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In a country like Nigeria where we are blessed with different kinds of food such as sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, yams, cocoyams, plantains, bananas and water yams, who wouldnt want to experiment with such foods , at least there are no charges in trying something new. I really love trying out new foods especially at my own free time, as a result of this, I came up with this special combo ( palm oil local rice with Irish potatoes jollof). This particular recipe made me remember my late granddadwho was always allergic to rice; my granddad would always cough, almost coughing his livers out whenever he was served with rice especially the so called local rice (brown rice). Although some people are allergic to local rice or any other type of rice, other foods like plantain porridge,gote acha, abak atam,editan , egusi or edikan-ikong soup would definitely serve as a substitute rice.
Brown rice has been in existence since from the world go and it is well known by many Nigerians, but sometimes we do abandon this delicacy for foreign rice reason being that it has much sand and the long procedures involved in preparing it, without considering the numerous benefits it offersto our health. The local rice (brown rice) serves as an anti-oxidants, it prevents colon cancer, breast cancer, and leukaemia, beriberi, it prevents heart disease, and so on.
Local rice (brown rice) can be used in place of the foreign (white rice ) because it is very delicious having a nutty aroma and a fantastic taste when cooked.
Irish potatoes on the other hand are good complement to other meals even though they are not as appetizing as sweet potatoes, they are very good for diabetic patients, good source of vitamin B6,C, potassium, Niacin, dietary fibre, copper, manganese and pantothenic acid . These usually come in every season and can be prepared into porridge or with beans porridge, chips just like plantain chips, boiled to be eaten with stew or tomato sauce, used for salad. When combining local or any other rice with Irish potatoes you can imagine how rich and delicious the food will taste like. Below are simple steps on how to prepare local rice (brown rice) with Irish potatoes.
Ingredients include
- 3 cups of rice local rice( any type of rice will do)
- 8 pieces of Irish potatoes
- 3 spoons of palm oil
- cup of grinded crayfish
- A handful of green beans
- 4 pieces of medium carrots (or leafy vegetables can be used either)
- Fresh grinded pepper
- Scent or curry leaves in place of carrot and green beans
- Okpei, dadawa or iru (optional)
- Curry thyme,(optional)
- Smoked, iced fish or chicken
- 4 seasoning cubes
- 1 medium onion
- Salt to taste
How to cook local rice with Irish potatoes
1. Season your meat and cook till done and keep aside
2. Peel off the back of Irish potatoes, wash, dice into any size that you want, season with salt and keep aside for later use.
Irish potatoes
3. Parboil local rice, rinse and drain the water after picking sand see here on howto hand pick sand from local rice.
frying oil with onions
4. Bring a dry pot to heat, add oil and allow to heat up
5. Add your sliced onions and one seasoning cube and stir and allow it to fry .
6. Add the meat stock to the content and allow it to boil and soak up the flavour of other ingredients.
7. Add more water to the pot, such amount that will enable the rice and the Irish potatoes to cook well.
8. Add other ingredients like, fish or meat, crayfish, seasoning cubes, and salt and cover to boil
9. First pour the parboiled rice to the content, then the Irish potatoes, and meat on top of the rice, stir thoroughly and taste for salt.
10.Check the rice from time to time to see if it is soft.
pot of rice well mixed with ingredients
11. When most of the water have been absorbed by the rice, add the chopped green beans, carrots and leave the vegies to steam and cover the pot for the water to completely dry.
12. Stir to enable the vegetables to go round the pot.
13. Put off heat and serve with any drink of your choice
palm oil local rice with Irish potatoes
If you have a different way of cooking local rice withIrish potatoesyou can sign in to enable you drop your suggestion on the comment box below.