The Recycled Cook

The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Rice, the world's number one staple This is without doubt the  most widely consumed  staple food  for a large part of the world's human population, especially in South East Asia.  Rice  is the  seed  of the  grass  species  Oryza sativa  (Asian rice) or  Oryza glaberrima   (African rice).  Rice was first domesticated by the Chinese over 10,000  years ago    in the  Pearl River  valley region of  China .   From East Asia, rice as a food staple spread to South East and Southern Asia.  Rice was eventually  introduced to Europe through India, and to the Americas through European colonisation.  Growing up in wales for me rice was usually served as a milky pudding with a lovely skin on top but over the years and with much travel I have learned that rice is probably the most versatile staple in the world. We are now of course very familiar with ordering rice as a side dish rice as an accompaniment to Chinese and Indian food but he vari

The Recycled Cook By Adrian Sleeman Make more of L entils Here is one of my favourite dishes for using up odds and ends that makes a great alternative to potatoes or rice as a staple food. It can be used as a base for a meal or stand alone as the meal itself. Lentils originate in Asia and North Africa and are one of our oldest sources of food known to man. This humble relative of the common garden pea is a rich in protein and carbohydrates and is also also a good source of calcium, phosphorus, iron and B vitamins. There are several different varieties of lentil readily available, most commonly Brown, Red and Green lentils, although Puy and Yellow are stocked in many health and specialist shops.  Which type of lentil you use depends on the kind of dish. They are usually bought dried and it is important to rinse them well before cooking with them. You can soak them to reduce cooking time but to be honest I prefer not to as they absorb so much more flavour that way.  G