# Let's talk about rice



## KyMama (Jun 15, 2011)

I don't fix rice very often because my husband doesn't like it. My boys and I like it and since I have a 6 foot, 175 pound 14 year old that eats nonstop I thought it would help fill him up. I have been thinking of fixing rice side dishes for us but I'm not really sure what kind of rice to buy. Or the best place to find recipes. I did a quick google search and saw all kinds of recipes, but maybe y'all could share some that your family enjoys. 

I have a rice cooker that I have never used, not even sure where it came from. Does anyone use one, does it make a difference? 

TIA


----------



## GrannyG (Mar 26, 2005)

A rice cooker is nice....I prefer long grain...lots of good eats with rice, leftovers for rice pudding, or fried rice with green onions, add a scrambled egg, and a little soy sauce, yummy....


----------



## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

The only thing I use white rice for is to grind into flour. I buy the long grained brown rice to cook for meals.

It takes a little more water and has to cook longer than white rice, but it has nicer flavor and more nutrition. 

I like to cook rice in broth or add a bullion cube to the water.

For a side dish?

Sorta Rice-a-roni (one of my cousins calls it Rice with Rubber Bands)

Break up vermicelli, dry spaghetti, or Top Ramon into short pieces, Brown in some real butter until the noodles get pale brown and the butter is starting to brown.

Add your water and bring to a boil, add a bullion cube or some powdered buillon, and add the rice, cover, and cook.

I like to add some finely diced onion and a bit of dried parley to it. You can make it using an envelop of Liptons, Knorrs, or Mrs Wrights (if I remember the name right) dry chicken noodle soup. Brown the noodles, save the soup powder to add to the water.


----------



## ajaxlucy (Jul 18, 2004)

My family eats a lot of rice. Here's a family favorite for using up leftover rice. You can make it with leftover white or brown rice, long or short grain. My mom used to take it to potlucks and now so do I. We call it "fancy rice".

In a large frying pan or wok, saute chopped onion and chopped bacon in a couple tablespoons of oil or chicken fat. You can add celery, red peppers, chopped ham etc. When the vegetables are soft, season with curry powder and some turmeric (for a nice yellow color). Add the leftover rice, stir and cook about 5 minutes, then add 2 or 3 grated carrots, not chopped, and half a small bag of frozen peas or edamame. Cover the pan, lower the heat and cook, stirring from time to time, at least 5-10 more minutes. Salt and adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

If you don't have leftover rice, you can cook rice just to make this, but it's better if you hold the rice overnight. It's too wet otherwise.


----------



## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

My husband eats rice every day. I'm not a huge fan of rice but will eat it. It took me 39 years to finely get him to eat brown rice. Now that's all he will eat. White rice don't have as much flavor.

I LOVE my rice cooker. Don't know how we ever got along without it.


----------



## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Brown rice is better at keeping a person "filled up" as it has much more fiber. It is mostly what I cook now.
I think of rice as something you put something tasty over- almost anything saucey will do. It is a blank canvas for anything you want to do.
I also make a lot of fried rice. 
And I agree with the rice cooker. It allows you not to pay attention to the rice while you do other things- the cooker takes care of it. I use one that is about 25 years old and it chugs along just fine. You can also use broth instead of water in the cooker for an "instant" tastier rice for a side dish.


----------



## Terri in WV (May 10, 2002)

I really like my rice cooker. It's a great way to fix rice, barley and beans.

My favorite way to eat rice or barley is to cook it then add black beans and salsa. Sometimes I'll add browned ground burger or bacon, onions and peppers.


