Have you ever eaten at the Chipotle Mexican Grill?? Do enjoy the burrito or the burrito bowl? If yes, then have you ever wondered why their rice tastes so good??? Well, because it is cilantro-lime rice! I have tried to recreate it at home and I must say, that I have been successfull! Well, before going into the details of that recipe, let me tell you that Chipotle is one of the few fast food chains that I eat at.. May be once a year?? I cannot remember when I last ate there. You see, my husband and I we don't eat out much. We like everything fresh and cooked at home. But sometimes, when you are away or busy running errands, you have to kind of eat out. I don't eat pizza and sandwiches as I avoid gluten. Chipotle has gluten free options and is relatively fresh?? That's why it is one of the few place that I eat.
Coming back to the Cilantro Lime rice, it is pretty easy to make at home and requires very few ingredients: rice, cilantro, lime, salt, black pepper and olive oil. They might have put Adobo seasoning, but I have kept it to the basics! This recipe works well with both freshly cooked rice and leftover rice, which makes it perfect for weeknight dinners or for those times, when you want to put together a meal in a jiffy! I have shared the recipe for rice that is already cooked and ready. Please follow your method of choice for cooking the rice. If the rice that you are using is leftover rice, please warm it up before following this recipe.
Servings: 2
Prep time: 2 mins
Cook time: none
Total time: 3 mins
Ingredients:
Cooked rice: 4 cups
Cilantro: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Lime juice: from one small lime
Salt: to taste
Black pepper: 1/8 tsp
Garlic powder: 1/8 tsp ( optional)
Method:
Add 4 cups of warm/ hot rice to a bowl.
Now add all the other ingredients and toss until the rice is thoroughly mixed with the other ingredients. Be gentle while mixing so that the rice does not become mushy!
Serve hot with a side of your choice.
Enjoy!
Cooking made easy:
While cooking Basmati rice, to ensure long grains, soak the rice for 30 mins after thoroughly washing it. Then drain it and keep it aside for 30 mins. The soaking lengthens the grains and the draining and drying helps it prevent from breaking upon cooking.
Follow the instructions on the package while cooking rice as every crop of rice is different.
Tip for healthy living:
While choosing rice, choose those with a higher glycemic index and those that have not been processed too much. Parboiled rice is better than raw rice. Matta rice & brown rice are less processed than their other counterparts and therefore have a higher fiber content, lower glycemic index and less calories.
Food for thought:
Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. Arthur Conan Doyle
Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!
Summer is here!! Which means I don't want to spend hours slaving in the kitchen!! Not that I ever did! ;) You guys know me.. If it isn't quick and easy, it is not happening in my kitchen!! It is more so now than ever as the kids want to be more outside the house than inside! This recipe that I am sharing with you today is another of my accidentally invented recipes!! Or rather spontaneously put together recipes!
My husband likes to take his lunch from home. He loathes to eat outside food. However, his home-cooked lunch has to follow certain guidelines:
A. It cannot be a sandwich
B. Rice item is preferred.
C. It has to be vegetarian.
D. It should not smell of spices while reheating!!
E. It cannot have any kind of sauce/gravy or any other liquid component to it that may possibly leak from the lunch box!!
Well, I have been very creative and innovative with his lunches. Usually I put together some kind of fried rice/ pilaf sort of thing together for him. This particular rice is another such innovative dish which happened to come together due to a tired me on a weeknight . I had made spicy garlic sauteed asparagus and Basmati rice for dinner. I decided to rice into it. Then I remembered that I had some grilled corn in the refrigerator. I took it out, shucked the corn and added it into the rice! And voila!! A delicious dish was born!!
My husband just loved it! Here is the recipe for you to try!
Prep time: 8 minsCook time: 12 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Servings: 2-3
Ingredients:
Asparagus: 6-8 nos
Garlic cloves: 4-5 nos
Red chilli powder( medium spice level): 1/2 tsp ( the amount of chilli powder can be adjusted based on the level of spiciness of the chilli powder and of the individual.
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Water: 2 tbsp
Cooked rice: 3 cups
Vinegar: 1 tsp
Grilled corn: 1
Black pepper powder: 1/8tsp
Scallions: 2, green part only, chopped.
Salt: to taste
Method:
Wash the asparagus. Snap off the woody stem. Break the remaining stem into 2-3 pieces depending on the length of the asparagus. Keep aside.
Mince the garlic. Keep aside.
Shuck the corn. Keep aside.
In a sauté pan/frying pan/wok, heat 1 tbsp of oil. Add the minced garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant. Do not burn it. Add the red chilli powder. Sauté for 10 seconds. Add in the asparagus. Sprinkle 2 tbsp water, stir fry for couple of minutes on medium-high flame. Add salt as per taste. Now lower the flame and cover and cook for 5-6 mins or until the asparagus is tender.
You can stop at this stage if you want make just chilli garlic asparagus.
To continue making the rice, add the shucked corn to the pot. Mix well. Now add the cooked rice ( preferably cold rice) into the pot. Fold in the rice until it is mixed. Add vinegar & black pepper powder. Toss.
Garnish with chopped scallions.
Serve hot.
Enjoy!!
I am bringing this to Throwback Thursday #46, Fiesta Friday #127 and Saucy Saturday #52. Angie's co-hosts this week are Suzanne @ apuginthekitchen and Jess @ Cooking Is My Sport.
Cooking made easy:
When I cook rice, I always cook a little more than I actually need. This way, I have some rice in the fridge on hand to rustle something up together in a hurry!
Tip for healthy living:
Eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis is a great way to keep your body in good shape and condition. 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week or 75 mins of vigorous exercise spread through the week is recommended. A minimum of one hour of physical activity every day is recommended for all individuals from 5 years of age!
Food for thought:
It is nice to have valid competition; it pushes you to do better. Gianni Versace
Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!
