Its a Saturday night and only my father, younger brother and I were staying home at night after making a trip out. I suggested making baked rice for them and being easy-going, they said "OK". So I prepared it for them. I received good comments from my father. What he likes most is that it is healthy and tasteful. Of course, I was gleaming from ear to ear upon hearing the praise! So here goes the recipe......
RECIPE: Serves 3
- 1-1/4 brown basmati rice
- 5 cups of water (have to play around with the quantity to cook basmati rice well - this I'm still trying to master, so this is not a definite figure)
- 1 whole broccoli, chopped into chunks (those normally gotten from markets or supermarkets always come in one big stalk - thats it!)
- 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 3/4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced/chopped
- 1 stalk carrot, finely chopped
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1-1/2 can diced tomatoes with juice (would be good if you can get those with no salt added, I've tried looking for it but to no avail)
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3/4 cup mixed extra sharp Parmesan and Mozzarella
Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add garlic, and thyme and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir until sauce has somewhat thicken.
At this moment, add chunks of broccoli in and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Scoop cooked basmati rice into oven-proof plates or bowl and pour the sauce over it. Sprinkle with the cheeses in 1/4 cupfuls. Place rice into oven and bake till cheese melts.
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