----------



## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

Hi KyMama 

Here is an article I got print in our local paper that I write for I got about 20 more different rice recipes I can post a few more if you like. Please enjoy MM

Mountain Mick&#8217;s Spanish Chicken and Rice. 
Â© Mountain Mick, Mick Blake Baree 2011

I have been inspired to create this recipe as we have been having a few rainy, sun showery days makes me remember a bit of a story/poem from my childhood. I can remember the teacher saying &#8220;it always rains on the plains of Spain&#8221; or something like that. I have a painting of a farm scene in Spain with chickens running around in a sun shower. So please enjoy this recipe it may not be authentic or traditional Spanish but it tastes like it should be. So please enjoy Mick 

750 g of chicken breast or thighs roughly chopped
200 g of Hungarian salami -diced or chorizo
3 anchovy fillets optional (adds the traditional Spanish taste)
2 large onions
1 red capsicum
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of coriander
1 teaspoon black pepper
A pinch of salt
2 tablespoons of parsley flakes
Â½ teaspoon chilli powder &#8211; hot or Smokey
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
440g can have peel diced or whole tomatoes
420 g tin of red kidney beans
Â½ litre chicken stock

Cook onions, anchovy fillets and salami for 5 minutes. Add chicken meat and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add red capsicum, spices and herbs and salt.
Cook for 5 more minutes then add tomato paste, stir in and now add can tomatoes, chicken stock and kidney beans. Cook for 5-10 minutes more on high, turn off heat. Now add pre cook rice &#8211; note: - that is equal parts of pre cooked rice to the chicken mixture. Stir together. Serve with some hot peas, corn and capsicum mix and serve with a hot chilli sauce and cherry tomatoes and optional anchovy fillets.

I pre cooked the rice mix. 
I cook the rice in the microwave. I use some chicken stock powder, Â½ teaspoon per rice, one clove of garlic, Â½ tablespoon of paprika, Â½ tablespoon of parsley flakes, Â¼ teaspoon of black pepper and this is per cup of dry rice. I also add 1 teaspoon of Spanish olive oil (Spanish olive oil is very peppery in taste and adds to the Spanish flavour). Stir the dry rice and spices and oil mix in a large microwave bowl and cover the rice with boiling hot water to cover the rice with water at least 1 cm over the top of it. Put lid on and cook on high for 14 minutes on high but stir the rice at 6 minutes, half way. Set aside to cool. You can have this pre cooked the day before. It also freezes very will for the use of this at a later stage and you do not need to worry about making it at the time. You also have an option to use just plain steamed rice.


----------



## Sonshine (Jul 27, 2007)

My family will only eat white rice. Here's a couple of ways I fix it. I take cooked rice and add diced tomatoes, diced bell pepper and diced onion to it, sometimes I throw in some chili powder. I ususally serve this with pork chops. I make an American style fried rice. When I got out of basic training I had a room mate that was oriental, she use to make this for breakfast, but we have it anytime. Cut up some bacon and fry it. Add green onion and your cooked rice then season it with soy sauce. Scramble an egg and toss it in the rice.


----------



## Mountain Mick (Sep 10, 2005)

Mountain Micks chick pea and tuna rice salad
Â© Mountain Mick, Mick Blake Baree 2011

450 gm flaked tuna (tin) 
2 large brown onions chopped 
1 red capsicum diced 
1 red onion chopped 
2 cups of cherry tomatoes cut in half 
2 tbs paprika 
1 tsp black pepper 
Half cup fresh parsley 
Pinch of salt 
3 hot red chillies 
420 g of pre cooked or tinned chick peas 
Half cup of lemon juice 
1/4 cup of virgin olive oil 
4 cups of pre cooked long grained or basmati rice 

Add large brown onions and capsicum into half of the olive oil. Cook until onions go transparent add all spices including chilli to this. Cook for a further 2 minutes now add drained tuna flaked meat and chick peas. Stir through. Add this warm mix into the rice with the lemon juice and remaining olive oil together to make a dressing add a pinch of salt. Now add sliced red onions and cherry tomatoes. Cover with dressing and mix all the components through the rice. Serve as a warm meal or allow to cool and serve as a salad. This is Mountain Mick&#8217;s chick pea and tuna rice salad. Enjoy MM


----------



## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

The beauty of rice is that it is so versatile, you can make additions to it to fit almost anyones taste.. I personally prefer long grain wild rice blend but we cook a lot of brown rice also. Depending on our mood, or what we are having with it I will add the following:

bell peppers, onions, celery and garlic sauteed with cajun seasoning
jalapenos, salsa, beans
mushrooms, celery, garlic and cream of mushroom
brocolli and cheese
curry paste
ham, bacon, etc etc.. 
The possibilities are endless.
LOVE the rice cooker!


