I just wanted to share a Tunisian recipe that is my favorite.
It's called "Rus Djerba" which just means Djerban Rice, LOL! If you love rice, but are bored with the same old ways to cook it, you could try this. You could give it to the dogs I suppose, but the non spicey version. Is olive oil good for dogs? I know its good for cats coats. Anyway, here is the recipe.
Ingredients:
60g Mint (Dried is best, but if you can only get fresh then use 80g)
40g Fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tray of chicken breasts (about 4 or 5 breasts will do)
1 Kilo of Thai Rice (Any rice that is not sticky when cooked)
3 Whole bulbs of Garlic
2 Large Onions
1 can concentrated Tomato Paste
Hot chilli paste (The red kind, not the green) (I use a thing called Harrisa, if you can get it in a specialised store thats great, if not any hot chilli paste will do)
Olive Oil. (Extra virgin)
A HUGE MIXING BOWL!! Directions:
First wash the rice and put it in the HUGE mixing bowl.
Finely chop the Mint, all of the Garlic, the parsley and the onions, then throw in with the rice.
Dice the chicken (Raw) and throw that in too.
Use 2/3 the can of tomato paste
1 & 1/2 table spoons of hot chilli paste (You can vary according to your taste, or leave it out if you dont like spicey food)
Pour olive oil over the ingredients and mix it all up. When It's sticking together and all shiny, thats enough olive oil.
You need to cook the whole thing with steam! So fill up the steamer, wait for the water to boil. Put the whole lot in the top half of the steamer and put the lid on. You'll have to stir it around a few times. It usually takes an hour to cook. Maybe a little longer. I just taste it, and if everything is soft, it's cooked. If you have left overs, this is great for freezing. I do it all the time. Just warm it up in the steamer when you want to eat it agian. You can microwave it if you have to, but the rice does tend to taste a little rubbery that way.
There ya go. I hope some of you will try it! I'm sure you'll love it. The hardest part is the preparation. I usually do the chopping the night before, if that helps. Then I just put everything in the fridge ready for the morning.
Enjoy a little African cooking!