Rice Recipes
Rice is one of the world’s oldest cultivated grains and is a staple in many countries. It is a very versatile product to cook with and can be turned into many dishes, either as the main dish, or a side dish. Rice recipes are simple to follow. Often you only need one or two pots or pans to make a great rice dish. There are over 2,000 types of rice but the main types (in alphabetical order) are:
Basmati: meaning ‘fragrant’, this long-grain rice is grown in the foothills of the Himalayas. Delicious with curries and in pilaff and pilaus.
Brown: available in medium and long-grain rice, brown rice has a nutty flavour and is slightly chewy. It also takes longer to cook due to the outer bran layer.
Jasmine: known as ‘Thai fragrant rice’, this grain is the everyday rice for many Asian people, and of course, great with Asian dishes.
Long/medium grain: this long-medium grain is an all purpose grain and is used in and with many dishes.
Paella rice: this medium round grain has a firm texture when cooked and is a favourite in paella dishes.
Risotto rice: this Italian large, fat, pearly white grain absorbs 4-5 times its weight in water. There are a number of risotto rices with Arborio being the most popular.
Short-grain: this short, roundish grain is processed like long and medium rice and is often referred to as pudding rice and is mainly used in desserts, but can be used in risottos and paellas.
TIP: 1 cup of white rice will triple in size when cooked, 1 cup of brown rice will double in size when cooked.
Fast and Fabulous Rice Recipes
Fried Rice
Fried Rice is believed to have been first invented sometime during the Sui dynasty (AD 589-618) in the city of Yangzhou. Whoever invented it, I thank you! If you are like me, after a hard day the last thing I want to do is to spend hours in the kitchen. My Fried Rice...
Mushroom Risotto
Risottos are one of my favourite meals. What I like about them so much is the versatility in the flavours I can create. Each ingredient can provide a different mouth watering flavour, from the sweetness of pumpkin, to the fishy taste of salmon and everything else in...
Porcupine Meatballs
Porcupine Meatballs are a fun twist on the traditional meatball recipe. They are a tasty mix made of mince, rice and onion baked in a rich tomato sauce. They get the name because when the rice is added and the mixture is rolled into balls, the rice sticks out and the...
Paella
Paella is a Spanish rice dish. I first tried it on a holiday on the Spanish Balearic Island of Majorca and thought it was the tastiest rice dish I had ever tried. So I continue to try it regularly! I read somewhere that Paella is made by males in the household. It is...
Curry Sausage Risotto
If you like curries and sausages then you will like my easy Curry Sausage Risotto. I'm not sure if it is a true Italian classic, but it is one of mine. This recipe stemmed from me not being able to boil the right amount of rice for meals, plus the rice always seemed...