Dressing up the plain old corn is what this recipe is about, with very southern flavors and taste – Jalapeno, cilantro and corn come together for an easy, sweet and spicy recipe.
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“Salsa is the Spanish word for sauce–an indication of this condiment’s origin in Spanish-speaking countries of the Western Hemisphere, particularly Mexico and the countries of Central America. In these countries, the word “salsa” encompasses a wide range of culinary concoctions, from sauces that are smooth, cooked, and served warm or hot, to condiments that are chunky, raw, and served at room temperature….The most common type of salsa was–and still is–a version of Mexican salsa cruda (raw sauce), also known as salsa fresca (fresh sauce) or salsa Mexicana (Mexican sauce), made with chopped tomatoes, onions, and fresh green jalapeno or serrano peppers…” (The Food TimeLine).

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The Spring air smells good. Along with the change of season comes the colorful blooms of the pretty flowers & some fresh vegetables& fruits  in the market. The local market got crates of fresh corn & avocado. (I was somehow under the impression that the corns came during fall..) Anyway. we got quite a few of these. Today I saw Corn Salsa in Peter G’s (Souvlaki for The Soul) Blog. His pictures tempted me to make some salsa with the hass avocados & corn right away.

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Every time we visit a Mexican Restaurant, we end up ordering atleast two orders of the Spanish rice. The kids love it too. One day when I had nothing but V8, a can of red beans and some left over rice at home, I thought i would make something like the Spanish rice. It turned out pretty good, but not quite the same taste. So next time I tried it with uncooked rice and more hot peppers and black peppers to cater to our spicy taste buds.
Some evenings when I just feel like doing nothing, lazing around the backyard, and hope that food would be cooked magically without doing a thing ( I feel that pretty often:-D ), I try this quick dish. With the beans, & the vegetables it is like a meal in a dish. Here it is. Enjoy. Mind it, do change the amount of the hot peppers and black pepper to suit your taste!!

 I am sending this to SAPADU READY, hosted  by From the Kitchen.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups White Rice (uncooked)
2. 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
3. 1/2  Onion (thinly sliced lengthwise)
4. 4-5 cloves Garlic (very finely chopped and crushed with knife)
5. 1 – 1.5 cans (Approx. 16 oz cans)  Red Beans or Red Kidney Beans
6. Fresh Cilantro: few spoons chopped
7. Green Serrano Peppers: according to taste, Finely chopped (Optional)
8. ½ cup Corn
9. 2 big Carrots chopped into small pieces (Optional)
10. 1 cupV8(or tomato puree or tomato juice or fresh tomato[2 cups pulsed in the blender])
11. Oil
12. 2.5 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
13. ½ teaspoon roasted ground cumin
14. Salt to taste

Preparation:

Heat oil.

Add Cumin Seeds and let it get a little darker.

 Add finely chopped and crushed garlic.

Add the sliced Onions and fry till they are glazed. 

Add uncooked rice and fry till the rice is slightly brown.

Add green Serrano peppers, red beans, carrots, corn, and the roasted cumin powder and stir and fry for about 2-3 minutes.

Add tomato (or puree or V8).

Reduce the liquid at high heat.

Add water to boil the rice (see cooking instructions for Rice). Also can transfer everything to the Rice Cooker and follow the instructions till rice is cooked.

Add Ground Black Pepper and stir it to mix (You can adjust the amount to more or less spicy).

Sprinkle chopped fresh cilantro and cover it for sometime before serving.

This dish can be prepared with left over cooked rice. Add the cooked rice after the liquid of tomato has been reduced and stir to mix all ingredients at low heat.