Rainbow Rice

The other day I discovered chicken chorizo in the supermarket, imported from Sri Lanka. The round sausages looked plump, orange and appetizing. I felt my stomach grumble. Remember: If you want to lose weight or shop on a budget, don’t go shopping with an empty stomach.

On an impulse, I bought the vacuum-sealed, frozen packet and deposited it in my freezer.

There it remained for a few weeks while I pondered the question: What do I do with chicken chorizo?

Originally, I had planned to turn them into a condiment for pasta, fried with spring onions and garlic.

A few days ago however, I felt more like combining them with rice. I had just bought some beautiful, red rice from Goa. In my fridge I had some wonderfully crisp bell peppers and carrots. I added some fresh prawns to counteract the chemically treated chorizo with some healthy proteins and omega-3 fatty acids.

So I set out to prepare my rainbow rice, a hearty, spicy dinner that delivers a wealth of nutrition and some not so healthy stuff – but then: We live only once!

If you want to prepare a vegetarian version of this dish, just omit the chorizo and the prawns and add some vegetables and/or cheese of your choice.

Wishing you happy cooking, always!

Kornelia Santoro with family

Rainbow Rice

Ingredients:
(for 4 servings)

• 2 cups uncooked rice
• 2 chorizo sausages
• 500 grams peeled prawns
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 spring onions
• 4 big garlic cloves
• 3 cm ginger root
• 3 carrots
• 1 yellow bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons soya sauce

Method:

At first you have to boil the rice. Rinse the Goan red rice well under flowing water. Then drain it and place it with double the amount of water and a teaspoon of salt into a pressure cooker. I boil the rice for 15 minutes after the first whistle and open the pressure cooker as soon as possible, to let all the steam escape. 
Devein the prawns and blanch them: Bring about half a litre of water with a teaspoon of salt to a rolling boil and throw the prawns into the salt water. When it starts boiling again, leave the prawns for 10 seconds, then drain them and keep them aside. If you want to make sure they are not overcooked, place the drained prawns into a bowl of ice water. Honestly, I just drain them.

Boiling the prawns for 10 seconds ensures that you kill Salmonella and other harmful bacteria. I always blanch prawns for fried rice to be sure that they are properly cooked.
Now it is time to clean the vegetables. Prepare all the vegetables before starting to stir fry the rice. Clean and crush the garlic cloves. Clean and grate the ginger root. Wash the spring onions and chop them. Peel the carrots and grate them roughly. Wash the bell peppers and cut them into small pieces. Halve the chorizo sausages lengthwise and then slice them.
You can start to stir-fry, when all the ingredients are prepped. Heat the olive oil in a wok. While stirring constantly, add the spring onions, the garlic and the ginger. After one minute incorporate the chorizo. Fry these ingredients for three minutes while stirring constantly. The chorizo should start to melt its fatty bits and pieces.

Now add the carrots and then the rice in several batches. Make sure, you mix everything well. Season the rice with the different sauces and try. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste. If you like your dishes spicy, you might want to add some chopped chillies together with the spring onions at the beginning of the stir frying.
In the end combine the chopped bell peppers and the prawns and serve immediately. I do not fry the bell peppers because I want to preserve their high content of vitamin C and their crispiness.

Cooking for Happiness

Dear all,   my book launch turned into a nice party celebrating delicious food. You can buy my book online: In the USA  In Canada In the UK In India Here we present the book (from left) Debasri Rakshit, Odette Mascarenhas, yours truly, Aakritee Bhandari Sinh. After the book launch many people called me and asked me where they can buy my book. For various reasons, it is not available in Panjim in Goa, only at Literati in Calangute. However, you can easily order it on Amazon here. In India, cash on delivery is not a problem so you do not have to use your credit or debit card online. The media have treated my book nicely, a big thank you to all the journalists. Here are a few links if you are interested: India Today Mid-Day Scroll In The Navhind Times IANS Goan Observer People were listening, while I was chatting with Odette and Aakritee about the food that makes us happy and the stuff that you should never put into your mouth. Frederick Noronha uploaded these two videos to Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmHHQaG6t80 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cDkMsUCR_k After the talk I was busy signing books while the guests were partying thanks to wine from Fratelli. At this point, I would like to thank everybody who contributed to the book launch, especially Rashi Bhambri from HarperCollins and Anjali Dar SenGupta who always takes diligently care that I do not commit horrible plunders in the English language. A big thank you also to the generous sponsors of the book launch, Sunaparanta, Fratelli and HarperCollins!

Sesame-Flaxseed-Crackers

Dear all,   Losing weight seems to be one of the hardest achievements these days. Whenever I want to lose weight, I make these crackers. Losing weight can be easy, when you eat the right things. That means food that keeps your blood sugar levels balanced and your insulin levels low. During periods of losing weight, I eat only whole-wheat pasta and whole-wheat bread. Often I substitute bread with my crackers.   Happy belly, happy mind, happy weight These crackers not only taste great, thanks to the flax and sesame seeds they are very nutritious and keep your digestion going. A happy, well-working belly also improves your mood. If you want a healthy snack, serve them with the spicy salsa described below. For lunch, I love them with any kind of pate. Especially hummus goes well with them. Please tell me about your experiences with losing weight. I am happy to listen and learn. Wishing you happy cooking, always! Kornelia Santoro with family   Crackers for easy weight loss Ingredients (for 16 servings): 5 cups diabetic or whole wheat flour 1 cup oat bran 5 tablespoons olive oil or cold pressed coconut oil 1 cup yoghurt (curd) 100 grams flax seeds 100 grams sesame seeds 2 teaspoons salt water Method: Grind the flaxseeds in a blender. They are easier to digest when they are ground. Put all the dry ingredients into a big bowl and mix them well with a spoon. Then add the oil, the curd and enough cold water to make smooth dough. Knead the dough well for at least 5 minutes.  I always use a hand mixer first and then my hands. Consider this exercise; kneading works out the muscles in your arms. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes before rolling it out. You can bake the crackers on a cookie sheet or in any pie form. I take big, stainless steel plates which I also use for making pizza. Dust your work surface with flour. Take some dough and roll it out as thinly as possible in the shape you require. Put the dough on the cookie sheet, pie form or plate and score lines with a sharp knife or a round pizza cutter. These lines help to break the crackers after baking. The above given amount is enough to cover 4 cookie sheets or 6 stainless steel plates with 30 cm (12 inches) diameter.   These lines help to break the crackers after baking. The above given amount is enough to cover 4 cookie sheets or 6 stainless steel plates with 30 cm (12 inches) diameter.   Spicy Salsa Recipe Ingredients (for 4 servings):   4 big, red tomatoes 1 red or yellow bell pepper 4 fresh, green chilies 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ teaspoon sugar salt freshly grated pepper any kind of herb you like Method: It is important to use only red and soft tomatoes for this recipe. Put the tomatoes for 1 minute into a pot of boiling water. Let them cool down, remove the skin, the seeds and any white pieces from the stalk. Cut the flesh into small cubes and put them into a bowl. Remove the stalk and the seeds from the bell peppers, cut the flesh into small cubes and add them to the bowl. Slice the green chilies open and remove the seeds. Cut them into small pieces and add to the bowl. Wash the herbs, chop finely and add to the bowl. Add the sugar, the vinegar and the oil and salt and pepper according to your taste. Mix everything well. Let the salsa marinate at least 1 hour in the fridge before serving.