Apr 21, 20192 min read

My MasterChef Cuban Rice revisited

My Very first Dish in the Masterchef kitchen

So I wanted to revisit my MasterChef Cuban Rice dish - because even though the judges said they loved the flavours I had created, they wished I had taken more care. I have to agree with them - by the end of the time limit, I had managed to get a Noahs ark of seafood into this dish, and it was overcrowded, and a bit lost. Never fear - here is the recipe for the one I usually cook at home - there are prawns in it, plus chorizo - thats it - simple and delicious. I wish I could deliver the judges a big bowl of this right now!

The recipe for the spice mix will make more than you need, but you will have back up for the next time you want to make it - so it is good to have some on hand.

MammaJo Cuban Rice Spice Mix:

5 g Onion Powder

5 g Garlic Powder

2 hearty pinches of Saffron- more if you can!

7g Sweet Paprika

20g Smoky Paprika

2g Clove powder

2 Tbsp Pink Peppercorns

10g Salt

2 g Cayenne Pepper ( Leave out if you don't want spicy)

Add all spice ingredients into a motar and pestle and grind into a fine powder - set aside.

Ingredients:

1 Chorizo sausage - peeled and sliced

4 Prawns - deveined and shelled

1 1/2 Cups Bomba Spanish rice

2 Cups Stock of your choice - Chicken/Ham

2 Cloves of garlic - minced

1 Onion, sliced

12 Green olives, pitted and halved

1/2 Cup Green peas

1/3 Cup Dry white wine

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Bay leaves

2 Tbsp of my seasoning mix (above)

Method:

In a hot pan, heat oil, then add Chorizo and caramelise until good colour is achieved. Next I add in the onion slices - and you just need to sweat these off - no colour required, so only for a couple of minutes. Then the seasoning mix and garlic, followed by bay leaves, then the rice, and stir all together to coat. Next, add in the wine and allow for the alcohol to cook off, then add in the stock, olives, and lastly prawns.

Reduce the heat to a slow simmer, and allow the rice to absorb the liquid and add more stock in if the rice still has a crunch to it once the stock is absorbed. Lastly, add in the green peas.

Your rice should be al dente - not crunchy, but not gluggy - so if it still has a slight bite to it, I turn the heat off, and put a lid on, and let the steam finish off in the last few minutes. Adjust and season with some fresh lemon juice or just eat it right from the pan and onto the dinner table.

If you feel like adding in other things - go for it - charred capsicum would be a great addition, and other seafood too - just remember - less is more and take care of the ingredients!

I hope you enjoy making your own versions - there are so many options available once you have the flavour done! Enjoy x