Thats what we’re talking about. Sometimes called country steak and gravy or smothered steak.
I want mine over rice. I won’t bother ordering it at a restaurant without rice. Rice is so popular in Louisiana and East Texas. It’s part of the region’s heritage. I like soup over rice. Beans and rice. Rice just makes it better.
That rice looks like nothing but a delivery method for gravy, so I’d go no rice. Nowadays, I don’t eat rice unless it’s really good rice, which is a rare and wondrous thing in a restaurant. So I’d go with no rice, and maybe hope they had some kinda veggy thing I could use as a gravy mop. Barring that, it’s gravy eaten by spoon!
I like rice enough that I would happily eat it without the gravy. Also, that’s a rather pallid gravy in that picture. It’s not the library paste most Texans seem to call “gravy”, but it needs help.
I’m originally from Louisiana, and I’m a roux snob.
I voted Don’t like food over rice, but the truth is I just don’t eat rice. I like rice and I used to love stuff over rice, but now I’ve pretty much given up grains, so no rice for me.
I am from the Louisiana/Texas border region and I didn’t visualize what “smothered steak” was. I clicked on the picture realized you meant chicken fried steak (or maybe not, it could be a little different but chicken fried steak is what you want if you are going that route). Rice is good with that. I don’t think I would order it these days but it is pretty tasty.
If it was on the menu, I’d go instead with the chicken fried steak, and a big pile of mashed potatos. With a white gravy that’s just slightly more liquid than spackle. Yeah, I’m in Texas.
I grew up eating gravy (of any sort) over rice. I was amazed the first time I saw anyone put gravy on mashed potatoes–don’t you just put butter on those?! We never put gravy on noodles either, though…gravy was for rice or occasionally bread.
So I’m glad to see it wasn’t just a weird family thing.
It looks a lot like something I grew up with (Houston/Galveston area)- basically the steaks (or pork chops!) are pan-fried, and the fond and grease are used along with some gravy flour and stock to make that kind of gravy, which is served over rice.
Good stuff! I haven’t had it in years though.
Anyway, rice is great stuff; I actually grew up on chili over rice, if that gives anyone an idea of how prevalent rice is in SE Texas and SW Louisana.
I don’t like steak unless its thick and red inside. As for rice, I try to avoid it but I only like it with Chinese or plain/salty/buttery. I will smother any type of potato, though.