Rice and Potatoes or “Papas con Arroz” in Spanish is one of the staples dishes in my family when I was a child. Having potatoes and rice once a week for lunch was a typical picture at my home, and how could it not be? Is a very inexpensive, fast, filling, nutritious and versatile recipe. Now I understand!
Mainly this recipe is a fried rice and vegetables taken to another level with cubed potatoes inside which gives it a creamy texture.
The different vegetables may vary depending on their availability, the seasons or just because in Chile we use to cook with ingredients that we have on hand in our refrigerator at the moment, sometimes there is more onions than celery, maybe this week we run out of corn and only have zucchini, so we replace it with that.
But the basic recipe consist in rice, potatoes, onion, carrot, and bell peppers (plus spices). To this basic ingredients you can add any vegetable of your preference or in season like corn, butter squash or pumpkin, mushrooms, zucchini, snow peas or celery.
This main dish works excellent with a simple salad, steamed broccoli, some marinated tofu or Tempeh, vegan burgers or even a lentil curry.
We start rinsing the rice and chopping the vegetables in small cubes, bite size like this…
Then in a pan, at medium heat, add 1 Tbsp of oil, or you can omit this ingredient if you want it oil free, because in this step you can “water stir fry” the onion, carrots and potatoes for 2 minutes.
After add the rest of the vegetables and keep “sauteing” for 3 more minutes.
Then add the spices and garlic, and keep stirring until the rice gets a white opaque color, this is the time to add cold water or vegetable broth…
Stir a few times, and wait until boiling point with the lid off. This is important, because it will allows the excess of liquid steam and get a good fluffy rice at the end.
It will take 2 or 3 minutes until the water level gets low to the rice and vegetables. Now you can put on the lid and lower the heat at simmer for 15 minutes.
Rice with Potatoes
Ingredients:
3 cups of rice
1 big or 2 medium potato
1/2 onion
1/2 bell pepper
1 carrot
2 garlic cloves or 1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 celery stalks
1 zucchini
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil (optional)
Salt to taste
3 cups of vegetable stock or water
Directions:
- Rinse the rice and let it drain the excess of water.
- Cut the vegetables in small cubes or bite size
- In a pan at medium heat add 1 Tbsp of oil or 3 to 4 Tbsp of water if you want a “oil free” version
- Add the onion, diced garlic (if you choose powder add it whit the spices later), carrots and diced potatoes, and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add the rinsed and well drained rice (this prevent the rice gets clumpy when gets in contact with the oil) and keep stir frying for about 2 minutes
- Add the rest of the diced vegetable, this are going to be those vegetables that get cooked faster than potatoes and carrots.
- Add the spices and keep stirring until the rice gets a little bit “opaque” than before. It should take about 1 to 2 minutes more.
- Add the liquid, and turn the heat medium high until boiling, and let the excess of liquid steam until the liquid level gets lower to the rice and vegetables.
- Put on the lid and turn the heat down to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Now you can serve and enjoy ! 🙂
Vegoralia 