In Portugal, you get a wet, soupy rice bowl called arroz. When we were travelling through the country, it would be recommended to us every time we asked for something vegetarian. Arroz can be cooked with anything from sour beans and tomatoes to chickpeas and brinjal. One monsoon, we were celebrating arroz at O Pedro, and realised that there there’s nothing better than a warm, soupy rice bowl on a rainy day in Mumbai. The result was the addition of Green Pea Rice to our menu.

  • Serves

    4

  • Cook Time

    45m

Ingredients

  • 1 cup short-grained white rice, preferably Portuguese Carolino or Japanese sushi
  • 1 lt vegetable stock
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp finely-sliced mint
  • 2 tbsp finely-sliced flat-leaf parsley
  • ¼ cup pea puree
  • ¼ cup boiled green peas
  • 6-7 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • Salt to taste
  • Sugar to taste
  • Pea shoots to finish

For Green Pea Puree

  • ½ kg green peas
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Sugar to taste 

Preparation

For Green Pea Puree

  1. Blanch green peas in salted water for 7-8 minutes and shock in ice water.
  2. Transfer to a blender, whizz at high speed with cold water, and emulsify with oil slowly.
  3. Season with salt and sugar. Remove and use as desired.
  4. It keeps well for 2 weeks in the freezer. It can be used in salads or for a green pea soup or as an accompaniment to meats.

For Green Pea Rice

  1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
  2. Add onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent and soft. Stir occasionally.
  3. Toss in the rice and toast it, stirring constantly.
  4. Pour in half the stock and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.
  5. Add the other half and cook for 25 minutes or until the rice is a little al dente but still has a thick broth-like consistency.
  6. At the point, fold in the halved cherry tomatoes, boiled peas and pea puree, stirring vigorously.
  7. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes to enhance the flavour. Stir in the mint and parsley.
  8. Remove into a serving bowl and garnish with pea shoots.
Hussain Shahzad

Hussain Shahzad

Hussain Shahzad, the Executive Chef at O Pedro, a Goa-inspired restaurant in Mumbai, is Scroll Food’s Chef of the Month for October. He started his career with the Oberoi Group of Hotels in Mumbai, before moving to New York, where he worked at the iconic Eleven Madison Park. His culinary adventures have taken him around the world and included a brief stint as a personal chef to Roger Federer. Before taking the reins at O Pedro, he was a part of the team at the award-winning The Bombay Canteen. A dynamic and bold chef, Hussain’s food philosophy is to showcase local produce using contemporary culinary techniques.

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