Riz Casimir
Riz Casimir is a sweet and creamy mix of mildly curried meat, garnished with numerous fruits and served on a bed of rice.
For many, it’s a nostalgic classic from Swiss childhood.
The dish was first presented by Mövenpick founder Ueli Prager, who served it at his restaurants in 1952. The idea was to introduce ‘exotic’ food to the Swiss, who were not used to it.
It worked. The Swiss fell in love.
Today, there are as many versions of Riz Casimir as there are Swiss food bloggers and some, like Migusto, even have two different versions: modern and retro. You can find it listed in Tip Topf, and Betty Bossi, of course, has her own version.
The original recipe from 1952 (reported by SRF) can be found here. Mine is closest to that version, complete with a moulded rice ring. The original recipe used veal (an inexpensive meat at the time, owing to a preference for milk producing lady cows), though today it is more often made with chicken or pork.
Meat:
knob of butter
500 g veal, in slices
salt and pepper
In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter until sputtering.
Add the meat and cook for about three minutes, or until it isn’t pink anymore.
Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from pan and set aside.
Sauce:
knob of butter
1 onion, chopped
1 apple, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp curry powder
300 ml chicken broth
100 ml cream
In the same pan you used for the meat, melt the butter over medium heat. When it is sputtering, add the onion and apple and cook briefly.
Sprinkle over the flour and curry powder, and stir until coated.
Add the broth and stir until the mixture is bubbling and thick, then turn down the heat and add the cream, as well as the cooked meat.
Assembly:
300 g basmati rice, cooked according to package instructions
banana, fried lightly in butter
pineapple
cherries
sliced almonds, toasted
fresh coriander
Place the rice in a well-buttered rice ring or savarin form, then flip it gently onto a large plate.
Fill with the curry, then garnish with fruit, nuts, and coriander.
The original recipe uses veal, but today Riz Casimir is more often made with chicken (cubed rather than sliced) or pork. Any meat will do, or replace with tofu or mushrooms for a vegetarian alternative.
Garnish at will —you can use all manner of tropical fruits (from the can or fresh), and prepare them how you like. My favourites are bananas fried in butter and roasted pineapple. Garish tinned red cherries are a must.
The rice moulding works best with a rice ring or savarin mould, but I used a bundt pan with similar results.
Not all of the curry fit into my rice ring. I poured in enough to make it look impressive when I brought it to the table, but then served some from the pan once the dish was plated.