----------



## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

I used leftover cooked brown rice last night.

Almond Rice

Put a dab of butter into a pan, sautÃ© a diced onion, add some sliced almonds and cook a bit more. Then added the leftover rice, a handful of pumpkin seeds, and a small amount of flax seed. Heat the rice through. 

It would be good to add a few raisins or dried cranberries. I served it with curry.


----------



## FrodoLass (Jan 15, 2007)

I make a big batch of rice and freeze it in individual servings (it's just me eating). I like to brown some ground turkey with some onions and mix it into a serving of rice. Yum.


----------



## kenworth (Feb 12, 2011)

Do you all wash your rice before you cook it? I do before I put it in my rice cooker. Love that thing!

I make cheater "spanish" rice. Make the rice in the cooker, then add a jar of chunky salsa to it.


----------



## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

I'm a big Basmati fan, but white, not brown. Toast the rice in butter before adding broth or water. Both Basmati and Jasmine rice have very distinctive flavor and aroma, but Basmati is lower on the Glycemic index. Lately, I've been making a nice pilaf of Basmati, Barley and Wild Rice. Buy each individually in bulk instead of those fancy----expensive----blends.


----------



## Lorelai (Oct 25, 2010)

We just bought two 10 lb bags of organic brown basmati rice from Costco, and let me tell you, it's fabulous! It smells great while it's cooking, and it comes out light and fluffy. It's flavorful, but delicate. Scrumptious. Best rice I've ever had. It makes it easy to take white rice out of our rotation, which is great, since brown rice is so much better in terms of nutrition. I never knew just how nutritionally deviod white rice was until I read this article:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=128

Anyway, the brown basmati rice was easy to prepare. I just soaked it in water with a bit of oil and salt, and the rice cooker did the rest. I served leftover rabbit in a garlic cream sauce over green beans with this rice.


----------



## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

Don't critisize me for this, but I am always looking for ways to cook rice. We like it ok, but don't love it. But it's so easy to store and filling and good for you. I figure if I can find some rice recipes that are good, maybe we would eat more rice and less meat.
But, almost every recipe posted here just sounds, well, yuk. 
None of us like soy flavored anything. I don't use buillion or dry soup mixes due to the chemical preservatives, tomatoe chunks in anything make me shudder, peppers in anything are yucky and DH wouldn't touch canned fish if you paid him. 

I truly appreciate the recipes people post here, because there have been alot of them over the years I have made, and we liked them, but so far, for my family, this thread, not so good. What else you rice eating people got? I am just not a good rice cook I guess.

The rabbit in a garlic cream sauce sounds good. 
My mom made a lot of spanish rice when I was growing up. Can't stomach it nowadays.


----------



## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

> What else you rice eating people got? I am just not a good rice cook I guess


Why fight it? You can switch to buchwheat, cracked wheat, barley, etc. I kNOW there is no recipe on earth that is going to make me like oysters.....maybe you're all like that about rice!


----------



## Lorelai (Oct 25, 2010)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> Don't critisize me for this, but I am always looking for ways to cook rice. We like it ok, but don't love it. But it's so easy to store and filling and good for you. I figure if I can find some rice recipes that are good, maybe we would eat more rice and less meat.
> But, almost every recipe posted here just sounds, well, yuk.
> None of us like soy flavored anything. I don't use buillion or dry soup mixes due to the chemical preservatives, tomatoe chunks in anything make me shudder, peppers in anything are yucky and DH wouldn't touch canned fish if you paid him.
> 
> ...


Creamed Rabbit over Beans

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter 
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 onion, chopped (I used yellow, not sweet, organic)
4-6 cloves garlic, minced, to taste (I like garlic!)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups stock or broth, preferably homemade
1/4 cup milk
2 cups cubed, cooked rabbit
1 (16 ounce) package frozen cut green beans, cooked and drained
Paprika (optional)

Directions

In a saucepan, melt butter. Saute chopped onion and minced garlic in butter for 2-3 minutes. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add stock/broth, and milk. Bring to a boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and heat through. Serve over beans. Sprinkle with paprika if desired.

