Chili Rice, a Michael Connelly Dish (Photos)

I am a fan of the crime novel author, Michael Connelly. In addition to his novel "Lincoln Lawyer" he writes novels with the main character LA Police Detective Harry Bosch.

The last one I read was "The Burning Room"



Without giving away too much of the plot I will take you to page 210.



Harry and his daughter are going out to a shooting range and he decides to stop at a place called Johnny's Shrimp Boat, on Glendora. You can google it and look at the Yelp pictures. It is a dive. Anyhow Harry gets a dish called Chili Rice.

Later, he goes back out with his partner and suggests (on page 222) that they stop at Johnny's for Chili Rice.



OK, so now I'm thinking Connelly is a fan of Chili Rice, a dish I have never had. I did some google research and came up with the recipe and then altered it slightly for my taste. Michael was right. Chili Rice is pretty good. Here it is done my way.

This is a one pan dish.

You'll need:



2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2/3 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
2/3 Jalapeño Pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 cup chopped Tomatoes, well drained
2 Tablespoons Garlic, minced
3/4 pound Ground Beef
1 1/2 cups Long Grain Rice
1 can Chicken Broth, plus a Chicken Bouillon cube and sufficient water to make 3 cups
1 can Pinto Beans. The recipe I found calls for Kidney beans but I prefer Pinto and always substitute Pinto Beans for Kidney Beans.
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Paprika
3 Tablespoons chopped green onions for garnish

*****

Chop vegetables



and sauté in the vegetable oil



until translucent



Add hamburger meat, salt and pepper and cook until done. When the beef is almost done, add the garlic.



Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes. They need to be dry before adding to the pan.



When beef is cooked, tilt the pan and remove as much of the oil as possible with paper towels.



and add the tomatoes.



Cook for a few minutes to get everything back up to heat then add the rice and cook it (dry) for maybe 3 minutes.



You should have the chicken broth, water and bouillon mixture (3 cups), pinto beans, chili powder and paprika left



Add the broth, pinto beans, chili powder and paprika.



Stir the pan well



and bring to a rolling boil, Then reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes to cook the rice.



After 20 minutes, remove lid, fluff with a fork and call it done.



I let my dish sit for another 5-10 minutes to dry out a little before plating. Garnish with chopped green onions.



Fork view:



Both Connelly and Hieronymus 'Harry' Bosch are correct. This is a really good dish. In some ways it reminds me of Jambalaya (texture of the rice and mouth feel). It has a good bell pepper and chili taste. I will make it again.

All My Stuff