I wanted my son Aidan to broaden his cooking skills.  Sometimes this requires unlacing his “straight jacket” that he happily cooks in.  What I mean is he loves to cook the same things over and over.  So I encouraged him to look for something he wanted to try.  He likes rice dishes.  He found one that had possibilities and we discussed how to change it to suit our tastes.  The recipe called for 2 1/2 Tbs of cumin powder.  I thought that was quite a bit, even for my taste, so I backed it down.  Lo and behold I was wrong.  It actually needed all of the cumin called for in the recipe.  We added more onion and changed the way it goes together to make the most of the cumin flavor and added grilled chicken because I live with Carnivorous Rex times 2.  I didn’t even take pictures the first time we made it because I was sure we wouldn’t be eating it again, but I wanted to show a willingness to try it.  I was still wrong.  It was great, absolutely great.  We had some leftovers so I took it for lunch the next day and it was even better!

Its been a week now and Aidan wanted to make it again.  So I took pictures so we could share.  I also took pictures of the cook.  I should have known that it is not possible for an almost 15 year old boy to give me a “normal” picture, as you can see.

Its too bad he is so shy!

You’ll need:

1 1/2 cups uncooked rice, basmati, jasmine or long grained + 2 ¾ cup water ( we used jasmine)

2 Tbs butter

1 Tbs sesame oil

1 medium onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 1/2 Tbs ground cumin

1-6oz can tomato paste + 1 1/2 cups water, mixed until no large lumps remain

Salt, as desired

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts

3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1 package (about 2 cups) diced grilled chicken, warmed up

Chili garlic sauce (find it in the Asian food section of your grocery)

In a small sauce pan, combine rice and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook until all liquid is adsorbed.  Turn off heat and set aside.

While the rice is cooking….

Chop the onion and saute in a large skillet with butter and sesame oil until translucent.  Add garlic and saute a few minutes more.  Sprinkle the cumin over the onions and garlic.  Mix together while continuing to cook, about another 1-2 minutes.  Pour tomato paste water mixture into skillet.  Stir until well combined.   Add salt and red pepper flakes.   Continue to cook until sauce has thickened, about 7-10 minutes.

Heat grilled chicken chunk in microwave until hot.  Add rice, chicken, and peanuts to sauce mixture.  Stir until rice is completely coated.  Add lime juice and 1/2 cup of cilantro and stir again.  Serve with chili garlic sauce and additional cilantro on top.  Enjoy!