ARROZ REFOGADO

An “all-in-one” dish with prawns, green vegetable, tomato and rice all cooked together.

1 lb | 450g rice
1 lb 9 oz | 700g prawns
½ small cabbage (yié chói *)
1 lb | 450g tomatoes
2 onions
6 cloves of dried spring onions
2 cloves of garlic

* Choy Sum.

Wash prawns, shell and season with salt and pepper. Fry lightly in olive oil or lard. Remove from the flame and set aside.

Sauté the cabbage leaves, then cook for some time in water until tender (but before it gets to the stage of falling apart). Remove from the stove and drain, retaining the cabbage water.

Mince tomatoes, onions, dried shallots and garlic and sauté in oil until all the water has evaporated.

Set aside ¾ of the tomato mixture and fry the rice in the remainder for several minutes, adding enough cabbage water for the rice (generally, about equal volumes of rice and water for short-grain rice, and about 1⅓ cups of water to every cup of long-grain rice).

As soon as it boils, add the cabbage leaves. When the rice has absorbed all the water, add the prawns and cover securely to steam.

When the rice is fully cooked, stir in the remainder of the tomato mixture.