Have a look at Indian cooking. Lots of delicious ways with rice.

I was the kid who asked for rice pudding instead of cake for my birthday, and that is still my all-time favorite rice dish. My favorite recipe for rice pudding is "Stovetop Rice Pudding" from America's Test Kitchen. It's very similar to the way my mother made it, except not as cryptic as my mother's verbal instructions.

When it comes to making rice pudding, use medium-grain rice for the best texture.

I've just started using black rice (aka purple or forbidden rice - a good source of health-promoting anthocyanin antioxidants and vitamin E), so I'm hoping there will be some recipes using it shared.

Some other technical stuff about rice.....

1. In a test using 22 different methods for cooking rice, the electric rice cooker required the lowest energy input - about two to three times less than other methods. I'd also recommend a copy of "the Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook" by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann to go along with any rice cooker to get maximum use from a rice cooker for things other than rice.

2. To save even more energy (between 7-18%) presoak rice for 30-minutes in cool water. This soaking time allows the rice to hydrate.

Using a pressure cooker will also cook it quickly, but it uses a lot more energy than a rice cooker. Pressure cooker rice is a little sweeter, stickier, more flavorful, and more digestible than stove-top boiled rice, so give it a try and see if you notice the difference.

3. A method I've been using for awhile now is to sprout brown rice first. A do-it-yourself GBR rice (germinated or sprouted brown rice), or GABA brown rice (for the amino acid GABA that is created during the sprouting), or hatsuga genmai in Japanese. Some of the newer rice cookers come with a GABA cycle for people purchasing GABA rice.

Sprouting brown rice increases the nutrition and it will cook in about 10-minutes on the stove-top. It also tastes better than regular cooked brown rice, for those of you who don't like the taste of brown rice compared to white rice.

Brown rice can be sprouted like any other sprouts (soak in water, drain and rinse once or twice a day method), or you can use a water or green tea soaking method, or adding whey to the soaking water for a lacto-fermentation method. You can find more information about sprouting brown rice on-line. Find a method you like. Once sprouted, you can dehydrate it to use later instead of buying expensive GABA rice.

"The most touted health benefit to GBR is the amino acid GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid, that is created during germination. GBR apparently has twice the GABA of regular brown rice, and ten times the GABA of white rice, from 6 to 40 mg of GABA per 100 grams of rice. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that seems to have the following benefits: promotes fat loss by the stimulation of the production of Human Growth Hormone; increases the sleep cycle giving deeper rest; boosts the immune system; lowers blood pressure; inhibits development of cancer cells; assists the treatment of anxiety disorders."

4. When it comes to rice flour, choose medium- or short-grain rice over long-grain rice. Long-grain rice flour works well for sauces, dredging, or as a thickener, but doesn't work as well in baked goods, while medium- and short-grain rice work best for baked goods and everything else - the all-purpose choice for rice flour. You can make your own rice flour in coffee/spice mill. In fact, milling rice is a great way to clean a coffee/spice mill.

When making crispy cookies, using 10-20% rice flour makes the cookies crunchier.

5. Grow your own rice. I planned on growing rice in containers this year ("Homegrown Whole Grains" by Sara Pitzer), but we had such a crazy spring (snow on May 2) that it just didn't get it done, but it's still on my to-do list.

-Grainlady

I always pressure cook rice. That's the only way you can re-cook rice if the rice comes out too dry by adding more water, that is one way you can cook any quantity, like one table spoon of rice, and that is one way you don't get brown crust on the bottom.

One dish I have not been able to try with rice taking center stage is Chinese Lotus leaf rice. I had it a few times in restaurants, delicious!

dcarch

Here is a link that might be useful:

I was using a Zoj fuzzy logic electric for rice, but it took forever. Now I use a Staub pot and it is really fast. I have only used Basmati and Texas brown in the Staub, however.

This post was edited by kitchendetective on Sun, Sep 1, 13 at 16:43

Dcarch is one who turned me onto pressure cooking rice and it's the only way that I cook rice now. The big benefits are zero boil overs and easy clean up.

