Dirty Rice, Anyone?

The best thing about buffet meal is you can find many assortment of dishes. For an adventurous eater, this is a real advantage. The disadvantage will be when you could not find anything that you like. In buffet, whatever is there, that's it. For a picky eater, it might be difficult!

Like for this dish called Dirty Rice Salad. I asked the chef, "are you sure i can eat this? This is dirty!" Of course, i am just joking! For a picky eater like my husband, this "dirty rice" is a big no no. He is not an adventurous eater. For me, i tried the other dishes first and might try this one if there is still some room on my belly.



I really needed to know why it is called dirty rice. Good thing Wikipedia is very helpful. It is said that Dirty rice is a traditional Cajun dish made from white rice cooked with small pieces of chicken liver or giblets, which give it a dark ("dirty") color. The cooked livers tend to be dry, but carry a very mild flavor. Similar to a pilaf, it also includes green bell pepper, celery and onion (the "holy trinity"). Parsley and/or chopped green onions are common garnishes. Dirty rice is most common in the Cajun regions of southern Louisiana and Mississippi; however, it can also be found in other areas of the American south. Of course, it is here is Scotland also.

According to WiseGeek"from its inception, dirty rice was a good way to make the most out of killing a chicken — or buying livers and gizzards cheap — feeding a family and doing it for pennies, all in the bargain. Rice was inexpensive and the chicken liver and gizzard, along with the “Holy Trinity” of Cajun cooking — onion, bell pepper and celery — extended the meal. Dirty rice, then, was often eaten as a main dish. Dirty rice gets its name from the color the liver and broth imparted to the white rice.In these more health-conscious days, liver and gizzards are not used as often. Instead, small amounts of ground pork or beef are used, but the trinity and spices remain the same. Some cooks also throw in a little bacon grease for extra flavoring. The meat is first browned, and then the vegetables, including fresh garlic and green onions are browned together until the onions are clear. All is drained and then the rice and spices such as salt, pepper, cayenne, pepper sauce and paprika go into the pot. The cook adds water, brings it to a boil, adds the vegetables and meat back into the saucepan, covers it, turns the heat to low and waits for the rice to cook. Beef broth or any other available broth may be substituted in place of part, or all, of the water. When the rice has cooked, it stands, covered, away from the heat for five to 10 minutes before serving. Dirty rice can be served with a salad as a main dish, depending on the amount of meat, or to accompany jambalaya or gumbo. Dirty rice is easy to make and a cook can alter the recipe to suit his or her tastes, and the family’s tastes. That, after all, is a Cajun tradition."

Another interesting rice recipe i found is called Jambalaya rice. Just like dirty rice, Jambalaya is a traditional delicious Louisiana Cajun or Creole dish. The main ingredients of Jambalaya includes meats, vegetables, seafoods and rice. These ingredients are prepared together in one pot adding one after another. Here's what it looks like...




What reminds me of Jambalaya Rice is the 1952 country song called Jambalaya(On the Bayou) by Hank Williams. On 1973, Carpenters made another cover version of the song. It is a very popular song and i can even memorize it! Of course, the song is named after this Creole and Cajun dish.

Good-bye, Joe, me gotta go, me oh my oh
Me gotta go pole the pirogue down the bayou.
My Yvonne, the sweetest one, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.

(Chorus)
Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.

Thibodaux, Fontaineaux, the place is buzzin'
Kinfolk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
Dress in style and go hog wild, me oh my oh
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.

(Chorus)
Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.

Settle down far from town, get me a pirogue
And I'll catch all the fish in the bayou
Swap my mon to buy Yvonne what she need-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.

(Chorus)Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and fillet gumbo
'Cause tonight I'm gonna see my ma cher amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-o
Son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou.

I think i had tried the little of this Jambalaya Rice(probably because i love that country song!). As for the Dirty Rice salad, i got no more room for it! As for my picky husband, nope, he didn't even look at them!