Cơm Đỏ: try this exotic Vietnamese rice dish at home

Sometimes, you get tired of cooking and eating the same food all the time. Maybe you end up every day offering your family the typical preparations for lunch and dinner. Not even on Sunday family celebrations does the menu change noticeably.

At times, you imagine preparing delicious dishes, pleasing everyone with the most exquisite menu. But, when you realize how hard and time-consuming it is to cook new dishes, you give up and forget those ideas.

Don’t be discouraged by complicated recipes. There are countless ideas for making delightful meals, effortless with few ingredients. You only need to find that blank ingredient to build a unique menu.

One good idea is to use rice. This versatile grain has the advantage of going well with almost any ingredient. Besides, it is easy to cook and you can use it in sugary and salty dishes as well.

Using rice in international preparations

For making a different menu, you could use rice as the key component of international dishes. But, the only meals that come to your mind are the most popular like Paella, Risotto, or Sushi. Nothing new there.

They are not creative enough to surprise your family. Do not worry, try to get inspiration in new flavours and take all your diners on a culinary trip to some regions in Asia, where rice is considered a staple for a wide variety of preparations.

Forget about those classic meals from Japan or China, enjoy searching for Southeast Asian dishes. You can be sure, it will be a success.

Knowing Southeast Asia cuisine

The geographic region called Southeast Asia encompasses many countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor, and Vietnam.

Its gastronomy is very unique with a contrast of simple but deeper flavours and textures. Its staple foods include rice, soybeans, noodles, and seafood. All their meals perfectly combine tropical fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs with a spicy touch.

Among all the food options in Southeast Asian cuisine, the Vietnamese are the most popular for their variety and balanced taste.

From the land of the Jasmine rice

Vietnamese cuisine is a balance between opposite flavours and textures. Most of their dishes include a bit of salty, sugary, sour, and hot. Its main season relies on fermented fish sauce (nuoc man), soy sauce, cane sugar, and citric juices.

Vietnamese people use rice almost in every meal. So, if you want to surprise with an outstanding dish, use this grain in your menu. Some of the most popular rice dishes are Cơm chiên Dương Châu (chicken rice), Cơm hến (rice with clams), Cơm gà Rau thơm (rice cooked in chicken stock with shredded chicken), and Cơm Đỏ (red rice).

A good start for introducing this delicious style at home is by cooking Cơm Đỏ. It is a typical side dish in Vietnamese cuisine consisting of rice seasoned with tomato, fish sauce, and soy sauce. This red rice is the perfect accompaniment of crispy pork or roasted duck.

For getting a similar Vietnamese texture, use high-quality jasmine rice which is the most common type of rice used in their gastronomy, like https://mahatmarice.com/products/jasmine-white-rice/

Jasmine rice is a very fragrant and floral type cultivated mainly in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, with a dry texture that allows grains to hold together after cooking. It tastes a bit sweet and makes the perfect balance with tomatoes in Cơm Đỏ. For getting an even texture, rinse rice at least three times and sauté it before adding the other ingredients.

For your next celebration or a special family dinner, invite all your eaters to a culinary journey to Vietnam and include a fluffy Cơm Đỏ within your menu.

Cơm Đỏ

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 ½ cups of Jasmine rice (I like Organic jasmine white rice)
• 2 ¼ cups of water.
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste.
• 4 finely chopped cloves of garlic.
• 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil.
• ¼ tablespoon of fermented fish sauce.
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.

Preparation:

1. Rinse rice with plenty of water until the water turns clear.
2. Drain excess water.
3. In a saucepan at medium-high heat, pour some vegetable oil.
4. Add rice and cook until it gets a bit brown.
5. Incorporate garlic, tomato paste. Stir all ingredients very well.
6. Pour water, fermented fish sauce, and soy sauce. Cook until boiling.
7. Place a lid to the saucepan, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes.
8. When rice is cooked, fluff it with a fork.
9. Serve with roasted meats.