Mushroom Seasoned Rice is a very delicious food for dinner. I love mushrooms because they are delicious and versatile. The best thing about mushrooms is that when you cook with them, you do not miss meat. There are many different types of mushrooms to choose from and each of them have a specific taste and texture that will diversify the flavor of your dishes. This seasoned rice dish is cooked with only mushrooms and makes a typical traditional Jamaican dish completely meatless.
Seasoned rice is a one-pot meal that is heavily seasoned. It is usually cooked with either dried, salted fish or brown stewed chicken. In other parts of the Caribbean, seasoned rice is referred to as Pelau. Typical ingredients in seasoned rice include coconut milk, guandules, scallions, thyme, bell peppers, onions and hot pepper. I have added all of these ingredients to this dish with 3 different kinds of mushrooms to replace the chicken. This dish was REALLY good and I’ve made it over and over again. If you need to have meat, you can actually cook a meat dish and serve this vegetable seasoned rice as a side. Give the recipe a try. Happy cooking!
For mushroom seasoned rice you will need:
Tools:
- Large dutch pot with cover
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Wooden spoon
- Garlic Press
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basmati Rice (washed)
- 2 Trumpet mushrooms (diced)
- 12 Baby Bella mushrooms (sliced thinly)
- 15 Shiitake mushrooms (sliced thinly)
- 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
- 1 whole onion (chopped finely)
- 1 clove of garlic (pressed)
- 1 small piece of ginger (diced)
- 2 scallions (chopped finley)
- Handful of thyme plus 3 stems (pull leaves from stem)
- 1/2 red bell pepper (diced)
- 2 medium carrots (diced)
- 1 tsp gravy master
- 1 whole scotch bonnet (green)
- 2.5 cups of water
- 1 tbsp Better than Bouillon
- Steak and chop grill seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice thinly. Set aside. Don't wash mushrooms as they will become tough.
- Heat oil on medium high heat and add mushrooms, the leaves from 3 stems of thyme, salt and pepper. Allow the mushrooms to sweat uncovered. Mushrooms have a high water content. Cook them until the water has cooked out completely.
- Once the mushrooms have released all their water and the pan starts to dry, add onions, garlic, ginger, steak seasoning and cook until the onions and mushrooms begin to brown or caramelize.
- Add in diced carrots and bell peppers and cook for about a min and a half.
- After about 90 seconds, add washed rice to veggies and use the spoon to combine well by giving a few good stirs. Add 2 cups of water to the pot and turn the heat to medium-low heat.
- Add in scallion, thyme and a whole scotch bonnet. Give your pot a stir and add in the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Add the “Better than Bouillon” and stir to dissolve it well into the rice. Taste the water for salt and add more if needed. Add a good amount of cracked pepper to the pot, about ½ tsp.
- Cook on medium-low heat covered until the water evaporates. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and let rice steam for about 15 mins. Fluff with a fork and serve once the rice grains are tender and open. Serve hot with plantains and avocados or any protein you wish.
Notes
- You may be tempted to add more water. Resist the temptation. The rice will cook with the assistance of the moisture from the mushrooms and other veggies. It will end up too soft and mushy if you add more than the recommended amount of water.
- Basmati is also an easy to cook rice so you do not need to drown it in water. If you are using a different kind of rice, allow it to steam covered for a longer time rather than add more water.
