White Rice Mexican Style - Arroz Blanco

1 cup of rice
1 tablespoon of butter or oil
1/2 small white onion, chopped fine
1 clove of garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups water, broth or a combination
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup minced celery (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 cup peas (optional)
1/4 to 1/2 cup minced carrot (optional)
the juice of half a lime (optional)


Soak the rice in very hot water for ten minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain again. Heat the butter or oil in a nonstick frying pan and saute the rice for a few minutes. Add the onion and continue to saute until the rice is nearly translucent. Add the garlic and saute a couple of minutes longer. Add the water or broth, the bayleaf, salt, and any of the vegetables and/or lime juice you are using. Bring to a simmer, cover, turn the heat to very low and continue to simmer until just tender.

The rice can be made a day or two ahead and reheated in a steamer, in the microwave, or, covered with foil, in the oven. For the last two methods, you may need to sprinkle the rice with a little additional water or broth.

TIP: If I don't have any vegetable broth prepared, I add a couple of stalks of mustard green along with the water and then remove the stalks before serving. This enchances the flavor of the cooking liquid.

Carrot Pickle

This first time I had carrot pickle was twenty five years ago at Kilimanjaro, an Indian restaurant, now defunct, in the Punjabi Market/Little India district of Vancouver. The restaurant was housed in an old cowboy diner and bar, and it retained the incongruous wild west decor. The owner was of Indian ancestry but had lived in East Africa before coming to Canada. He claimed to have the best samosas in Vancouver, and he may well have, but it was the pungent, garlicky carrot pickle that most impressed me.

I've tried many carrot pickles in the years since, some forgettable, some pretty good, but none as good the carrot pickle at Kilimanjaro. I certainly don't claim this carrot pickle reaches Kilimanjaro's heights, but I like to think it comes pretty close.

1 pound of carrots, about 1/4" to 1/2" dice - they will shrink

10 cloves of garlic, or more to taste, minced

1 serrano pepper, seeded, ribs removed, minced fine

1/4 cup of mustard seeds

2 teaspoons fenugreek

3/4 teaspoon of cayenne

heaping 1/2 teaspoon of tumeric

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup olive oil

Put the carrots, garlic, and serrano pepper in a bowl. Grind the mustard seeds and fenugreek together in a spice grinder and put them over the vegetables. Add all the rest of the ingredients except the oil. Toss everything together until it is well combined. Allow the mixture to rest at room temperature for three or four hours to allow the carrots to begin to soften.

Put the mix into a glass jar or jars. Heat the oil until it is very hot -- almost at the smoking point, then allow it to cool until it is lukewarm. Pour the oil into the jar(s). Put the lid(s) on the jar(s) and shake to combine the ingredients. Put the jar(s) in a sunny spot for five to seven days until the carrots are soft. You can set the jar(s) outside in the sun during the day. Shake the jar(s) at least once a day. Once the pickles are done they will keep in the refrigerator for several months, but I doubt they'll stick around that long. I find myself needing to make a batch every couple of weeks. I not only use them as a condiment with Indian meals, I think they are a fabulous addition to a salad.