Spicy rice with lemongrass recipe

Spicy rice with lemongrass recipe is a recipe with so much flavours and aromas that it will leave your kitchen with such an inviting smell. You will find in this rice lemon grass, habanero pepper, green onions, tomato paste, fresh tomatoes. The combination of these ingredients in one pot give the personality such an amazing punch, it is astonishing.

There is no shortage of recipes when you incorporate rice or lemongrass – two versatile ingredients into your dishes. If you love to create new meals from existing recipes, there is no stopping you from delivering bold and delicious flavours you’ll love to eat more than once. Try as much as possible to vary your ingredients using either Tai Pei frozen food or another preferred brand for your dishes. With this recipe, however, the ingredients are things you almost always have at home. This is especially beneficial for reducing costs and waste- which is a win-win if your goal is to embrace sustainability while eating good meals. 

This recipe was born out of my love for lemon grass. I just love the smell of lemon grass in anything. As I was preparing an event few weeks ago, I made this recipe of the spot as I was literally trying not to serve plain white rice. I had so many habanero peppers and lemon grass at the time and wasn’t sure what to do with it. I was looking for a rice with flavours that are not overpowering.

How spicy is the rice?

I used one pepper, so it doesn’t make the rice very spicy. For the quantity of rice having one pepper makes it mild. However, I would not recommend to add the pepper if you are eating it with children.

What rice did I use for this recipe?

I used jasmine rice. Any type of long grain rice should work perfectly. Make sure to rinse the rice at least twice to get rid of the excess starch. If you don’t, the rice will be mushy and soggy. I would not use Arborio or Calrose rice for it.

How to cook with lemon grass?

They are different types of lemon grass. The type that I have here in Canada is long and very thick grass. It scent is a the core of the stick. To make sure that it releases its smell to the rice, I remove two layers from the stick and put the rest in my pot.

Here is a great article that talks about different types of lemon grass. 

How to make spicy rice with lemon grass recipe?

1. In a small blender, blend the tomatoes and habanero pepper. Put it aside.
2. On a medium high heat in a medium size pan, put the olive oil.
3. Sautée the onions until they are translucid.
4. Add the green onions to them while stirring occasionally.
5. Add the tomatoes and habanero mix to it. Let it cook for 4-5 min.
6. Add the tomato paste to it and stir well for 1-2 min.
7. Add the rice and stir again to make sure that the rice is well incorporated.
8. Cover the rice with the chicken stock. The stock should cover the rice one knuckle deep of your middle finger.
9. Add the lemon grass to it and stir well. Put the lid on top and let it cook for 12-15 min.
10. Stir the rice occasionally if you feel that it is sticking to the bottom of the pan to soon. Some will definitely stick but not too much. 
11. You will know that your rice is ready by trying some grains and that is not hard nor mushy. It should be al dente.
12. Fluff it up with a fork and serve it warm! 

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