Fiesta Rice

I am a great fan of rice dishes. Culturally, that make sense, as rice is a staple in Chinese cuisine. More importantly though, I like rice because it is amazingly versatile. It can be made in a variety of ways, from simple steamed white rice to more complex risottos. And, of course, because rice is a staple of many cultures, there is an endless array of dishes that features rice, with very different tastes and flavors.

I must have first come across 'fiesta rice' on some Food Network program years ago. There is a strong urge to disdain a dish that promises a party - and an ethnic party at that. But, who can say no to rice? Besides, I find the name amusing and have taken to naming any sort of colorful rice dish 'fiesta rice' (at least in my head). I used to make a pseudo-Mexican inspired fiesta rice, with corn and jalapeno peppers.

Here in Guadeloupe, I've come up with a new version of fiesta rice, somewhat by accident. I started making a rice dish, flavoring it with local hot peppers, and threw in some leftover shredded carrots. The end result has all the typical Antillais flavors, and is, of course, a fiesta in a bowl.

The ingredients are listed below, though the quantities vary depending on what I have on hand. Unfortunately, I have not been able to positively identify the chili peppers that are widely found and used in Guadeloupe (Here, all chili peppers are universally called piment). I've narrowed down the second piment listed as either habernero or scotch bonnet. For both, I've provided an image; perhaps you would know better than me. If I figure out what the first piment is, I will amend this post.

I've I've written the basic instructions, though new cooks and follow-the-book cooks may find it incredibly vague.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked rice
1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
4 piment, de-seeded, coarsely chopped (1)
1 piment (habernero or scotch bonnet), de-seeded, finely chopped (2) (3)
2 carrots, shredded (4)
3 or 4 green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
shredded emmental cheese
herbes de provence (a combination of dried thyme and rosemary) (5)
olive oil
butter
salt

1. Sweat the chopped onions and crushed garlic in a pan with some olive oil.

2. Add a thickish pat of butter (or more olive oil) to the pan, then add the uncooked rice. Make sure the rice is evenly coated with oil. Cook over low heat for a few minutes.

3. Add enough water to cover rice entirely. Add both types of hot peppers, carrots, green onions, herbes de provence. Cover and turn the heat up to medium. Add water as needed until rice is cooked thoroughly.

4. Add emmental before serving.

Its not a revolution of a recipe. And precisely because it is easy to make, its not very special. But its extremely flavorful and satisfying. A definite 'go-to' recipe. I often serve the rice as an accompaniment to a portion of meat, usually chicken. If I serve the rice as a main dish, I usually add meat to it. I've tried adding diots, a type of sausage from Savoy, but it was too sweet. Ground beef worked well. For guests, I've used the rice to stuff sweet peppers to rave reviews.

(1)






(2)







(3) You could probably replace these hot peppers with any other kind. Of course, it won't taste exactly the same, but would probably work just as well.

(4) The carrots don't have to be shredded. I've made the rice with chopped carrots when I was feeling too lazy to shred them. It works just as well.

(5) There is a huge local thyme plant in a flower box in front of my house, and I've used the leaves in this recipe before, but amazingly, it was not as flavorful as using the dried flakes.