METHOD:

Combine the two types of rice, quinoa, water and a pinch of salt in a small pot and cover with a lid. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer until all the water has been absorbed by the grains, this will take roughly 40 minutes.

Combine the beluga lentils, stock powder and water in a separate small pot and cook the same way. Cover with lid, bring to a boil and then simmer until the lentils have absorbed all the water. The lentils might take 10 minutes or so less than the rice.

These first two steps are best done ahead of time so that when the grains and lentils are cool and less porous when they go into the final fried rice. This is therefore a great dish to make with leftover cooked grain mix and lentils from previous meals.

Combine the cream cheese, chives, garlic powder and lemon zest in a small mixing bowl and mix well using a fork. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the other ingredients.

Heat a skillet over medium heat. In the meantime clean the mushrooms and cut or break the larger ones into a smaller size roughly uniform and matching the size of your smaller mushrooms.

Once the pan is hot add the mushrooms to it and allow them to sweat out all their water. Fry them until all the water is gone from the pan, this can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Stir them once in a while as they go.

When the juices are gone add the vegan butter and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Fry them in the melted butter for another 3-5 minutes or until their edges are golden and a little crisp. Set the mushrooms aside in a shallow dish, if you wish place them in the oven set to 50 degrees C to stay warm while you prepare the rice.

Return the same skillet as you just used for the mushrooms to medium-low heat and add 1 tbsp of oil to it. While it heats up again finely slice your shallot and finely chop the kale stems. Add both to the pan and saute for 4-5 minutes or until the onion is lightly golden around the edges and the kale stems are mostly tender and bright green. Deglaze the pan with a splash of water if needed.

While the shallots and kale stems cook rip the kale leaves into bite sized pieces and clean them. Then add them to the pan and season with salt and black pepper before mixing them through the sauteed veggies. Cover the pan with a lid for 3-4 minutes or until the kale is tender.

Next add the cooked grains and beluga lentils to the pan and season with soy sauce and chili flakes. Mix well and season with salt and black pepper as needed. Fry the rice for 4-5 minutes stirring sporadically. It’s good if it catches in the pan a little as this will add a deeper flavour and texture.

Finally take the fried rice off the heat and grate the lemon zest and squeeze the lemon juice over it. Give it one last mix and season to taste before dishing up in indivdual bowls. Top with the fried mushrooms and the flavourful cream cheese.