When I was asked if I’ll take part in the “USA Rice Blogger Challenge” by USA Rice Federation, the answer was clear – YES.
I received a few recipes for review, photos, info sheet and a great video and the task was to create something creative using USA rice.
We all use rice, some on daily basis, some less but the bottom line is that we all use it.
Have you ever considered taking 3 seconds to see where your rice is coming from? I usually do that when buying my rice at the grocery store, not that it matters, but I’m just weirdly curious like that.
After taking part in this challenge I think I will keep track more closely when it comes to the origin of my rice. Again, not that it matters, but apparently nearly 65% of rice consumed in Canada is grown in the US – Interesting.
So now I had to decide what to do and what kind of rice I’ll be using.
There’s white rice, brown rice, long grain, short grain, medium grain, so many options. So I went with the one I personally think is the prettiest (Hey, you want your food pretty or not?).
Black rice (Black Japonica) was the rice I decided to go with. I’ve never made this kind before but reading the cooking instructions on the package made it clear that this rice is no different than other. So I boiled some water and coked my rice on the stove-top for only 35 minutes – and now, I was ready to roll.
I decided to go with an easy yet fancy dish, I was SUPER craving something with garlic and I had wonton wraps in the fridge. Suddenly it was all so clear – I’m going to make wonton baked cups with black rice salsa. Fresh, delicious, healthy and fast.
I made exactly 12 shells with rice salsa and it took my family 12 minutes to make sure there’s none left.
These are great for entertaining, for using rice leftovers and for a quick snack.
And just before we go on to the recipe, I wanted to share this video with you all. Just a little something about preparing and getting to know your rice:
- ¾ Cup cooked Japonica Black Rice (or any other rice)
- 1 Fresh Tomato – Chopped
- ¼ Purple Onion – Chopped (you can use the white one)
- 1 Garlic Clove – Diced
- 2 Tbsp Chopped Cilantro
- 2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt
- 12 Wonton Wrappers
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C)
- Using a muffin pan (I used the mini muffin baking pan), line each cup with a wonton wrapper. You want the wonton to form a cup.
- Place in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes until cups are golden brown and baked.
- Put the tomatoes, onion, garlic, rice and cilantro in a bowl
- Mix in the olive oil, lemon juice and salt
- Scoop one tablespoon at a time and place in the baked wonton cups
Disclaimer: I was provided with the funds to purchase ingredients for this recipe challenge