What is lecho?
For many, a favorite cold appetizer,undoubtedly, is lecho, especially if it was canned at home. There are many recipes for lecho, both for those who like it spicy, and for those who prefer a rich, but at the same time mild taste. The variety of flavors of different types of lecho allows you to choose for each family member their favorite version of this tasty and, undoubtedly, healthy dish. Most recipes for making lecho allow you to prepare not just a tasty salad, but a real cold appetizer that is served with a side dish, but there are also versions of the dish that can be an excellent side dish in themselves and can even be served at a festive table. We are talking, of course, about lecho with rice. Like other types of lecho, the version of this dish with rice can be prepared both as regular everyday food and for further preservation. Lecho with rice is not an ordinary salad by and large. It is rather a ready-made side dish that can be used both as an independent dish and as an excellent addition to meat and fish dishes. It is worth saying right away that for the preparation of the most delicious lecho with rice it is very important to choose the right rice. For example, it is better to use round-grain regular rice for lecho, which will be served immediately. For the preparation of a dish intended for preservation, it is better to use long-grain and brown rice, as well as jasmine and basmati rice, because these varieties do not boil too much and even after preservation the rice remains whole. There are several simply excellent recipes for preparing this dish, which good housewives can take into service, and they are worth considering in more detail.
Lecho with rice in a simple way
The simplest and yet one of the mostdelicious options for cooking lecho is perfect for those housewives who want to cook just a delicious side dish that will appeal to the whole family, and for those who want to leave this snack for the winter. In addition, this option for cooking lecho with rice can be an excellent replacement for borscht dressing. First of all, you need to prepare the necessary products, namely: 1 kg of onions, 3 kg of tomatoes, 1 kg of bell peppers, 1 large glass of washed raw rice, 1 kg of carrots, 1 tbsp. sugar, 3 tbsp. salt, about 0.6 l of vegetable oil, 1 tbsp. vinegar essence. Tomatoes should be twisted in a blender or passed through a meat grinder. All vegetables are finely chopped, preferably by hand, since when processed in a food processor, the vegetables will release a lot of juice, which is highly undesirable. After all the vegetables have been prepared, mixed and placed in an enamel saucepan, you can proceed to the most important stage of cooking - cooking. First, lecho should be put on for about 30-40 minutes until it boils, then raw rice should be added to the mixture. Then lecho is also cooked over low heat, but it is important to stir it constantly, otherwise it will burn. As a rule, the consistency of lecho is suitable for complete readiness after 35 minutes. If this recipe is used for canning, then 25 minutes after adding the rice, you can pour the mixture into sterilized jars and roll them up. If you do not plan to roll up lecho with rice, it is best to boil the mixture for about 45 minutes so that the rice is completely boiled. To prevent the final dish from being too greasy, it is best to remove the oil with a spoon, which will rise to the top during stewing. The finished dish should be allowed to cool slightly and then served. The taste of lecho prepared according to this recipe is very delicate, and the consistency is juicy and thick.
Lecho with rice
For those who like a little spice, there is a wonderfulrecipe for lecho with rice, which includes garlic. It is worth noting right away that the dish prepared according to this recipe is not suitable for further preservation. One of the advantages of this recipe is its leanness and relative low-calorie content, since the preparation of the dish will require very little vegetable oil. So, for this lecho recipe you will need about 1.5 kg of tomatoes, ½ cup of rice, 0.5 cup of sugar, 0.5 kg of carrots, 1-2 heads of garlic, 3-4 large bell peppers, ½ cup of vegetable oil, 2-3 large heads of onions, 1 tbsp. salt. It is best to take brown wild rice for this recipe, since the lecho will actually be stewed in its own juice, so it is important that the rice remains whole and does not turn into a shapeless mush. This recipe has some subtleties of preparation. Tomatoes, before twisting, need to be peeled. In order to easily peel the tomato, place the tomatoes in a large saucepan and pour boiling water over them for a few minutes. Then carefully lay out the tomatoes and peel off the skin. Grind the prepared tomatoes in a meat grinder and add salt, sugar and garlic pressed through a press to the resulting mixture. If you want the consistency of the finished lecho to be thicker, do not grind the tomatoes, but simply cut them into small cubes, then add spices and leave to infuse for 20 minutes so that the tomato releases enough juice for further stewing. Pour vegetable oil into the saucepan, add all the chopped vegetables and put on low heat. After about 15 minutes, you can add brown rice. You need to cook the lecho for about 45 more minutes, but it is important that the rice remains slightly undercooked. Then leave the lecho to infuse for 45 minutes, after which it can be served as a side dish. The taste of the dish prepared according to this recipe is rich and moderately spicy.
