If you love rice like me I enjoy eating it in so many different ways. Steamed rice goes well with any meat or fish. It’s also great in soups with chicken and vegetables. In Latin countries, rice is sautéed with meat or seafood and flavored with herbs.
This recipe is one of many easy dishes I like to make because it is combined with protein like shrimp and smoked chicken sausage. The Jasmine rice here is sautéed in olive oil with garlic, onion, tomato and red bell pepper. Chicken stock and lots of cilantro at the end give it a Latin flavor. Don’t worry about the amount of cilantro here, it’s not overpowering.
Prepare the Rice
First, heat up a bit of olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium/high heat. Cook the sausage in the hot oil for just a few minutes until it is slightly brown. Set it aside when it is cooked. Then lower the heat to medium.
Add the garlic into the skillet and cook it for 8-10 seconds until it is fragrant and slightly golden. Then stir in the red chili flakes (optional), onions, red bell pepper and tomato. Let it cook for about 4 minutes until the onion is translucent.
Now it’s time to add the rice . Mix it in and let it cook for 2 minutes just to let the rice absorb all the flavors. Then add the chicken stock. Season it with salt and freshly ground pepper and stir it together. Cover the skillet, turn up the heat to high and let the rice boil. When it starts to boil, change the heat to low, keep it covered and let rice cook for 20-25 minutes.
On the last 5 minutes, add in shrimp. Cover it again and finish cooking until shrimp is pink and opaque. Stir in the cooked sausage and 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro. Serve it warm with the rest of the cilantro on top.
It is important to follow the instructions on the bag of long grain rice you buy. Some rice need more water to cook than others. That will determine how much chicken stock you need to use in place of water. For the shrimp, rinse it with cold water and gently pat dry it with paper towel before cooking. For presentation, save half of the cooked sausage and shrimp to top rice with the cilantro at serving time. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do!
Jasmine Rice with Shrimp, Sausage and Cilantro
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ medium onion finely diced
- ½ yellow, red or orange bell pepper diced
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- ½ lb. large shrimp shelled and deveined
- ½ smoked chicken sausage about 6.5 oz., sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 2 cups chicken broth low-sodium
- 1 tsp kosher salt leveled
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper or to taste
- 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- ⅛ tsp red chili flakes or to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse shrimp with cold water and gently pat dry with paper towel. Rinse rice with cold water and let drain in sifter. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet on medium/high heat. Cook the sausage for 3-4 minutes until slightly brown. Take sausage out and set it aside.
- Lower heat to medium and add the 1 Tbsp of olive oil into the skillet. Add garlic into the skillet. Let it cook for about 8-10 seconds until garlic is fragrant. Stir in red chili flakes, onion, red bell pepper, and tomato. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes until onion is translucent.
- Add rice and stir. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock. Season it with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and increase heat to high. Let rice boil. When it starts boiling, change the heat to low. Keep it covered and simmer for 20-25 minutes. On the last 5 minutes, add shrimp. Cover skillet again and finish cooking until shrimp is pink and opaque.
- Stir in the cooked sausage and 2 tablespoons of cilantro. Serve with the other 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro on top.