Rice Recipes

Looking for a new main course - or for a great side dish? Check out my favorite rice recipes!



Rice has been grown for over 3000 years! It is an important food for much of the world's population.

The wonderful thing about rice is its versatility. It can be eaten all by itself, or dressed up to make an elegant meal.

Types of Rice

There are many varieties of rice. These are the ones I use most often:

• Basmati rice

  Basmati has a lovely fragrance and a delicious taste. Its texture is light and fluffy. It is available in both brown and white forms. There is long-grain and short-grain basmati rice.

• Brown rice

  Brown rice comes in a variety of sizes: short grain, medium grain and long grain. Short grain brown rice has a dense and chewy texture. I prefer short grain brown rice in the winter. Long grain brown rice is lighter and fluffier - perfect for summer eating. And of course, medium grain brown rice is somewhere in the middle.

• Sushi rice

  Sushi rice is a special type of white short grain Japanese rice with a particularly sticky consistency.

What about white rice?

White rice is just brown rice that has had its outer layers removed - along with much of its nutritional value. Since it cooks in about half the time as brown rice, I sometimes use it when I'm in a rush. When possible, though, I prefer to use brown rice in my rice recipes.

"Minute rice" or "instant rice" is even more processed. It is lacking not only in nutritional value, but also in taste and texture. I suggest that you avoid it. Use regular white rice if you're in a rush.

Cooking Rice

I use a rice cooker for cooking rice. It is so easy: just add the rice and water to the cooker, push the lever, and wait! As long as you use the correct quantity of rice and water, you'll get perfectly cooked rice every time.

You can also cook rice in a pot on the stove, or in an earthenware pot in the oven - but I highly recommend an electric rice cooker!

Here are some of my favorite rice recipes.

Although I've listed these as "main course" and so on, please feel free to ignore those guidelines. The beauty of rice is its versatility. Go ahead and eat the side dishes for a main course, the dessert for breakfast, or the main courses for snacks! You can't go wrong with these rice recipes!

Main course

• Curry Fried Rice is a colorful and flavorful vegetarian meal.
  
  
• Fried Rice can be endlessly modified. Use whatever is in your fridge and pantry. This is a great way to use up leftovers!
  
  
• Shrimp with Rice and Greens is a deliciously filling one-pot meal.

Side Dish

Add some variety to your meals by serving a rice side dish instead of potatoes!

• Pineapple Rice is as pretty as it is tasty.
  
  
• Rice Pilaf with Spinach and Feta is a great meal to serve to special guests. It looks and tastes like it is hard to make - but it isn't.
  
  
• Sushi Rice Pockets make a great side dish, lunch or snack.

Dessert

Is there anything more comforting than a bowl of creamy rice pudding? I don't think so!

• Crockpot Rice Pudding has a unique spicy-sweet flavor.

Grains and Seeds

Maybe you have been eating rice regularly and are ready for a change. Maybe you are just feeling adventurous. Either way, here are some more grains (and grain-like things) for you to try.

• Millet

  Millet isn't actually a grain - it's a seed - but it looks and acts like a grain!

  • Millet Pilaf With Raisins makes a great side dish.

• Quinoa

  Quinoa is another grain-like seed. It has a lovely fragrance, a nutty flavor and a light fluffy texture.

  • Quinoa Salad is one of my favorite dishes to take to a potluck.

Return from rice recipes to healthy quick meals.