Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Spicy Fried Rice with Ancho Chili

Introducing Ancho Chili!!! Never heard of it? It's a type of sweet dried chili commonly used in Latin cuisine. I went to sit in for a Latin Cuisine kitchen class at the Art Institute of Illinios - Chicago a couple of weeks ago and the chef was making a sauce and one of the ingredients he used was ancho chili. It smells really aromatic and I thought why don't I infuse the great flavor of this ingredient in the everyday dishes that I make? :)

Here's the end result. Super easy as usual and super delicious. This fried rice dish contains just a hint of the sweet spiciness from the ancho chili..........


Ingredients (makes 1 dinner serving or 2 side servings):
1. 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
2. 1 ancho chili
3. 1/4 cup portobello mushroom, diced
4. 1/2 large tomato, diced
5. 1 cup raw spinach, chopped
6. 2 cloves garlic, minced
7. 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
8. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
9. 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
9. Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Method:
1. In a dry saucepan, roast ancho chili to release the aroma. Takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool before cutting it into slices. If you love spicy food, keep some of the seeds. Otherwise, feel free to discard the seeds.
2. In the same saucepan, saute garlic in 2 to 3 tablespoon of water for about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and mushrooms and saute. Add another 2 to 3 tablespoon of water if necessary.
4. Add sliced ancho chili and saute covered for about 1 minute.
5. Season with ground cumin, ground coriander, sea salt, pepper and onion powder and cook covered for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon of water if necessary.
6. Add chopped spinach and cook covered for another 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Add brown rice and stir well to combine. Saute for another 1 to 2 minutes. Saucepan should be relatively dry now. Do not add too much water otherwise rice will be soggy.
8. Season with salt and pepper if desired.
9. Ready to serve!

Nutritional value of this recipe:
At only 380 calories for the entire serving, this is a hearty dinner dish that is also nutritionally dense. It gives you 5.3g of fiber, 9.7g of protein, 71%* of your daily required vitamin A, 37%* of your daily required vitamin C, 16%* of your daily required iron and 8%* of your daily required calcium.

* based on a 2,000 calories a day diet

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