd
Winter
Fall
Vegetarian

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AntoniaJames
Ashley Marie
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20 Reviews

Marielle D. October 12, 2019

I make mejedra once a week in my house! The best ! Mid it with salad with “Syrian dressing” lemon cumin salt and oil and you’ve got yourself the best dinner !
Also, if you like Sephardic food and I mean real Syrian Sephardic recipes from way back when I would check out Aromas of Aleppo by Poopa Dweck!

creamtea December 13, 2021

Yes, Aromas of Aleppo is a beautiful book, (I own it!). We make this frequently (just made it last night). These days, I sometimes use the Instant Pot to make the rice (19-20 minutes for brown rice) and a regular pot to make the lentils on the stovetop since the timing (20 minutes) is about the same.

judy November 10, 2015

While these recipes look amazing, and i make versions of them frequently, they don't really have enough garlic. Once garlic, like onion or other alliums, is sauteed, it becomes sweet and nutty. I would also mince fresh garlic in and stir it in at the end. supporting notes from the sautéed garlic and true garlic flavor from the minced fresh garlic stirred in. I LOVE garlic, and it takes a lot more than this for me to be satisfied. Alton Brown once said on one of his "Good Eats" episodes, if one wants real garlicky flavor of fresh garlic without using garlic cloves, the granulated is the best way to go. Cheap, easy to regulate, and very garlic forward. I use about 1/2 a pound a month, and there are only two of us to coo for right now!

creamtea September 12, 2017

Different strokes for different folks, judy.

AntoniaJames August 11, 2015

Can't wait to try this. So appealing! ;o)

MizF September 24, 2014

Never saw a recipe asking for fresh bay leaves before, so I did some web research. http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/03/ask-the-food-lab-whats-the-point-of-bay-leaves.html says "in this country, dried bay leaves are imported (generally from Turkey) and fresh bay leaves come from California, almost universally. And in fact, the two types of bay leaves are not even directly related. Fresh California bay leaves come from a tree that has a decidedly more potent eucalyptus flavor that can easily dominate a dish if you're not careful, while Turkish bay is much milder and more nuanced. In fact, bay leaves are the one case where I'd advocate against ever using fresh, unless you know what you're getting into." So is it the spicier California bay that you recommend for this recipe?

creamtea September 24, 2014

Now, I recommend true (Turkish) bay, which are now much more available in markets than previously. On the East coast, Fairway and Whole Foods often stock them in the produce section (often in small rectangular plastic "clamshell" containers. I have tried the eucalyptus-like California bay as well, but it is decidedly different.