cajun baked rice

Paella is traditionally a Spanish dish, but this recipe combines the southern flavours of Jambalaya with the traditional method of cooking Paella – in the oven. Plus, its vegetarian goodness means it is a lot healthier than either of the two dishes that inspired this recipe, which often contain lots of fatty meats.

INGREDIENTS
• 1 medium onion (sliced)
• 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 8 medium-sized mushrooms (sliced)
• 2 large tomatoes (diced)
• 1 cup of sliced pineapple (canned pineapple including its juice is best)
• Handful of chopped green onions/shallots
• 1 red capsicum (sliced)
• 2 cups of long-grain or basmati rice (uncooked)
• 4 cups of cold water
• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 2 tbs Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional – if you like it spicy)
• Garnish: coriander leaves, dry chilli flakes, sliced cucumber


PREPARATION
Time: 20 minutes to prepare, 60 minutes in the wok
1. Warm oven before preparing ingredients at 180 degrees C
2. Slice and dice vegetables as per ingredient list. Prepare cooking broth by adding vegetable oil, water, pineapple juice, herbs and seasoning in a jar and mix well.
3. Place vegetables and pineapple in a grease-proof oven-safe baking tray (double the size required to fill all the above ingredients, as the rice will grow!), followed by the uncooked rice and finally the cooking broth.
4. Cover tray with aluminium foil and bake for 30 minutes, check if there is enough water and bake for a further 15 minutes.
5. Check again and add water if necessary and leave un-covered for the remaining 15 minutes.
6. Granish with coriander leaves, chilli flakes and cucumber. Serves 3-4.