Simple and Healthy Recipe with Rice

Bet you are tired of eating the regular white rice and stew almost daily as a typical Nigerian. You probably think the white rice and stew combo is the only recipe you can make with rice. Well, this is untrue as there are several healthy recipes you can create with rice. 

 Rice can be either the central component of a meal or a side dish. Here are 3 Healthy rice meals guaranteed to make your taste bud long for more.

 

  1.  Beans and Rice

This classic combination can be paired with stew or sauces (  ata din-din, chicken stew, fish stew, or beef stew). Any type of beans can be used for this recipe, you can always explore and decide which you prefer.

 

RECIPE : 

1cup of beans

2 cups of rice

1 large Onion diced

Salt to taste 

 

 INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Pick your beans and get rid of dirt. 
  2. Rinse the beans and pour them into a pot; Cook for 15 minutes and rinse and change the water to cook.
  3. Add the diced onion to the beans, and leave it to cook for about 40-50 minutes or till you can easily crush it with your finger. 
  4. Rinse the rice thoroughly until the water is clear. Add the rinsed rice and salt into the beans pot. Add water if necessary.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low heat and cook for 30 minutes without removing the lid.
  6. Fold your rice and beans together gently and serve with your desired sauce, soup or stew. Enjoy!

 

 2) Chicken Fried Rice – a veggie-filled dish is one of the healthiest options.

RECIPE

  • 4 cups of pre-cooked rice rice
  • 1 chicken breast ( cut into bite pieces)
  • 1 large green bell pepper (diced)
  • 1 large red bell pepper (diced)
  • 1 large 
  • 2 cups of diced carrot
  • 1 Onion bulb
  • ½ cup of frozen peas
  • 1 teaspoon of curry powder
  • ¼ teaspoon of thyme 
  • 4 cups of water
  • ¼ turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  •  1/2 teaspoon minced scotch bonnet pepper (atarodo)
  • 1 cup fresh corn or canned sweet corn
  • Vegetable Oil
  • Salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cut the chicken into bite-size and set it aside.
  2. Preheat two tablespoons of oil, and add the chicken, atarodo, minced garlic, grounded ginger, and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the remaining oil and onions and cook till onions become translucent.
  4. Add the mixed veggies and grounded pepper and cook till heated through
  5. Stir in the curry powder, seasoning powder, thyme and minced
  6. Add the rice and cook, stirring continuously on medium heat until heated through
  7. Serve Hot

Anybody and everybody can eat this delicious and healthy recipe. It can be accompanied by fruit juice, zobo, Coscharis yoghurt drink etc

Rice is an important part of the diet for many people around the world

The benefits of eating rice

Rice is one of the most widely used and eaten foods in the world with over half of the population depending on it. Usually boiled or steamed, it is eaten everyday making it a central component of many meals and side dishes including those of India, China and Southeast Asia. This implies that without rice, or something to take the place of rice, many people would go hungry.

You may find it hard to believe that you eat at least some amount of rice every day, or most days but it’s the fact! For instance, if you regularly eat sushi rolls, Chinese food, or curry dishes, chances are that rice is a major component of your meal. Without any doubt, rice is a delicious meal and can be eaten with just about anything including meat, tofu, vegetables, and more! Who wouldn’t want a hot bowl of rice, most especially for a Sunday brunch?

Given that rice is such a common staple, one might likely think if it is good for the body? Does it contribute to a healthier life?

Eating rice is extremely beneficial for your health. It is an integral part of a balanced diet and it doesn’t contain harmful fats, cholesterol or sodium. As a result, there’s a high chance of reducing obesity and other health conditions associated with being overweight through the intake of rice. Even in smaller quantities, it can keep you going, healthy and alive

While a smaller percentage of rice eaters do not know that rice is nutritious to the body, more people are aware of the several benefits of eating rice, but do not know what those benefits are exactly. Below are some of the most common nutritional benefits of eating rice

  1.       Source of energy

Rice is known to contain a lot of carbohydrates that give our bodies the energy we need. Once taken, our bodies work to transform the carbohydrates found in rice into a functional, usable energy. It doesn’t stop there! These healthy carbohydrates found in rice also aids in the normal functioning of the brain as the brain takes it and uses it too.  Other organic components such as minerals, vitamins, etc., found in rice also all aid in increasing the metabolic activity for all of your body’s organs. In doing so, your body has increased energy levels. So are you feeling tired and run down? Grab a bowl of rice!

