This is a special message from MARS Foodservice.
Encouraged by the broader world view and more adventurous taste buds of today’s consumers, some restaurant operators are exploring exotic ethnic fare with rice as a familiar portal. Creations like Indian biryani, Ottoman-style Turkish pilaf and Korean bibimbap show the potential for combining rice with diverse spices and ingredients for an exciting and novel dining experience.
Although dishes like Italian risotto, Spanish paella and Chinese fried rice are well established on menus, it can be argued that restaurants have barely scratched the surface of global rice applications. The compass points to the cooking of North Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia — all included on the list of trendy ethnic cuisines in the National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot in 2010 chef survey — as well as the culinary traditions of India, Korea and Turkey.
Seeing Americans embrace the lively flavors of India, and rice taking a prominent role, is Pradeep Chandrana, culinary director of East India Co. Grill & Bar in Portland, Ore.
“Americans are getting into spicier foods than they formerly did,” Chandrana said. “They are opening up to different spices, whether in Mexican, Spanish or Korean food or even Japanese dishes with wasabi.”
A case in point is the $22 per-person tasting menu Chandrana is preparing for Diwali, the Indian New Year celebration in November. It will feature a special biryani, a casserole of rice and marinated vegetables spiced with saffron, cardamom, mace and black pepper. Several other examples are found on East India Co.’s regular menu, including Murg Biryani ($14), which is rice simmered with chicken, herbed yogurt, raisins and nuts, and Ghost Hydrabadi Biryani ($15), rice with lamb, herbs, saffron, nuts and raisins.
Chicken and vegetarian biryani, each priced at $5.99, are popular items at Chutney Joe’s Indian Diner, a fast-casual Indian restaurant in Chicago. Also on the menu are Pork Vindaloo, Chicken Tikka Masala and several vegetarian items, priced at $5.99 for a one-entrée plate and $7.99 for a two-entrée plate. Each is served with either rice or naan bread.
Rice not only carries Indian flavors and is tasty itself, it also buffers the bolder sensations on the plate, noted owner Vijay Puniani.
“All of our meat and vegetable dishes you eat with rice or bread, not alone,” Puniani said. “That is the mistake some people make with Indian food when they find it too spicy. The rice tones down the spices and adds substance to your meal.”
Rounding out the menu is the BombayRritto, a trademarked, hand-held item of meat or vegetables rolled up in roti flatbread like a burrito with rice, cheese, lettuce, onions, tomatoes and jalapenos, priced at $3.99.
At Agora in Washington, D.C. the elaborately spiced and garnished Ottoman Rice might be subtitled “rice fit for a sultan,” according to executive chef Ghassan Jarroouj. It’s a popular side dish, priced at $7, at the restaurant, which features the foods of Turkey and Greece.
The dish is made pilaf style with rice and onions sautéed in butter and simmered with veal and beef stock along with almonds, black currants, pine nuts and dried apricots. Spices like saffron, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper are added and the dish is crowned with fried shallots and dates. “You can put just about anything in it,” Jarroouj said.
At Rice Bar, also in Washington, customers can choose from half a dozen variations of bibimbap, the flavorful Korean rice bowl. The menu includes Classic Bibimbap ($8.99), made with a choice of white, brown or black rice, five different cooked vegetables, seasoned ground beef, shredded egg and gochujang sauce, which is made fermented red peppers. Other variations are topped with spicy chicken, kimchi, tofu or kalbi, beef ribs. Patrons can also design their own bibimbap with proteins and toppings of their choice, priced at $6.49.
Although white rice is the traditional base for bibimbap, Rice Bar customers increasingly choose brown or black rice.
“People are very health conscious now,” said owner Kelly Kang.