Basmati would be my favourite. My favourite way to prepare it would be to add 1 heaping tablespoon of coconut oil to a pan, get it melted, add 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1-2 tsp curry powder, 1-2 tsp crushed coriander seed, 1 tsp or so of cumin, 1/2 finely chopped onion, 3-5 garlic cloves sliced, saute until onion is soft, add one cup of basmati brown it a little (or not) add two cups of water, bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. I usually add a handful of raisins when serving.

I'm certainly no rice expert, but I've found that I definitely prefer Jasmine rice for making pilaf. I think pilaf makes a great side dish that can be tweaked whichever way you prefer to complement a nice meal, according to what you add to it.

I never got the big deal about risotto made with arborio rice.... it's just never seemed special to me. :p

I've learned that chicken and rice soup is much better if made with brown rice.... and I have tried several different browns (Basmati, long-grain, short-grain) and they're all good.

Spanish rice is a great side for tex/mex foods! Yellow rice is good too and pairs well with more main dishes.

PS: Basmati is our usual choice for everyday white rice.

This post was edited by party_music50 on Sun, Sep 1, 13 at 10:59

I have two favorite rice dishes, both salads. I think I posted this one before, maybe some time ago, but here it is again. I don't recall where I got it, but when searching for an online version so I didn't have to type the whole thing out, it came up as a whole foods recipe.

Forbidden Rice and Yam Salad
2 cups forbidden rice
3 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
3 tablespoons unrefined, expeller pressed sesame oil (not toasted sesame oil)
1 pound yams, roasted and diced
3/4 cup diced red bell peppers
3/4 cup diced yellow bell peppers
1/2 bunch sliced green onions (about 3 or 4)
Sea salt, to taste
Ground pepper, to taste
Method:

Bring rice, water and a pinch of salt to a quick boil, cover and lower heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Turn heat off and let rice sit while you whisk together sesame oil and tamari. If necessary, drain any remaining liquid from bottom of saucepan. Add sesame oil and tamari mixture to saucepan and toss with rice while still warm. Let cool, then add sweet potatoes, red peppers, yellow peppers, green onions, salt and pepper to taste.

Note: I serve this room temp or not too cold. It's good for potlucks because no dairy products to spoil.

Here's my other favorite:

I have this from pre-internet days - maybe Sunset Magazine, but I found it today on Cooks. com. I copied their notes because they have good suggestions. One of our local meat farmers smokes chickens and sells them at the Farmer's Market, so I've always used those instead of smoked turkey, as I have no source for that. I also cube instead of sliver the meat. Their suggestion for smoked mozzarella is good and then replace the smoked meat with plain (or rotisserie) chicken or turkey is good. I've never included grapes - the cranberries are enough fruit, I think.

Wild Rice and Smoked Turkey Salad

You could also make this salad with half wild and half long-grain brown or white rice. The recipe can be easily doubled (or tripled) for a large buffet supper. Substitute fully cooked corn-or apple-smoked ham for the turkey. Or add a cup or so of diced smoked mozzarella. When chopping the parsley, include the sweet, fragrant stems along with the leaves.
Yield : Makes 4 servings
Ingredients

1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed in warm water and drained
½ cup canola or other flavorless vegetable oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces sliced smoked turkey, cut into 1 × 1/8-inch slivers
1 cup small seedless green grapes
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup toasted and peeled hazelnuts (see Notes)
¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup thinly sliced scallions (white and green parts)

Directions

1. Heat 3 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan; stir in the rice. Cook, covered, over medium-low heat until tender, 35 to 55 minutes, depending on the rice. Uncover and cook to evaporate any excess liquid; or let stand, covered, until any remaining water is absorbed. Let cool to room temperature.

2. Whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and a grinding of black pepper in a large bowl. Add the rice, turkey, grapes, cranberries, hazelnuts, parsley, and scallions; toss blend. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve at room temperature

For some dishes I like a deeply flavored, colorful rice. Sort of like what you'd get using saffron, except that I never have saffron laying around and if I did, I wouldn't use it on rice.

I get flavour by cooking the rice in a pretty strong stock. I get color with either turmeric (for yellow) or paprika (for red). Any other flavouring or coloring methods you guys use? Can you make green rice, blue rice, etc?

