Today's weather was really cool in the Valley of the Sun, and our heater decided that today (of all days) it was going to be "testy", and act up. Trying to keep the house warm, I made a peach crisp in the oven, and then very slow-baked this dish. The results were marvelous.
I had a packet of chicken legs in the freezer, a head of cabbage in the fridge, and I was itching to try the red rice I had recently percured.
BTW red rice is very healthy for you. It's known to invigorate the body, aids digestion, removes blood blockages in the body, and is often used to lower cholesterol.
Red rice is a good source of thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), fibre, iron and calcium. The flavor of cooked red cargo rice is generally more sweet and nutty, and the rice is more chewy than standard white polished rice. It does take longer to cook, but it is definitely worth it.
Tonights dinner was absolutely delicious, with a hint of citrus that just gave it a "clean" and "fresh" taste. The red rice was awesome, and I think I've found my new fave grain.
You're definitely going to want to give this a try!
Happy Cooking, Happy Eating!
Ingredients:
6 chicken legs
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp Middle Eastern 7-Spices
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/2 head of cabbage, leaves kept whole
1/4 tsp chicken powder
3 cups hot water
1 TBSP butter
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups red rice
1. In an oven proof bowl, use the cabbage to line the bowl. Add the red onion over top, sprinkle with chicken powder.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the chicken legs with pepper, salt, 7-Spices and lemon juice. Place the chicken over top of the cabbage and onions.
3. Bake at 300*F for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 250* for a further 30 minutes while rice is cooking.
4. In a cooking pot, add hot water butter and salt and bring to a boil, add red rice.
5. Bring the water to a boil again, reduce heat to very low and let simmer (stirring occasionally) for 30-40 minutes (or to desired texture of rice).
6. Drain any remaining liquid from rice before serving.
NB: You can substitute the chicken legs with a whole chicken
That looks yummy! I've never used red rice before, will have to go shopping for it :)
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