I seem to always have quite a bit of cooked rice around. My standby for leftover cooked rice is a breakaway treatment of fried rice, but something got into me today when I glanced over at the Chamba (the Colombian claypot shown in the photo). I thought that I if just combined the cooked rice with some other stuff, gave it a crust, and baked it, that it might be good. It was! Four hungry eaters polished this one off in a heartbeat, and everyone wanted more! This is sure to become a staple around here.
Into a big mixing bowl:
- roughly 5 cups cooked rice (I used basmati, but any rice will do)
- 2 tablespoons greek yogurt
- about 1/4 cup tofu, squished
- 2 eggs
- about a cup of leftover cooked, chopped vegetables: I had an onion/fennel/carrot mixture, but you could use any veggies at all
- plenty of salt and pepper
Rub some butter or olive oil into the claypot, and spoon in the rice mixture. Then take a slice of stale bread (I used a grainy hippie bread) with a teaspoon of coriander seeds and whir. Sprinkle that over the rice, and spray the whole thing with olive oil. Bake at 375 for about half an hour, or until the top is nicely browned and crispy.
Serve a slab in lieu of your usual rice (or other carb), alongside whatever else you’re having for dinner.
Looks delicious! Growing up in a big family, we would make something like this in lots of small, square dishes so there would be no fighting over the crispy corners. The dish you made it in looks wonderful, though…really makes the food POP. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Say no more, squire!)
Stuart is being coy because he sells the gorgeous Chamba pots, which is where I got mine! They’re really wonderful cooking vessels.
http://www.mytoque.com/index.html
Great. I made this this morning! I had some leftover soybeans and added it to the mix. I also put a little cheddar cheese in the topping.
Cool! For those who don’t know Paul, he’s the master of cast iron cooking:
http://firesidestove.com/company/event/2008/12/post.php
Too bad it’s only in Japanese! Paul, send us over a 55-gallon drum of sardines.
And: where can we buy some of those very cool “turk” pans?
http://www.firesidestove.com/item/detail.php?im=105204&tm=1
hey Eric – I love those clay dishes – i use them quite a bit.. thanks for the link (so i can order more) I also work as a private chef and am from SF (now living & working in Brooklyn) I love your updates and cookbook(s) – keep it coming!
It looks like you can’t buy these Turk pans in the US as I don’t see them anywhere. Here is the manufaturer’s website. Maybe they can help you. Otherwise I can bring one over next time I visit…
http://www.turk-metall.de/cms/
Must. Make. This. Tonight.
It’s uncanny how your posts reflect some of my current food obsessions. For the past few days, I’ve been thinking about tahdig, the Persian dish of crispy/crusty rice (e.g., crack). I’ve been hounding my college roommate (who is Persian) to share her recipe.
Karena,
Share it with us if she tells you.
Paul
I also have lots of rice left over all the time, I also usually stir fry it… but this will make a nice change – plus – added bonus quick and easy, can be done with a toddler in one arm with another hanging onto the opposite leg – a necessity for things made in my kitchen