This is my vegan recipe for arros brut (dirty rice), my favourite traditional recipe from Mallorca. No animal products and all of the flavour!
- 500ml vegetable stock
- coconut oil
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 1 tomato tin (see BONUS TIPS)
- mushrooms, sliced
- cooked artichokes, diced
- sweet peas
- green beans, sliced
- carrots, diced
- two handfuls of round rice (like the risotto type)
- 1 tsp sweet paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- saffron (see BONUS TIPS)
- salt and pepper
- In a big pot heat up the coconut oil and cook the onions with some salt on medium heat until they become see-through, not golden.
- Add the tomato tin to the onions and lower the heat.
- Once the tomato starts slowly bubbling, add the stock and reduce 1/3.
- At this point add the green beans and carrots, and cook on medium for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the sweet peas and cook for another 5 minutes, then finally add the mushrooms and the rice.
- Throw in the spices and cook for about 15 minutes.
- When the rice is done but still has a bit of a bite, it’s ready. Check to see if it needs more salt, and you’re done!
BONUS TIPS:
- A bit of fresh lemon juice gives it – in my opinion – the perfect touch.
- Under no circumstances should you use long rice such as basmati for this dish. It is a blasphemy – blasphemy, I say! – against my culture and it will also not turn out well. Go for a round grain like the risotto rice type. You have been warned.
- Instead of a tomato tin, you can get a few fresh tomatoes and grate them. Yes, I said grate them. Obviously do not grate your fingers, stop before you grate the peel.
- If you can’t get your hands on saffron for whatever reason (unavailability, price…), you can swap this for 1tsp turmeric.
- This is a soupy kind of dish, so it should not end up looking like a risotto. Don’t dry out all of the stock!
- I sometimes substitute the cinnamon for 1 drop of cinnamon bark therapeutic grade essential oil (this is the brand I use).