➡️The Crazy Rice literally means “crazy rice”, at the end of the ‘90s in Rio de Janeiro, it was fashionable and the main accompaniment to grilled picanha.
➡️It is a variant of arroz biro-biro, and the ingredients have similarities with Chinese fried rice, but the real difference is the batata a palha added as decoration.
➡️“Batata palha” is grated fried, dry, and crunchy potato, used as a side dish for stews like “stroganoff”, but also for cold salads like salpicão de frango.
➡️It is generally bought in a bag, less often people prepare it by frying potatoes, as in my recipe.
I included this Brazilian rice in the Rice Menu for “Building the Menu”, after tasting it on our most recent trip to Rio de Janeiro in March 2024.
Find the video “how to make it” on my Instagram profile.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven, Boiling
- Cuisine: Brazilian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Crazy Rice Ingredients:
- 7 tbsp butter
- 5.3 oz pancetta (or bacon or diced cooked ham)
- 1 cup boiled rice (long grain)
- 3 eggs
- 7 oz peas
- 3.5 oz batata a palha
- to taste salt
Steps
In a pan, melt the butter, add the diced bacon or pancetta (or cooked ham), and the onion.
After a few minutes, add the beaten eggs, boiled rice, and finally the peas.
Season with salt.
Mix for a few minutes and serve garnished with batata a palha.
If you want to make batata a palha like me instead of buying them: slice a potato into the thinnest possible matchsticks, then fry them in plenty of oil.