  1. High Nutritional Value

Rice is also an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. This is why it is used worldwide in various cuisines. Its nutritional content varies from calcium to iron, niacin, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, D and E, fiber, iron, thiamine etc., which provides the foundation for digestive and immune system health and general functioning of the system. 

  1. Health Benefits

Having such unique nutritional value, the intake of rice aids in:

  1. Controlling Blood sugar: Consuming rice is a good way to control your blood sugar. The presence of fiber, most especially in brown rice, slows down the absorption of glucose in the body. This slowdown of glucose into the body gives the body’s insulin time to properly disperse the glucose throughout itself. 
  2. Diuretic and Digestive Qualities

Eating rice is a great way to regulate your digestive system. The high fiber content increases bowel movement regularity and reduces constipation while also helping you lose excess water and toxins from the body. With low amounts of sodium, fat, and cholesterol, a healthy plate of rice is also a great step to preventing or reducing obesity. 

  1.       Managing blood pressure

An increase in blood pressure is caused when the veins and arteries constrict, as a result of an increased amount of sodium in the body. Since rice contains a low amount of sodium, it is considered one of the best foods for those suffering from high blood pressure and hypertension as its low-level sodium content would reduce the risks of such stress and strain on the cardiovascular system

  1. Improves Nervous System Health

Rice is the perfect support to your nervous system because it’s an amazing source of a variety of B vitamins. Such vitamins enable our nervous system to run smoothly and function properly. 

  1. Reduce Cancer Risks and promote healthy heart

Eating rice is one of the proactive ways in reducing your chances of getting cancer! Since its high-fiber properties aid in digestion and lowers blood pressure, your system will be free of waste, which might affect any healthy cells within your body.  Due to its natural anti-inflammatory properties,  Rice helps to decrease the risks for severe heart conditions such as heart attacks or strokes.

With all the aforementioned benefits and more, it is without any doubt that including rice in your meal plan is totally worth it for any trying to maintain a well rounded diet

 

Cooking Tuwo Shinkafa and Miyan Tuashe

Ingredients for Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)
This recipe is for 10 servings

 

– 1 small sized ripe Pumpkin(about 250 grams)
– 1 kilo Meat of Choice(beef, cowfeet, goat meat, soft cow bones, chicken, tripe(shaki), oxtail)
– 1 medium Dried or Smoked Fish
–  1 small bunch Yakwa(yakuwa)(sorrel leaves)(use spinach or ugwu as a substitute)
– 1 medium Tomatoes
– 1 or 2 Fresh Pepper
– 1 Tatashe (red bell pepper)
– 1 Onion bulb
– 150gram(1 cup) Groundnut (either roasted or raw)
–  Half cup Crayfish
– 2 tablespoon ground Locust Beans OR about 100g fresh Locust beans(ogiri, iru or dawadawa)
– 1 to 2 Cooking spoon Palm Oil or Vegetable oil
– 1 to 2 seasoning cubes/Stock cubes (to taste)
– Salt to tasteYakwa(yakuwa/sorrel leaf) is the main leaf used for this recipe because it’s tangy taste contrast well with the sweet taste of the soup.

Preparation

First prepare all the ingredients for the soup:

– Wash and cut the pumpkin, peel of the outer skin, scrape out the hairy pulp and the seeds. Then cut the pumpkin meat into small chunks
(don’t throw away the seeds, it can be toasted and eating as a snack).

– Clean the dried fish with hot water, remove the bones and set aside

– Wash and chop the vegetables and set aside

– If you bought fresh groundnuts and would love to roast it, place in a dry pan and stir gently with a wooden spoon , on low heat, until you can smell the aroma of roasted groundnut.

