"All you need to know for a healthier child...."
Rice can appear to be rather dull and jazzing it up with flavour can totally transform a dish. Think of rice as being a vehicle for flavour; by adding stock, preferably homemade, instead of water, spices etc you not only increase the nutritional value but also its interest.
Other ideas are simply adding a slice of ginger or a stick of lemongrass whilst cooking and the wonderful flavours with come through on eating.
This recipe is rich in nutrients from the green leafy vegetables such as magnesium which is essential in the body's energy production cycle. It's also a great way of hiding those greens that are sometimes hard to get into children.
Green Rice
Serves 4
Ingredients
300ml stock
150g brown rice
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 tbsp oil (such as rapeseed or coconut)
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
85g leafy greens such as kale, spinach, cabbage, very finely chopped
A knob of butter (do not use if dairy-free is required)
Method
Place your rice into a sieve and give it a good rinse.
Either chop your greens very finely by hand and add to your stock or place them into a measuring jug and cover with the chicken stock. Take a hand blender and blitz until liquid.
Add the oil to a small saucepan and gently heat. Add your sliced garlic and cook out for a few seconds (you don't want it to blacken and burn but turn a light yellow/brown and start to cook out slightly).
Add your rice and coat in the oil and garlic. Cover with your green stock and throw in your cardamom pods and mix.
Bring up to the boil and then down to a gentle simmer and place the lid on top. Leave to cook for 20-25 minutes until cooked through, soft and all the stock has evaporated.
I often add a small knob of butter to help provide a bit more flavour and gloss. The fat from the butter helps to improve the absorption of nutrients.
TIP: When you are making rice it's a great idea to double up the quantity and freeze the leftovers. (Just make sure you cool it down quickly to freeze and heat the rice up all the way through until piping hot to serve.)
Looking for more ideas?
Have a look at more side dishes including Guacomole, Hummus and Smoked Salmon Dip/Pasta Sauce.
