Paul Prudhomme's San Francisco Rice

[Jenise]

Friends in Langley B.C. served a deliciously simple dinner on Saturday night: ribs, roasted zucchini, corn on the cob and what they called "San Francisco Rice".

So good I had three helpings.

It's essentially Paul Prudhomme's take on Rice a Roni made from scratch from his book called something like "American Tastes". He calls it a "familiar side dish in San Francisco" but offers no facts to authenticate that statement. The commercials that laud it (ding ding) as a "San Francisco treat!" seem more like some PR stunt than reality. I'm not a buyer of box mixes, but I've had the occasional box version at the homes of friends and they've always been quite palatable.

But never like this. I would happily eat this any old time--as a side dish or even as the main player topped with some grilled vegetables.

I got a copy:

Seasoning Mix:
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dry mustard
1.5 tsp dried cilantro
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

The rest:
1 c uncooked converted rice
1 c 2 inch pieces uncooked #4 spaghetti
2 c chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 tblsp unsalted butter
1/4 c sesame seeds
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/2 c chopped fresh parsley
3 cps rich chicken broth

Any able cook can probably figure out the method:

Combine seasoning ingredients.

Heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet then add the rice, spaghetti, ohnions, celery, butter and two tablespoons of the seasoning mix. Stir well until the spaghetti's golden brown, about six minutes. Add the sesame seeds, remaining seasoning mix, garlic, and parsley, then the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to low, simmer for about 12 minutes, remove and let skillet sit uncovered for about 8 minutes.

Does the recipe come out better with rice converted to Judaism, Catholicism, or Buddhism?

[Jenise]

Does the recipe come out better with rice converted to Judaism, Catholicism, or Buddhism?

Hilarious. I just typed the ingredient list as written. The instruction part, took great liberties at condensing.

Presumably, both the Jewish and Catholic rice still have a lingering taste of guilt so I'll choose the Buddhist rice.

Reminds me of an incident many years ago... I attended a friend's wedding and we were given converted rice to throw as they leave the church. Someone said something about it being less dangerous for the birds. Anyway, during this Catholic service it dawned on me that the priest -- Gerry Cohen -- was also a convert....

[Jenise]

LOL.

Btw, separately, I've lately started enjoying Uncle Ben's rice again. For years it was all I used, and then I became Asian-ized. Now, there's room in my life for all of it.

At my house it's Brown Basmati possibly mixed with Wild Rice, unless we're doing paella, then it's Bomba.

I took a sushi class but have not geared-up to do it at home so no short-grain Japonica.

[Jenise]

Short grained Japanese rice, especially the tinier grained ones, are my basic house rice. I love the texture. I also own jasmine, bomba, carnaroli or however that's spelled, brown basmati and a few others but if I had to give up all but one, then Japanese wins. And I rarely make sushi, so it's not about that. It's just the texture I love.

The brown Basmati wins for me due to fragrance.

I also buy the occasional rice mix from Wine Forest. Those are excellent, too.

[Jenise]

Very understandable. You know what, I didn't actually care for brown rice of any stripe until I figured out how to make it in a pressure cooker. Now I love it!

Looks quite mild in terms of heat for a Prudhomme recipe, but I suppose a big hit of cayenne would not be true to the San Francisco roots.

[Jenise]

No, that's right. Not much heat, though anyone can add more. And tweak any other part of it to make a great dish. I just loved the full-bodied flavors and textural combination of pasta and rice. I've been thinking about it all week!

Btw, separately, I've lately started enjoying Uncle Ben's rice again. For years it was all I used, and then I became Asian-ized. Now, there's room in my life for all of it.

"Converted" is a trademark of Uncle Ben's for their brand of parboiled rice. As did Jenise, it was my staple until I discovered basmati and jasmine rice. For Chinese and Thai dishes I usually cook up jasmine rice. Paul Prudhomme recommended Converted rice for all the rice dishes in his Lousiana Kitchen cookbook, and I've found it to be a better match for Cajun and Creole dishes than basmati or jasmine.

-Paul W.

According to the Wikipedia article, Rice-a-Roni was invented in San Francisco in 1958 by one of the sons of the founder of the Golden Grain Macaroni Company, inspired by his Armenian mother-in-law's rice pilaf recipe. I'm sure that, like a lot of Americans born in the 1950s, it's a dish I remember growing up with.

