Dirty rice
Encyclopedia
Dirty rice is a traditional Cajun
dish made from white rice
cooked with small pieces of chicken
liver
or giblets
, which give it a dark ("dirty") color and a mild but distinctive flavor. Similar to a pilaf
, it also includes green bell pepper
, celery
and onion
(the "holy trinity
"). Parsley and/or chopped green onions are common garnishes. Dirty rice is most common in the Cajun regions of southern Louisiana
and Mississippi
; however, it can also be found in other areas of the American South. In some southern regions, it is also called rice dressing. It is often served as a side dish with salmon
.
offers dirty rice as one of its boxed dinners. This rice does not have pieces of chicken liver in it and uses soy sauce to achieve the desired color. Zatarain's suggests adding a blend of ground beef
, sausage
, and finely chopped chicken giblets
for a more robust flavor.
Bojangles'
Cajun Fried Chicken restaurants serve dirty rice as a side dish
. The rice has sausage in it, which is also in their gravy
.
For many years, dirty rice has been an offering on the menu of the New Orleans-themed Popeye's Fried Chicken restaurants. However, recent years have seen the chain change the name of the dish to "Cajun rice," desiring perhaps to avoid connotations of uncleanliness on the product's part.
Cajun cuisine
Cajun cuisine is the style of cooking named for the French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants deported by the British from Acadia in Canada to the Acadiana region of Louisiana, USA. It is what could be called a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation...
dish made from white rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
cooked with small pieces of chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
or giblets
Giblets
Giblets is a culinary term for the edible offal of a fowl, typically including the heart, gizzard, liver, and other visceral organs.A whole bird from a butcher is often packaged with the giblets...
, which give it a dark ("dirty") color and a mild but distinctive flavor. Similar to a pilaf
Pilaf
Pilaf is a dish in which rice is cooked in a seasoned broth . In some cases, the rice may also attain its brown color by being stirred with bits of cooked onion, as well as a large mix of spices...
, it also includes green bell pepper
Bell pepper
Bell pepper, also known as sweet pepper or a pepper and capsicum , is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum . Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange and green. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as...
, celery
Celery
Apium graveolens is a plant species in the family Apiaceae commonly known as celery or celeriac , depending on whether the petioles or roots are eaten: celery refers to the former and celeriac to the latter. Apium graveolens grows to 1 m tall...
and onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
(the "holy trinity
Holy trinity (cuisine)
The holy trinity is the Cajun and Louisiana Creole variant of mirepoix: onions, bell peppers, and celery in roughly equal quantities. This mirepoix is the base for much of the cooking in the regional cuisines of Louisiana...
"). Parsley and/or chopped green onions are common garnishes. Dirty rice is most common in the Cajun regions of southern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
; however, it can also be found in other areas of the American South. In some southern regions, it is also called rice dressing. It is often served as a side dish with salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
.
In restaurants
Zatarain'sZatarain's
Zatarain's is a food and spice company. It was started in the New Orleans suburb of Gretna by Emile A. Zatarain, Sr., who took out a trademark and began to market root beer in 1889. He expanded his product range to include mustard, pickled vegetables, and extracts.Then he moved into the spice...
offers dirty rice as one of its boxed dinners. This rice does not have pieces of chicken liver in it and uses soy sauce to achieve the desired color. Zatarain's suggests adding a blend of ground beef
Ground beef
Beef mince, ground beef, hamburger meat , hamburg or minced meat is a minced meat food, made of beef finely chopped by a mincer. It is used in many recipes including hamburgers and cottage pie...
, sausage
Sausage
A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat , mixed with salt, herbs, and other spices, although vegetarian sausages are available. The word sausage is derived from Old French saussiche, from the Latin word salsus, meaning salted.Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made...
, and finely chopped chicken giblets
Giblets
Giblets is a culinary term for the edible offal of a fowl, typically including the heart, gizzard, liver, and other visceral organs.A whole bird from a butcher is often packaged with the giblets...
for a more robust flavor.
Bojangles'
Bojangles'
Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits is a regional chain of fast food restaurants based in Charlotte, North Carolina, specializing in spicy, "Cajun" fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits...
Cajun Fried Chicken restaurants serve dirty rice as a side dish
Side dish
A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.-Common types:...
. The rice has sausage in it, which is also in their gravy
Gravy
Gravy is a sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking. In North America the term can refer to a wider variety of sauces and gravy is often thicker than in Britain...
.
For many years, dirty rice has been an offering on the menu of the New Orleans-themed Popeye's Fried Chicken restaurants. However, recent years have seen the chain change the name of the dish to "Cajun rice," desiring perhaps to avoid connotations of uncleanliness on the product's part.