Bhagi (Jamaican Callaloo) Fried Rice
Summertime I look no further than my garden for inspiration for meals to make. With an abundance of chives and Jamaican Callaloo (chorai bhagi) and previously harvested garlic, I decided to put the leftover rice I had in the fridge, to use.
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
You’ll Need…
3 cups chilled pre-cooked rice (cooked in salted water)
1 lb Jamaican Callaloo (chorai bhagi aka spinach)
1 1/2 tablespoon grapeseed oil
6 chives (chopped)
1/3 red bell pepper (diced)
1/3 yellow bell pepper (diced)
1 1/2 tablespoon mushroom soy sauce
6 cloves garlic (sliced thin)
6-10 cherry tomatoes (1/4)
Salted Cod (I used a little less than 1/4 lb)
1 teaspoon Sesame oil
Notes. Feel free to leave out the bell peppers if you wish. As explained in the video below, they were about to go bad in the fridge, so in the pot they made an appearance. Should you want this rice dish spicy, add some chili oil or finely diced hot pepper of your choice. I used par-boiled brown rice, but you’re ok using any rice you have on hand or enjoy. If doing this dish gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
Wash the Jamaican Callaloo, remove the leaves and chop (explained in the video). May I recommend you prep the other ingredients in advance as well, as this is a very quick dish to put together. With the salted Cod, I poured boiling water over it, in a bowl. When it was cool to touch, I drained, squeezed out the water and flaked. I used boned (bones removed) salted cod, however I still looked for any bones which may still be present (remove and discard).
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
In your wok or frying pan on a medium heat, add the oil (I only used Grapeseed oil as that’s the only oil I had on hand – use olive, veg or coconut oil if you wish), followed by the salted Cod. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the sliced garlic and bell peppers. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the chives.
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
Cook for another minute then add the prepared Jamaican callaloo. It may look like a lot, but it will wilt down quickly. As it does, give everything a good mix.
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
About 3 minutes in, add the mushroom soy sauce.
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
Toss in the tomato and cook for about 5 minutes on a medium low heat. Natural juices will sprout. Turn up the heat at this point to burn off that liquid before adding the chilled rice. Yes, chilled rice will give you a more grainy fried rice at the end.
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
Top with the sesame oil and stir well to combine everything. Your heat should be on medium as all we need to do now is heat the rice through and we’re done. I’m not the biggest fan of sesame oil so I went in light, but you can add more if you wish. A little Oyster sauce would be nice in here, should you want to add a tablespoon or so.
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
Before you turn off the heat, taste for salt and adjust accordingly. Since the rice was cooked in salted water, the salted cod had remnants of the salt it was cured in and the mushroom soy sauce was a bit salty… I didn’t add any salt.
Photo by Chris De La Rosa
A wonderful summertime lunch, inspired by my little kitchen garden.
Source: www.Caribbeanpot.com
