Helen Willinsky’s rice and peas
Serves 4-6
For the curry goat
goat meat 900g from the leg or shoulder
onion 1 large, chopped
garlic 1 clove, minced
habanero or scotch bonnet chilli 1, seeded (or not, depending on how hot you want it) and chopped
curry powder 2 tbsp
vegetable oil 2 tbsp
water 500ml
For the rice and peas
dried red kidney beans 275g, picked over, rinsed, and soaked overnight
garlic 1 clove, crushed
water 950ml
bacon 2 slices, chopped
coconut milk 475ml
spring onion 1, inc. green parts, chopped
thyme 1 sprig
scotch bonnet chilli 1 whole
long-grain white rice 380g
Trim any fat from the goat and chop into bite-sized pieces with a cleaver. Don’t worry about any bones; they will become soft and chewable after cooking. In a resealable plastic bag, combine the meat, onion, garlic, chilli, curry powder, salt and pepper. Rotate to coat the meat and onion. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
In a large casserole dish, heat the oil over medium heat and add the meat, vegetables and seasoning. Brown the meat on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add the water, cover, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 hour. Taste and adjust the seasoning and add more water if needed. Continue to cook until the meat and bones are tender, 20-25 minutes longer.
For the rice and peas combine the kidney beans, garlic and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then simmer on medium-low, uncovered, until tender, about 2 hours. Add the salt, bacon, coconut milk, pepper, spring onion, thyme, and chilli. (Be careful to keep the chilli intact; we want the flavour and aroma, not the heat.) Stir in the rice. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed. Serve hot.
From Jerk from Jamaica by Helen Willinsky (Ten Speed Press $20)
Marcus Samuelsson’s chicken jollof rice
Serves 6-8
peanut oil 60ml
boneless chicken thighs 675g
onions 2 medium, chopped
red pepper 1 medium, chopped
bird’s eye chilli 1, chopped
carrot 1 large, coarsely shredded
garlic 4 cloves, minced
long grain rice 300g
tomato paste 55g
peanut butter 65g
tomato 1 large ripe, seeded and chopped
curry powder 1 tsp
cinnamon ½ tsp
green beans 150g, fresh or frozen, trimmed to 2½ cm length
cabbage 100g, thinly sliced
chicken stock 1.2 litres
salt and pepper
In a large pot, heat the oil over a medium-high flame. Add the chicken and brown on all sides, for about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken and place it on a platter.
Add the onions, pepper, chilli and carrot to the pan. Sauté until the onions are wilted and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the rice into the onions and peppers and heat through for another 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and peanut butter to coat the rice and give it a reddish hue. Add the chopped tomato and cook down for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the curry powder and cinnamon.
Return the chicken to the pot and add the green beans, cabbage and stock. Season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover tightly and simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Place the rice on a serving platter and serve with sliced hard-boiled eggs and a salad.
Marcus Samuelsson is a chef and restaurateur
Jordan Bourke and Rejina Pyo’s mixed rice with vegetables and beef (bibimbap)
Serves 4
short-grain white rice 400g
For the marinated beef
beef sirloin 300g, very thinly sliced
soy sauce 2½ tbsp
roasted sesame seed oil 2 tsp
garlic 3 cloves, crushed
spring onions 3, very finely chopped
ground black pepper ½ tsp
For the toppings
carrots 150g, cut into very thin strips
courgette 300g, quartered lengthways and thinly sliced
cucumber 150g, halved lengthways, deseeded and thinly sliced
daikon radish 150g, peeled, cut in thin strips
bean sprouts 150g
roasted sesame seed oil to season
soy sauce to season
sunflower or vegetable oil to fry
shiitake mushrooms 200g, sliced
spinach 300g
eggs 4
toasted sesame seeds to serve
salad cress a few leaves, to serve
For the gochujang sauce
gochujang chilli paste 3 tbsp
soy sauce 1 tbsp
roasted sesame seed oil 1 tbsp
garlic 2 cloves, crushed
sugar or maple syrup 1 tbsp
In a bowl, combine together all the gochujang sauce ingredients and set aside. In another bowl, mix together the ingredients for the beef marinade, add the sliced beef, cover and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Keep warm. Meanwhile, fill a large pan with water and bring it to a rolling boil. One by one, blanch the carrots, courgette, cucumber and radish for 1 minute and the bean sprouts for 2½ minutes. Use a slotted spoon or sieve to remove them and drain fully. Season each vegetable with ½ a teaspoon of roasted sesame seed oil and soy sauce, keeping the vegetables separate at all times.
Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a pan. Add in the mushrooms and stir-fry over a high heat for 4-5 minutes until softened. Remove from the pan and season with ½ a teaspoon of roasted sesame seed oil and soy sauce.
In the same pan, add in the spinach and sprinkle over 2 teaspoons of water. Fry over a high heat for a few minutes, stirring all the time, until the spinach has wilted.
Remove the spinach, squeeze out any excess water and season as before with the ½ teaspoon of roasted sesame seed oil and soy sauce. In Korea, these vegetables are served at room temperature so don’t worry about keeping them warm.
In the same pan, add the marinated beef. Stir-fry over a high heat for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and the meat is cooked through. In a clean frying pan, fry the eggs to your liking.
Serve the hot rice in 4 individual bowls. Place 1 egg onto the centre of the rice, then arrange the vegetables and meat around it.
Sprinkle over some sesame seeds and salad cress and serve with the gochujang sauce. Start with a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce and mix everything together well. Add more gochujang sauce to taste.
From Our Korean Kitchen by Jordan Bourke and Rejina Pyo (Weidenfeld, £25). Click here to order a copy for £20 from Guardian Bookshop
Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully’s black rice with mango and coconut cream
Serves 6
black glutinous rice 400g, soaked in plenty of water overnight
pandan leaf 100g (10 large leaves), tied in a knot (or 1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways and seeds scraped)
mango 1 medium, peeled and diced into 2cm cubes (200g)
bananas 2 medium, peeled and sliced into 1cm thick pieces (150g)
coconut cream 120ml
coarse sea salt
Palm sugar syrup
palm sugar 200g, coarsely grated
pandan leaf 80g (8 large leaves) (or 1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways and seeds scraped)
Drain and rinse the rice and place it in a large saucepan with the pandan leaves, 1.2 litres of water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to the boil, then cook on a medium heat for 30–35 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the rice is cooked through but still retains a bite and has the consistency of thick wet porridge. Discard the pandan leaves and keep the rice somewhere warm.
While the rice is cooking, make the syrup. Place the palm sugar and pandan leaves in a small saucepan with 150ml of water. Bring to the boil, then cook on a medium-high heat for 20 minutes, until it has the consistency of maple syrup and has reduced by half. Remove and discard the pandan leaves and add 50ml of the syrup to the rice. Stir through, then divide the rice between the bowls. Top with the mango and banana and drizzle over the coconut cream. You want the cream to have a pouring consistency, so thin it down with a little bit of water, if needed. Serve at once, with the remaining palm sugar syrup drizzled on top.
From Nopi: The Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully (Ebury, £28)
Simon Hopkinson’s rice pudding
The secret of a good rice pudding is extremely slow cooking. You must allow the skin to form naturally and never commit the cardinal sin of stirring it in.
serves 4
butter 65g
caster sugar 75g
round-grain rice 100g
full-cream milk 1 litre
vanilla pod ½, split lengthways
double cream 150ml
salt a pinch
Preheat the oven to 140C/gas mark 1.
Melt the butter in a flameproof casserole and add the sugar. Stir around and heat gently until gooey, like toffee. Add the rice and continue stirring until the rice looks puffy, pale golden, and sticky with sugar. Add the milk, which will seethe, and the rice/butter/sugar mixture will set into lumps. Fear not. Feel around with a wooden spoon and disperse the lumps because as the milk heats it will dissolve all in its path. Add the vanilla pod and squash it around a bit to release its little black seeds. Add the cream and salt, and bring to the boil.
Place in the oven and cook for 3-4 hours or until just starting to set and still slightly liquid-looking; as the pudding cools, it will finish cooking in its own heat. Serve very lukewarm, or cold if you like, but never hot.
From Roast Chicken and Other Stories by Simon Hopkinson (Ebury, £14.99). Click here to order a copy for £10 from Guardian Bookshop
