Exotic rice salad

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 cups rice
• 4 cups water
• 200 g shrimp or prawns, ready to cook, cooked if necessary
• 400 g chicken breast fillet(s)
• 1 piece(s) ginger, approx. 1 cm by 1 cm
• 50 g raisins
• 100 g almond flakes
• 4 tbsp sesame oil, roasted
• 2 cloves garlic
• curry powder
• Cumin powder
• Five-spice powder (Chinese spice mix)
• salt and pepper
• Paprika powder
• chili powder
• Soy sauce
• some tomato slices
• some cucumber slices
• Coriander leaves or chives

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

Cut the chicken breasts into approximately 1 cm cubes, peel and finely chop the ginger and garlic. Heat 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a large pan. Stir half of the spices (without salt and pepper) into the hot oil and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add the chicken breasts and cook until cooked through, then drain, remove from the pan, and set aside. Add the shrimp/prawns to the pan’s cooking juices and cook until cooked through (if they are already pre-cooked, cook them very briefly, otherwise they will become tough). Drain, remove from the pan, and set aside. Add 2 more tablespoons of sesame oil to the pan and briefly stir-fry the rest of the spices (without salt and pepper). Add the two cups of uncooked rice and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. This gives it a wonderful flavor. Top up with 4 cups of water and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover and simmer gently until all the water is absorbed, stirring gently. Place the cooked rice in a large bowl. Add the chicken breast, shrimp, raisins, and almond slivers. Season to taste with curry powder, salt and pepper, chili powder, paprika, and soy sauce. Add the remaining sesame oil, ginger, and garlic, and mix thoroughly. Season to taste, adding more salt if desired. Garnish with tomatoes, cucumber, and cilantro or chives. I didn’t specify the spices in specific quantities, as it’s simply a matter of taste. To start, I recommend starting with 2 teaspoons each of cumin, curry powder, Chinese spice blend, and paprika.