Yes, you can do many colors (flavors) with rice.

dcarch

I bake brown rice, according to Alton Brown's recipe. I'm not crazy about white rice, not even in rice pudding, I prefer brown because it has some "chew", and I'm not crazy about risotto either, it's too soft or mushy or something.

I like wild rice and I like the black rice and red rice. I don't use it as much as I probably should, although my favorite way to eat brown rice is with a drizzle of maple syrup as a breakfast cereal.

I also like fried rice and Nasi Goreng, which, as far as I can see is fried rice, LOL. I make chicken divan, which my girls love, and chicken soup with rice (In January it's so nice, while slipping on the sliding ice, to sip hot chicken soup with rice. Thanks a lot, Maurice Sendak!)

Oh, and Grandma used to make Ambrosia, a rice salad with whipped cream and rice, coconut and I forget what else. I haven't had that in years.

Annie

This website has some great recipes :

Here is a link that might be useful: link

I'm glad you asked this, John.

Olychick, your recipe for forbidden rice and yams looks really good. I've copied and pasted it. I just bought some forbidden rice, cooked it just like any other rice, and was unimpressed. I'm glad to have a much more interesting way to prepare it next time.

Sally

An interesting, and disturbing, article in this month's Discover Magazine about toxins, specifically arsenic, in rice.

...comparing samples of multiple species of rice grown in numerous regions around the world, he found arsenic levels almost universally elevated, including in the U.S. Notably, much of the U.S. rice crop is grown in regions of the South where the soil is contaminated by old arsenic-based pesticides, once used by farmers to protect cotton crops from boll weevils. In a 2007 study, Meharg found that rice grown in some South-central states contained nearly twice as much arsenic (an average of 30 ppb) as rice grown in California (an average of 17 ppb).

Organic brown rice syrups registered as high as 400 ppb of arsenic - mostly the more dangerous inorganic form.........researchers found arsenic concentrated in the grain’s nutrient-rich outer layers, which are polished off in the processing of white rice but remain in brown rice.

Here is a link that might be useful: Link

Sally2, the forbidden rice makes fabulous rice pudding, too. I forgot to add that. I make it with coconut milk and mango (dried or fresh) if I have it. I was just searching online for a similar recipe (again, because I am too lazy to try to find and type out mine) and came across this salad recipe. I'm making it for sure.

I'll look a bit more for the rice pudding recipe I've used.

Here is a link that might be useful: Black rice, orange and avocado salad with chipotle.

We have a fuzzy logic rice cooker and it totally rocks. Best investment ever, although I resisted buying one for decades. Leftover rice reheats in the microwave in a couple of minutes or less.

One of the reasons I love my Chinese-Portuguese spouse is that he loves soft-cooked medium-grain and the glutinous rices, as much as I (JapAm) do. True compatibility, LOL!

Growing up in Hong Kong, his family made pressed rice with the air-dried ducks one sees hanging in shops. (Memorably, we were once driving down a major boulevard in the heavily-Asian Outer Sunset neighborhood, and saw three of these dried flattened ducks, hanging on a back porch clothesline! No refrigeration needed, as you can guess.)

The rice is heavily mixed with lard or Crisco which gives it a creamy texture, similar to Nicaraguan tamales. The rice is pressed into a baking dish, topped with the (deboned) duck meat, and cut into squares for serving. Needless to say, this is a cholesterol disaster these days and it's been decades since we made it.

Due to allergies, I don't eat a lot of rice any longer. Spouse doesn't like brown, red, black, or any other rice besides short & glutinous. He likes Basmati but too many restaurants make it very hard, which we both dislike. He has relented enough to accept coconut rice, and he is really fond of the spicy Thai or Korean kimchi rice bowls that a lot of restaurants serve.

Coconut rice is an excellent side to Thai, Indian, or Caribbean dishes.

A few interesting things to do with rice besides paella, pilaf (that includes biryani) or gumbo:

- any kind of pesto with some good Parmigiano-Reggiano grated on top. Kale pesto is especially good this way.

- mixed with leftover salsa and a bit of chopped spinach (I get those greens into my MIL and spouse any way I can), with some grated cheddar

- cooked in chicken broth and mixed with chopped pecans toasted in a bit of brown butter.