-Blend the groundnut and crayfish together to get a smooth thick paste .Dissolve with a little water or meat stock and set aside.

 

Now to cook the Miyan Taushe (Nigerian Pumpkin Soup)

1. Place the meat into a pot along with the pumpkin chunks, season with onions, 1 stock cube and a little salt. Leave to boil in it’s own juice for 5 minutes, then add a little water and cook until the meat is tender.
 Mash the softened pumpkin coarsely in the meat pot.

2. Then add the dissolved groundnut paste into the meat pot; add the tomato-pepper paste, the cleaned dried fish, and the palm oil  and mix thoroughly.

3.  Also, add the locust beans(dawadawa, ogiri or iru), taste for salt and seasoning and add if necessary.
Mix thoroughly and  leave to boil for 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning at the bottom.
Note: If the soup is too thick, you can add a little water to lighten the soup, but it shouldn’t be watery.

 

Great… Now On to our Tuwo Shinkafa!

Tuwo shinkafa is usually prepared from scratch with short grain rice (local rice), but it can also be prepared with rice flour (which is the easiest&fastest method).

It is also a good substitute for Eba and Fufu, if you’re watching your cholesterol or gluten intake.

To prepare Tuwo shinkafa from Scratch (using raw rice) you’ll need:

 

– 500 grams Short grain rice or local rice (paella rice can be used as a substitute)
– 1000ml(1L) water (more or less)

Preparation: 

1. Wash the rice thoroughly and place in the pot.

2. Add the water and set to boil.

3. Boil the rice until it becomes very soft and sticky and the water is dried up.

(if the rice isn’t done before the water dries up, you can add a little more water to the rice).

4. Now using a wooding spoon or a potato masher, mash the soft rice thoroughly to form a soft dough.
Wet your hands and mold into balls.
Serve hot and enjoy.

To prepare Tuwo shinkafa with Rice Flour, you’ll need :

– 500 gram Rice Flour
– 700ml water

Preparation:

1. Place the water in a pot and set to boil. Then scoop out a little water and set aside.

2. Gradually pour in the rice flour  into the pot and stir continuously to prevent lump formation.

3. If the mixture is still watery, you can add more rice flour and continue stirring until smooth and firm (or as you want the consistency to be)

4. After about 1 minute, gradually add a little of the hot water you had earlier set aside, then cover the pot and leave to boil on low heat for 30 seconds.

 

Finally mix thoroughly and your Tuwo shinkafa is ready.
Wet your hands, mold into balls and enjoy with Miyan Taushe…x

Cooking Teriyaki Salmon Fried Rice

Recipe

  • 1 pound fillet wild salmon
  • 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
  • Avocado oil spray, or olive oil spray
  • 4 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
  • 1/ 3 cup finely chopped green onion
  • 3 cups cooked and cooled brown rice
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
  • 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil, optional
  • Cilantro, for garnish

METHOD

  • STEP 1

    Preheat oven to 420ºF. Place salmon filets in a bowl with teriyaki sauce and marinate for at least 20 minutes (or even overnight).

  • STEP 2

    Set a nonstick skillet/wok on high heat. Once hot, spray with oil then add the salmon, face down. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the top is seared and caramelized, then flip over and place the filets on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes. Once finished, remove from the oven and flake the flesh with a fork.

  • STEP 3

    Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel, reduce the heat to medium, spray with a little more oil, then add in the beaten eggs. Chop up the eggs as they cook in the skillet. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

  • STEP 4

    Add oil, garlic, ginger and green onion to the skillet. Cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes and reduce the heat if necessary so the onion does not burn.

  • STEP 5

    Add the cooked, cooled rice and mix everything together. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes, then add the eggs. Chop up the eggs finely as you mix everything together.

  • STEP 6

    Gently fold in the flaked salmon, then add the frozen peas and carrots, along with soy sauce. Remove from the heat and continue to mix to thaw the veggies. Add sesame oil and garnish.