I got this idea for this recipe some time ago from Immaculate Bites but I put my spin on it. There was another blogger that did a check rice recipe too. The way I made it though was very yummy.
Mr. Riaz was happy I did not add red palm oil or crayfish. Actually I do not mind the taste of them and I love it very much. It is both yummy and nutritious. Green leafy vegetables are great and good for you eaten in moderation. It is also high in oxalic acid and too much makes kidney stones.
I used to eat too much and I ran in to trouble this way. It was a time I could put Popeye the sailor to shame. I try to eat as fresh as I can and avoid canned vegetables because they are overly cooked and the nutrients are all gone and chock full of salt so they can stay pretty well preserved in a can. If i can’t get fresh I always buy frozen. Which it is blanched. It means while the water is in a rapid boil that the vegetables are taken for a quick dunk then right away bagged to put in the freezer.
There is no need to do this in today’s modern world because this is done for us already. If you want to use fresh greens then go ahead and pick and clean them by adding the just picked grimy greens to a colander and add 1 drop of dish soap and wash very well. Make sure the water is clear and the soap is no more on the fresh greens. Chop them and set them aside.
Also the easier way to do this and the work is done for you. All you do is cut the bag open and add it to the pot. First Thing first on high heat that I added 1/4 cup of olive oil and let the oil get hot and I added 1 onion or shallot cut in to half moon pieces and browned them.
In a mortar and pestle I added 1 pinch of uziza seeds and ground them in to a coarse powder then added it to the pot. I chopped 3 cloves of garlic and added it. I added 1 pinch each of each of curry powder,paprika, African yellow chili powder or red chili powder. I stirred and added 1 bullion cube or add 3 pinches of bullion powder, 3 dashes of maggi or knorr aroma, 1 green tomato chopped and I turned the heat down to low and covered the pot.
The greens that can be used are either 1 bunch fresh, 1 small bag or 1/2 of large bag of greens. They are spinach, green or red Swiss chard, collards, mustard, turnip, kale, potato greens or jute leaves. Jute leaves are also what is known as ewedu by the Nigerians and molokhaia by the Egyptians. This time around I used spinach.
I added 4 cups of water and stirred. I washed 2 cups of rice until the water was clear and the starch is removed. You can tell if there was a lot of starch on the rice where it looks kind of milky when you are draining the water off of it. Any type of rice can bee used. When I went grocery shopping a bag of basmati rice caught my eye. The name is Shan which is a Pakistani company. When Mr. Riaz ate the rice he really enjoyed it.
I added the rice to the pot and added another 2 cups of water then turned the heat back on to high so I can wait for the water to boil. After it boiled I placed the aluminum foil under the lid and again turned the heat back down to low heat and covered the pot. Cook for 20 minutes and stir occasionally.
When the rice has absorbed the water shut off the heat and let it sit for another 20 minutes on the dum.
This is a wonderful side dish for any type of fried or roasted fish, chicken or other types of meat.
Enjoy.
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