Vegetable Rice

Sometimes it’s hard to decide on an accompaniment for your meat.  Most people will settle for a starch - potato, rice or pasta - and a handful of veg or salad, but this can become extremely boring after a while. 

I remember one evening while in high school, my mum served a side dish I hadn’t eaten before - at least not mixed together.  Alongside a fillet of salmon, topped with Cajun (yum!), was a pile of vegetable rice.  Peas, sweetcorn, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots... you name it, it was in there. 

I wasn’t expecting to be amazed; not because my mum’s cooking isn’t delicious but because it seemed too simple.  Rice and veg.  That was it.  Anybody could grab a handful of both and mix the two together.  But I was amazed - it tasted so, so good!  

What was even better, was the fact there were tonnes of leftovers.  I ate vegetable rice for lunch every day for the rest of that week (if my friends didn’t steal it all first - they loved it, too).  

When I moved to uni, I decided to cook it for myself for the first time.  What a disaster!  I hadn’t been cooking for very long at this point and on this particular day, my common sense had gone walkabouts.  I fried half my veg and boiled the other half, adding herb stock to the boiling water and not the frying pan.  Funnily enough, when I drained the water, I also drained the herbs away - idiot.  The finished ‘dish’ was edible but definitely not amazing.  So next time I visited home, I got mum to show me how it’s really done.  Now, I cook it regularly and my boyfriend loves it! 

It’s super easy to make but will require a bit of prep time, so don’t leave this one until the last minute.  

You can add as much or as little veg as you like to this one.  I love to cram as much in as possible but don’t be afraid to switch it up.  This recipe will make approx. 4 servings. 

Ingredients:  

• 1 tbspn olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cups of mushrooms, chopped
• 1.5 mixed peppers, diced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 cup of cauliflower, cut into mini florets
• 1 cup of broccoli, cut into mini florets
• Half a courgette, chopped
• Half a cup of peas
• Half a cup of sweetcorn
• 1 herb stock pot, not diluted
• 1 veg stock, not diluted
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• 2 cups of long grain rice

Method:

1.    Add your olive oil to a frying pan over a medium heat, before adding your onions and mushrooms.  Cook through until the onions are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally

2.    Add your peppers, carrot and cauliflower to the pan, and cook for approx. 5 minutes

3.    While your veg is cooking, boil a kettle of water ready for your rice, and cook according to the packet instructions.  I usually simmer my rice for around 10 minutes

4.    To your frying pan, add the broccoli florets, courgette, peas and sweetcorn, mixing together 

5.    Once mixed, add in both your herb and veg stock pots to melt in the vegetable juices and stir occasionally to coat the vegetables in the stock.  If your mixture is looking too dry at this point, add a little water – approx. half a cup

6.    Once the rice has boiled, drain and add to the frying pan (or the vegetable to your saucepan if the frying pan is too small!).  Mix thoroughly and season with salt and pepper

Yummy!  This accompaniment is the perfect side for your meat dishes, and with plenty of leftovers, it will make lunch for the family for a day or two, too!  Try it for yourself and share your pics on Instagram using the hashtag #HazelEyesBlog :-)