Sauteed Onions and Peppers on Bismati Rice

The first thing to do is put on your organic brown bismati rice as described elsewhere in our recipes. Depending on your rice cooker it will take between 45 and 75 minutes to cook, so after you have put it on there is plenty of time to prepare the rest of the meal. I often add some black eyed peas or green peas to the rice to make the meal a bit more filling. If I do that, I put about a teaspoon of oil into the rice mixture to aid in mixing the peas -- if you prefer to not use oil, just mix the peas after the cooking is finished as they tend to float to the top. We have a bumper crop of black eyed peas this year so that is what I am adding -- about 4 ounces of them.

Next assemble the ingredients (whoops -- keep your fingers out of the cashews; they are for the meal). All ingredients should be organic if at all possible. If the peppers are not organic do soak them in water for 10-20 minutes to help cleanse them of any pesticides or preservatives. We also prefer to avoid adding salt, so we use unsalted cashews and the low sodium soy sauce. A note on the soy sauce. We have to avoid gluten because I have a gluten sensitivity. Most soy sauce brands on the market contain wheat (why, I cannot figure out). The San-J brand that is in the photograph is gluten free. Another problem with soy sauce is that it is usually very salty and we try to avoid added salt. San-J have the low sodium shown here -- it is really more salty than we would like but we do not use too much of it.

Next we slice the onion into thin layers and cut those in half to create long slender onion pieces. Half an hour before the rice will be ready we put these onto the stove with a hot setting (I use 8 on a 10 setting stove).

To keep them from burning we add water a few table spoons at a time as needed. A tablespoon of oil could be added here if desired but it is not really necessary. We also add the turmeric and the soy sauce at this time. We cook this for 10 minutes or so until the onion is transparent and very flexible (I think of them as 'wiggly worms')

While the onions are cooking we prepare the bell peppers and mushrooms. The bell peppers are halved (top to bottom), cored and then cut into long thin slices. Similarly we slice the mushrooms and measure out the cashews.

With the onions transparent and wiggly we add the remaining ingredients. It will take a minute or two for the mixture to come start to bubble. We now reduce the heat on the frying pan to a moderate heat (say 5 on a 10 setting stove). If you like your food to be a bit spicy this the time to add the finely chopped jalapeno. Also add some water a tablespoon or two at a time to keep the mixture from burning. According to your tastes you might want to add a little more soy sauce during this phase of the cooking.

After about 15 to 20 minutes the peppers should be soft and the mushrooms cooked and your saute is ready. Your rice should also be ready about this time

Place your cooked rice on the plates as a bed for the sauteed onions and peppers. Add your saute and serve. Here we have added a spinach salad using fresh cherry tomatoes and basil from the garden. And, of course, you will want a nice wine with your meal. We have selected a Cotes du Rhone, Reserve from Famille Perrin. Whenever possible we choose organic wines and Famille Perrin deliciously fit the bill! Bon Appetit!