Caribbean Rice

Are you ready to join me in the trip to the Caribbean Islands? Then come on, let’s go and join the fun by cooking some vibrant, scintillating Caribbean food for “Monthly Mingle: Caribbean Cooking”, hosted by Meeta of What’s For Lunch Honey! OK, OK! You can pack your swim suits and beach slippers too! :)

Before we head to the kitchen to cook something, let’s make ourselves little bit educated about Caribbean islands and its cuisine. Shall we?

The Caribbean is a region consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of the Gulf of Mexico and Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north of South America.(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean)

Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, Amerindian, British, Spanish, French, Dutch, Indian. These traditions were brought from the many homelands of this region's population. In addition, the population has created (from this vast wealth of tradition) many styles that are unique to the region. Another Caribbean mainstay is rice, but you'll find the rice on each island may be a little different. Some season their rice, or add peas and other touches - like coconut. Sometimes the rice is yellow, other times it may be more brown but overall it tends to just act as part of a dish. Though it comes in many forms, it is a common side dish throughout the region.(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribbean_cuisine)

I have gathered so many delicious Caribbean dishes that gave me a hard time to decide which one to cook. All the recipes sounded delicious. You won’t believe if I say that I have spent two whole days in deciding what to cook for the event. Anyway, I finally settled for Caribbean Rice recipe as it sounded different and yummier. And I am glad I picked it, because we liked it so much. It’s a perfect blend of spices and health.

You can read the original recipe from here.

Ingredients: (Serves 3 persons)

• 1 (15 ounce) Can of red Kidney Beans, drained
• 1 (3 ½ ounce) Can of green Chilies, drained (I used ½ cup of chopped Jalapeno Chilies)
• 1 cup Canned Pineapple Chunks, drained and halved
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 tbsp Oil
• ½ cup toasted Slivered Almonds
• Salt as required
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 5 cups hot Cooked Rice (equal to 2 cups uncooked rice)

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and add onion along with garlic. Sauté for some time until onion becomes translucent. Let it cool for some time.

Add onion mixture to a blender along with green chilies and salt and grind into a smooth paste.

Add this puree to the hot rice along with kidney beans + pineapple + almonds and mix well. Adjust salt.

Enjoy delicious Caribbean rice! It’s a perfect blend of sweet and spicy ingredients.

As I used some almonds in this reicpe, I am also sending this to "Let's Go Nuts with Almonds", hosted by JZ @ Tasty Treats. Thanks for reminding me Priyanka!