I took some of the advice from reviews and served this over organic brown basmati rice, and green beans. The recipe originally called for chicken, and I reworked it for rabbit. Water and bullion can also be used. It's a forgiving recipe that can be adjusted to taste! 

Why am I so enthusiastic about this basmati brown rice? Well, because I've never really been enthusiastic about rice! I've always considered it to be an uninspired side dish, but I think I've been using the wrong types of rice for the wrong things, if that makes sense. Each kind of rice has a purpose for which it is best suited, and this rice is flavorful, light, and delicate, making it perfect as a stand-alone side. It really does smell like corn popping or something while it's cooking. It also seemed ideally suited for the dish I served it with; I think that sauce went really well with it. Just can't say enough good things about it from this end. And organic, 10 lb bags, from Costco, for only $8.99? No brainer for us.


----------



## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I had gotten some organic white basmati from the salvage grocery. I cooked it up and it was fluffy and very good as far as rice goes, and DH ate it, ,but he said why am I eating something that tastes like nothing? You can't even put ketchup on it. (YUK YUK YUK)

The reason I am SO trying to find good rice recipes, is I am trying to find a gluten free something. That limits to rice, beans and corn pretty much.

Lorelai, I will try your recipe. Plenty of rabbit here.


----------



## Lorelai (Oct 25, 2010)

I haven't tried white basmati rice, as I try to stay away from white rice in general. You might try picking up a bit of brown basmati rice in the bulk section of your local grocery or health food store, so if you don't like it, you're not committed to an entire package. Most white rices I've tried are what I think of as blank canvases, but with a brown rice, you might get a little bit more than that.


----------



## suelandress (May 10, 2002)

lonelyfarmgirl said:


> I had gotten some organic white basmati from the salvage grocery. I cooked it up and it was fluffy and very good as far as rice goes, and DH ate it, ,but he said why am I eating something that tastes like nothing? You can't even put ketchup on it. (YUK YUK YUK)
> 
> The reason I am SO trying to find good rice recipes, is I am trying to find a gluten free something. That limits to rice, beans and corn pretty much.
> 
> Lorelai, I will try your recipe. Plenty of rabbit here.


 

Really, you should try toasting the rice in butter, oil or bacon fat first....just till it's a nice light brown color, then add water. Try it. What have you got to lose?


----------



## LoneStrChic23 (Jul 30, 2010)

We use white basmati here too.....For us it's a texture thing.

We like it with rabbit.... I cook up rabbit pieces in bacon grease in a cast iron skillet & top rice with the gravy...... I always make my own stocks /broth & freeze them. Cooking rice in them instead of water adds flavor....We also like cheese/brocolli/rice casserole.


----------



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

I buy organic short grained brown rice by the 25 lb bag and really like the taste. I mostly use it for hotdishes with hamburger, salmon, or chicken but sometimes with just onion and garlic.


----------



## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I usually buy brown rice. I only got the white basmati because it was at salvage grocery. It was something like 25 pounds for 4$. I do like brown rice, but I want to find ways to make it more as part of a meal, rather than an after thought.
I've done chops and gravy over rice, and chicken and broccoli and rice, and some other similar things. They taste ok. And I usually do cook it in broth rather than water.

For example. I can put pasta or peas or meat in anything and make it taste great. How come I can't do that with rice? Well, successfully.

Are you toasting that rice in butter when its not yet cooked?


----------



## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Lonely farm girl, you can cook rice in real broth instead of using bouillon cubes. I make large batches of broth and keep home made broth in the freezer to cook with.

Rice can be layered in lasagna instead of using noodles. I just made a really good casserole with brown rice layered with home made spaghetti sauce and topped with cheese and pepperoni on the very top where it crisps up.

You can mix cooked rice with cream sauce and add cubed diced chicken or turkey then bake it. I like Parmesan cheese on top (I like cheese on just about everything).

If you buy the wheat free soy sauce, there are tons of excellent Chinese recipes that use rice.

I just did Tandoori chicken. Then heated up the marinade and added a couple of drops to cooked brown rice.

Rice goes with anything that has sauce of gravy. You use the rice to sop up the sauce.


----------

