I think by now I must have tried almost all the different kinds of rice on the market, going from basic to fancy. The funny thing is that I am not a big rice eater but when I see a kind I never tasted, I buy it.

For me, rice is that ingredient I enjoy but that I rarely cook. Then when I eat it, I am thinking I should make it more often. Time goes by, and rice is still left in the pantry.

This time, I found this beautiful coral red basmati at Whole Foods and was curious about its taste and texture, and after one month of staring at it, I decided to make something out of it. I liked its “marketing” name “coral red” is quite a pretty name for a red rice and thinking about it I bought it mainly because I was seduced by its name which I found quite sexy. Americans are certainly great at marketing!

I love rice bowls, they’re nutritious and you can make a “one-meal” bowl, besides whole rices are perfect for that. Coral red basmati rice does not taste exactly like regular basmati, It has a pretty color but is less aromatic.

French people are not big rice eaters, they eat a lot more potatoes as primary carbohydrate and of course bread. I remember a commercial on TV when I was a child for Uncle Ben’s rice “Le riz qui ne colle jamais“, “the rice that never sticks”, in his little plastic bag, and that was the only rice I would eat. My mom creamy risotto was so unappealing comparing to Uncle Bens! I was fascinated by its TV commercial of this old and big Southern American guy with a thick American accent and his “Uncle Bens! le riz qui ne colle jamais!”.

Ingredients for 4

• 280 g coral red rice (about 70 g per person)
• 1 large bunch mustard greens, chopped
• 24 large uncooked shrimps
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
• 2 shallots, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 small piece ginger, grated
• 1 tbs mustard seeds
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs olive oil

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a pan, brown shallots, 1 garlic clove, ginger and mustard seeds. Stir well and let all ingredients brown.

Steam rice in a rice cooker or regular pot.

Cook mustard greens in boiling water for about 5-7 minutes, until cooked. Drain, squeeze extra water and chop finely.

Add shrimps to onion, garlic, ginger mixture and cook for about 5 minutes until shrimps are cooked, add peas and mustard greens, salt and pepper and cook for another 10 minutes. (If using fresh peas, they need to cook longer)

Add rice and stir well. Add 1 garlic clove crushed and 1 tbs soy sauce, stir well, let it cook for another 5 minutes and serve as a side dish or as a full meal.