The search for nutritious dishes is very real and that gave birth to this vegetable rice dish. I look for new creative ways to infuse vegetables into my everyday meals because of their high vitamin and mineral content daily. The older you get, the more vitamins you need to function and even look healthy.
Rice is a strong staple in the Nigerian menu. We have several variations of rice dishes like Jollof rice, Fried Rice, Coconut Rice, Concoction rice which I have not yet made and so I figured why not add one more to our culinary repertoire? It is very quick to make and unbelievably tasty. I used spinach as my source of green vegetables but you can use the green vegetables available to you. I would advise against any very strong tasting vegetable as it may alter the taste of the rice completely. You do not want to get to the point where you are trying to mask the taste and end up with a horrible pot of rice. I would not use waterleaf either as that has a different consistency. Ugwu also known as pumpkin leaves would be a great option for this dish if you do not have spinach available to you. Spinach is also known as Efo Tete so if you go to the market, you can ask for Efo tete. It is in the family of spinach. These green vegetables are great sources of Vitamin C and are great for battling common colds. They strengthen your immune system and increase your iron levels. Enjoy this simple quick dish.
Recipe for Vegetable Rice
Ingredients
1.5 cups of Rice
2 cups of chopped green vegetables (Spinach or Ugwu)
1.5 Tablespoons of melted butter
Seasoning cubes
1 teaspoon of Chili powder
1.5 teaspoons of Lemon Juice
2 cloves of garlic
Method
Wash and bring to boil your rice for about 10 minutes.
Chop your green vegetables and set aside. Strain the water from the rice and reduce the heat. Add your vegetables, butter, lemon juice and chili powder.
Chop your garlic and add to the pot of rice with your seasoning cubes. Allow steaming on low heat till the rice is soft.
Serve your vegetable rice hot with any protein of your choice.
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