Rice is one of the most versatile and cheap ingredients that is consumed all over the world. No matter where you are located or where you travel to, every culture has its own recipe for making white rice based dishes and what’s even more interesting is that each recipe is completely different from the other.This grain is consumed for breakfast, lunch, as a snack and for dinner as well… savory or sweet dishes, rice can help you solve any weeknight meal or dessert crisis!
However, even though the options for cooking rice are endless, most people are used to only making steamed white rice and storing it in the fridge to use as a side dish to any of their main courses.
Since it is fun and extremely easy to change the flavor of steamed rice and enhance your meals, today we want to provide you with great ideas to improve your white rice game and make them at home.
Frittatas
This dish makes an amazing breakfast, lunch or dinner. You just need your steamed white rice, some veggies, and eggs. Over a large skillet, drizzle some olive oil and sauté your veggies of choice such as onions, spring onions, garlic, mushrooms and bell peppers. In a large bowl, mix your sautéd veggies with precooked rice and beat some eggs. Add these ingredients to the same large skillet and make your delicious frittata! Top it with some balsamic vinegar, and shredded cheese and enjoy!
Rice in soups
If you are a soup lover, you will really like this idea.For this idea, we recommend you use butternut squash soup, but in reality, any soup will do.First, in a large skillet heat up some olive oil and add chopped onions and garlic; once they are tender and translucent, add your leftover rice, smoked paprika and some soy sauce (note that the seasonings will vary depending on what flavors pair better with your soup). Cook until the rice grains are golden brown and crispy. Set aside to cool down for a bit and add them to your soup to add extra flavor and extra crunch!
Rice as a sweet dessert
This is one of the cheapest desserts you can make at home if you have leftover rice. Just heat up your cooked rice together with a pot of cream, milk (dairy or non-dairy), vanilla beans, brown sugar, and a touch of cinnamon in a large pot, let it all simmer and blend, and you have a fantastic sweet and incredible porridge! What’s best about this idea is that it gets better over time. It will last you up to four days stored in the fridge.
Creamy risotto
A simple pot of white steamed rice can become the creamiest, easiest and most delicious risotto. Using your broth of choice with your rice (could be chicken or even veggie broth), finely chopped vegetables, cream and a lot of shredded cheese will make for the perfect weeknight meal in little to no time. This is one of our favorite comfort food meals for spending the winter.
Rice as a burrito filling
If you tend to buy wheat or corn tortillas to have at hand, you will really enjoy this idea. Just add your steamed white rice to your tortilla, together with lettuce, tomato, avocado, shredded chicken if you eat meat or roasted tofu if you follow a plant-based diet, cheese and sour cream and you will have the most delicious and quick lunch you can have! What’s great about this idea is that you can use any leftover ingredients you have in your fridge to fill your burrito with.
Fried rice appetizers
Deep-fried rice balls make the perfect appetizer for any meal with friends or to enjoy by yourself with a glass of red wine. With your leftover rice, make balls and fill them with mozzarella; roll them into flour and then dump them into the hot oil. Once the rice balls are golden brown, remove them from the oil and they are ready to be dipped into any sauce you like: marinara, sour cream, ranch… you name it! Every sauce will pair incredibly well with this appetizer.
Final tips
Remember that to make the perfect rice you need to bear in mind the liquid/rice ratio, which is 1 part rice to 2 parts liquid for the most delicious and fluffy white rice.
We recommend you visit https://carolinarice.com/products/white-rice/ to buy the best white rice online and try all our ideas!
Rice is so versatile you can even stuff your balls with whatever you have in your fridge as well: shredded chicken, meat, mushrooms… Set your imagination free and start creating!
