Rice – it’s cheap, easy to cook and store. A kitchen staple that can be cooked in many styles. It’s healthy and delicious with almost anything. No matter which kind of rice you stock up in your pantry, it’s easy to cook from rice cooker to stove top and even in the microwave.
Is rice a staple in your house? When you are looking for a fast and easy meal, we often turn to rice. But it can be a little boring and repetitive at times. So, let’s talk rice today and bring our rice dishes up a notch. How to use a simple ingredient like rice and turn it into different styles.
Herb Lemon Rice
Give your boring plain rice a little citrussy flavour with lemon zest and fresh lemon juice to be added after cooking. Add some basil and oregano to compliment the lemon flavours. This rice goes perfect with cucumber salad, roasted chicken and vegetables and Greek yogurt chicken.
One-pot Creamy Chicken Rice Casserole
If you are in a hurry, one-pot meals are a lifesaver. Add in chicken or deli turkey, add cheese and uncooked rice, some frozen broccoli and peas and you’ll have a complete meal done on the stovetop in just 30 minutes, leaving you with meal that’s delicious yet satisfying.
Chicken and Rice Soup
A luxury meal that is also one of the easiest meals to put together. A whole chicken is simmered to create a rich broth with carrots, celery and some uncooked rice. The resulting soup is nourishing, full of chicken and tender vegetables. If you are looking for a meal that is creamy yet lower in calories, this is the perfect meal as the rice creates a creamy thickness without the addition of cream.
Rice Porridge
Silky, savoury rice porridge – a comfort food in Chinese cuisine and a favourite to many. Porridge is an easy dish to cook. Just simmer a small amount of rice in a large amount of water for several hours and you’ll have silky, creamy porridge. To add flavour to it, you can simmer the rice in chicken or other meats of your choice. Dried scallops, oysters, abalone or dried octopus can also be added for a seafood porridge. Add in toppings like fried shallots, sliced spring onions, pickled mustard cabbage or poached egg for that umami flavour.
Chicken and Mushroom Baked Rice Casserole
If you are familiar with Hong Kong cuisine, then you would know baked cheese rice. Similar to the one-pot rice, this is baked in the oven instead. Stir- fry mushroom and chicken slices and then set aside. Cook the rice in the rice cooker then dished out onto a baking tray or individual baking dishes. Add in the stir-fried mushroom and chicken, then spread some mushroom soup sauce on top of the rice. Sprinkle mozzarella and cheddar cheese on it and bake till the cheese melts and is slightly browned.
Baked Banana, Coconut and Rice Packets
Imagine a dessert that’s packed with sticky rice, coconut cream and bananas all tucked in a banana leave and steamed to perfection for a creamy pudding-like dessert. Utter bliss! Just boil the sticky rice with coconut cream till all liquid is absorbed. Arrange the rice and banana quarters on it, fold the banana leave up and then steam.