-Paul W.

My mom never made Rice-a-Roni but I do remember it from Let's Make A Deal. (I wonder how much product *is* a year's supply?)

I've never had Rice-a-Roni either, but I certainly remember the commercials.

"Saute and simmer
The flavor can't be beat
Rice-a-Roni
The San Francisco treat"

First time I rode a cable car, I felt just like I was in that commercial.

I adored a packet product called rice-a-riso when I was a kid, so exotic!
It must have been our version of your rice-a-roni. A pilaf/fried rice style dish, only
with rice shaped pasta and a flavour sachet!!!
Mum added shredded omelette and a few other bits and pieces lost to memory and made it feed four somehow.?
Oh my, I have just been looking through my mum’s recipe collection (she has just gone into a supported living facility and we have to deal with her home) and the recipes from the school, church, etc wow, the most bizarre spin on “Chinese” dishes for example, how times change.

FWIW predictive text threw up supported loving which conjures up.... no don’t go there.

FWIW predictive text threw up supported loving which conjures up.... no don’t go there.

Maybe if I'm good, that's the kind of place my kids will put me in when I get really old.....

"Converted" is a trademark of Uncle Ben's for their brand of parboiled rice. As did Jenise, it was my staple until I discovered basmati and jasmine rice. For Chinese and Thai dishes I usually cook up jasmine rice. Paul Prudhomme recommended Converted rice for all the rice dishes in his Lousiana Kitchen cookbook, and I've found it to be a better match for Cajun and Creole dishes than basmati or jasmine.
.

Betsy was horrified when I bought some converted rice, she thought it was the same as instant rice. I specifically bought it for a slow cooker recipe- apparently it holds up better than regular rice in long cooks. She is converted (for that one purpose) now.
For other uses we probably mostly eat Haigamai (partially milled) Japanese short grain, but keep fully polished short grain, Vialone Nano or Arborio, basmati for specific uses. What we almost never have (though I like it) is wild "rice."

[Robin Garr]

... For other uses we probably mostly eat Haigamai (partially milled) Japanese short grain, but keep fully polished short grain, Vialone Nano or Arborio, basmati for specific uses. What we almost never have (though I like it) is wild "rice."

I'm surprised none of you have mentioned basic long-grain. That's really our go-to for most dishes - usually Goya or La Preferida - although we certainly keep Arborio/Vialone Nano/Carnaroli and basmati, as you say, for specific uses.

Betsy was horrified when I bought some converted rice, she thought it was the same as instant rice. I specifically bought it for a slow cooker recipe- apparently it holds up better than regular rice in long cooks. She is converted (for that one purpose) now.

Parboiled/Converted rice is the exact opposite of instant rice. Basmati and jasmine rice both cook in about 15 minutes (followed by 3 minutes off the heat before serving), whereas Uncle Ben's takes 25 minutes.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Paul, whatever 'converted' means exactly, I don't think it and ParBo are equivalent. You're right, Ben's is a conventional/long cook. The ParBo rices I encountered in Holland were all short-duration cooks--longer than instant, but not as long as conventional. Hated the stuff, it broke down pretty quick, unlike Ben's.

[Robin Garr]

Paul, whatever 'converted' means exactly, I don't think it and ParBo are equivalent. You're right, Ben's is a conventional/long cook. The ParBo rices I encountered in Holland were all short-duration cooks--longer than instant, but not as long as conventional. Hated the stuff, it broke down pretty quick, unlike Ben's.

Surprisingly, though, converted is parboiled. That's apparently how they make it.
Uncle Ben's Converted Enriched Parboiled Long Grain Rice 10-Pound Bag

[Robin Garr]

Also, per Wikipedia,

Parboiled rice (also called converted rice) is rice that has been partially boiled in the husk. The three basic steps of parboiling are soaking, steaming and drying. These steps also make rice easier to process by hand, boost its nutritional profile and change its texture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parboiled_rice

[Robin Garr]

Also, going down an Internet worm hole here ...

Uncle Ben's is a brand name for parboiled rice and other related food products. The brand was introduced by Converted Rice Inc., which was later bought by Mars, Inc. It is based in Houston, Texas. Uncle Ben’s rice was first marketed in 1943 and was the top-selling rice in the United States from 1950 until the 1990s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Ben%27s