HOW TO COOK RED CARGO RICE

2nd Man and I went out to eat with friends recently at the always delicious Cafe Chino and he had a dish that used a red rice.  We were curious about this ingredient, with it's rich, nutty flavor, and nice chewy texture.  Not to mention it was a beautiful color in the finished dish.  We asked the owner and he said it was called "Red Cargo Rice".

So, during our "day without electricity" a month or so ago, one of the places we went to cool down was 99 Ranch, an awesome new (new to Houston anyway) Asian grocery store.  And there, on the rice aisle, they had Red Cargo Rice, in a large 5 lb bag.  It is also available of course on Amazon by clicking on this link:  Red Cargo Rice.

The first thing we had to do was figure out how to cook it,  as there are no instructions on the bag itself.  Looking on the Internet, we found some instructions, but so many different ways, we decided the only way to figure it out ourselves was trial and error.

Like brown rice, red cargo rice takes longer to cook than regular white rice.  You can put not enough liquid or the opposite, too much liquid.  Here is what we came up with.  Quite simply, it's a 2 to 1 ratio (water to rice) and 45 mins of cook time.

Here is the bag, the name just what it's called, "Red Cargo Rice".

We like jars (more on that in a future posting) and so the very first thing I did was empty the bag into a large "biscuit jar".  It fit perfectly.

Like other similar rices, it requires washing.  Just rinse in a colander in the sink and the make sure it is well drained before you cook it.  

Put oil in the bottom of a pan to cover it (here about 3 TBSP) and heat on medium heat.  Add the rice to the hot oil and stir it around with just a little salt and pepper.  Saute lightly for 3 to 5 minutes

(this really brings out the flavor and color).

Add your water (or you can use 1/2 water and 1/2 broth), in the 2:1 ratio.  Here, we have 1 cup of rice and two cups of liquid

(1 cup water and 1 cup chicken broth).

Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer or your lowest setting, put the lid on it and leave it alone for 40 minutes.  No peeking, no checking, just let it sit with the lid on.  At the end of 40 minutes, turn off the heat and let stand with the lid still on, for 5 minutes more. 

Don't be tempted to open and stir or check on it, it will do its thing all by itself.

Here it is after the lid is removed, all the water has absorbed and the rice is cooked.  Let it sit for a few minutes to let any remaining water finish absorbing.

And here it is in it's rich, nutty, deliciousness!  We often make this with fresh chopped green onions on top, maybe even some herbs, but the flavor of the rice should be the star though.  Enjoy!