This is probably one of my favorite rice dishes. The zesty, spicy, meaty flavor is tangy and savory and is a filling meal all by itself. And by using leftover rice, you get a nice fluffy texture that makes it feel like it came from a restaurant!
So this dish first came together by accident. My husband came home unexpectedly for his lunch break. I didn’t have anything prepared, so I looked in the fridge and saw rice that was a couple days old, mushrooms and some uncooked beef. I started by cooking the beef in some spices along with the mushrooms. At this point the smell was incredible. I was like “oh beef and mushrooms, great dish.” Then I suddenly decided to throw the rice in with everything and I am so glad I did! The rice absorbed all the flavors from the beef and spices, and it was amazing! I also let the rice crisp up on the bottom of the pan and it was SO GOOD!
My husband was like “wow, this is so good! You need to post this recipe!” So I quickly wrote down what I did, and the next week, I remade it while measuring. But it wasn’t as good as the first time. So the following week, I made it AGAIN, and finally perfected the measurements. You guys are seriously going to love this dish!
Details
The main spice of this dish is sumac. For those of you who don’t know what sumac is, it’s a spice made from dried berries commonly used in the Middle East. It has a sweet but sour taste and brings dishes to life. You can use it instead of lemon juice or zest and it will enhance any dish!
The most important thing about this dish is to use leftover refrigerated rice. When you use refrigerated rice, the grains dry up a bit. So when you reintroduce moisture to it, it won’t end up mushy like fresh rice would.
If you really want to make this dish and don’t have leftover rice, you can still do it. After you cook the rice, spread it out on a pan and let it cool room temperature for 15 minutes, then move it to the fridge for another 30-40 minutes.
Start by sautéing your diced onion. Once that has softened, add in your beef, garlic, more olive oil, chillies, sumac, paprika, salt and pepper. I usually like to use flank steak, but you can use any meat that is good for stir fry. Cook that for about 10 minutes and add in the mushrooms. Then cook for another ten minutes. You want most of the liquid from the beef and mushrooms to be reduced before adding the rice. We want to avoid mushy rice!
Once you have added the rice you’re going to add in some more spices and leave it on the burner for about five minutes so that the bottom can develop a bit of a crust. Trust me, crunchy rice is so so good!You don’t need to over crisp it. But it’s nice to have some crispy pieces here and there.
Once, you’ve turned off the heat and plated it, add a squeeze of lime juice to it and some sliced green onions. If you want to skip the lime, that’s fine. But don’t skip the green onion! It really brings the whole dish together! I hope you guys enjoy this dish as much as my family and I do!
Spicy Dirty Rice with Stir Fried Beef
Ingredients
- 4.5 cups cooked rice I used jasmine but you can use whatever you have
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1/4 pound flank steak cut into strips (you can use any cut that’s good for stir fry)
- 1/2 lb white mushrooms 300 grams, sliced
- 3 Thai chili peppers sliced
- 4 tsp. sumac
- 2 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 2-3 tsp. salt or to taste
- Pepper to taste
- Red pepper flakes optional
- 1 lime
- Green onion for garnish
Instructions
- On medium high heat sauté the onion in one tablespoon of olive oil.
- Once the onion has softened, add in the beef, garlic, three more tablespoons of olive oil, chilies, 2 teaspoons of sumac, 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt and crushed ground pepper.
- Cook for about 8-10 minutes then add in your mushrooms.
- Cook for another 10 minutes or until the liquids have been reduced then add in your rice and mix.
- Add in another two teaspoons of sumac, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, red pepper flakes (if using), salt and pepper to taste.
- Leave rice on the burner for five minutes or until it develops a crust on the bottom.
- Squeeze a little bit of lime juice to your liking onto it. Garnish with green onions.
- Don’t skip the lime and green onions!