- and yes, sushi. Chirashi (in a bowl) is easiest. But maki made with lox, tamago (egg omelet) and sushi rice, decorated with some Wakame seaweed salad, is one of my spouse's favorite foods in life.

My sister gave us a Tiger brand rice cooker for a wedding gift over 20+ years ago, and I still use it for making rice. We eat rice once or twice a week, so you can imagine what this appliance has gone through. They sure don't make things like they used to...I doubt that a budget rice cooker bought these days could last two years, much less two decades.

I rinse the rice well and add some chicken broth (either canned or homemade) to the water. The rice is perfect every time, and I don't have to watch a pot. I have a bad habit of letting pots boil over. My husband used to call me DonnaMax. :)

There is always leftover rice and I make fried rice with it the next day. My children like a simple fried rice, but I like to add curry powder to it, along with some veggies.

Just today I made brown rice in the pressure cooker to have with the red beans I made last week and put in the freezer. Twelve minutes and you're done!

I also made my dog's food today, ground turkey, jasmine rice, a big sweet potato - put it all in the pressure cooker with some water, cook 9 minutes, cool, add some green beans and we have dog food for 2-3 weeks, in the freezer.

I'm another fan of Nasi Goreng, even for breakfast. My mom used to make us rice pudding all the time when we were kids. I've tried to like wild rice, but still do not care for it.

Teresa

I have a Zo, also. Always use water with Jasmine rice, but need to change. For Mexican, either tomato based rice (started on range, finished in the oven) or dry rice (finished on the range). Love both. Will provide recipes if anyone wants them. Had them for year and love both.

I make fried rice too, but with leftover Jasmine. Oh well. Gotta love it!

I love mochi with honey and different varieties of wild rices, they are not all the same. Wehani is good. I cook rice a great deal but usually like potatoes better.

Momj47 - thanks for that info, it's a little unsettling. I'll be reading up more on that.

Thanks, Olychick!

Rice has arsenic. Hmmm, does that mean everything grown in the south has it too?

As for allergies, my brother was allergic to almost everything as a kid. Rice was one of the very few things he wasn't allergic to.

Sally

The don't talk about "everything". It seems that rice is especially good at absorbing and concentrating arsenic, especially in the hulls of the rice. Rice plants took up inorganic arsenic from water and soil with dismaying efficiency: at 10 times the rate of other grains. The hulls are removed when rice is polished.

We don't eat much rice, but you can be sure what we eat will be white rice from now on.

Here is a link that might be useful: Complete article in PDF form

Thank you momj47. I had enough arsenic poisoning as a child growing up on a Federal Superfund Site. We don't eat much rice but for sure what we do eat will be white.

/tricia

mom47,

This was on my Comcast page this morning from the FDA on the arsenic in rice...basically says to vary our diets until more study can be completed.

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Arsenic in rice

Wow, how enlightening to read about arsenic in rice. Good to know since rice is one of my favorite foods and I eat it almost every day.

We had two rice cook-a-longs way back when, here are the links:
Cook-a-long #47: Rice
http://ths.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/cooking/2013033200016433.html
Cook-a-long #9: Rice
http://ths.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/cooking/2009115258009194.html

Tricia, thank you for posting the link to that article.

I had seen a segment on ABC World News
about the arsenic in rice.
While it definitely is something to consider,
It doesn't seem to be anything to get hysterical about.
Although I suppose people with health issues
affected by diet would be more conscientious about it.

Dr Bessar (on that ABC program) recommended
THOROUGHLY rinsing rice,
until the rinse water runs clear, before cooking.
And also to cook in more water than recommended
So that excess is poured off before consuming.

Personally, I never did either of those things,
But I will now.
Will I cut down on the amount I consume?
No.
I do love my rice!
All kinds of it!

Rusty

Dr. Besser's advice really only works for surface arsenic. If the arsenic is the inorganic type drawn up from soil or groundwater contamination, rinsing will NOT work very well.

In fact, Consumer Reports recommends cooking 1 cup of rice in 6 cups of water, and pouring off the excess!

Rinsing very well, and cooking the rice in extra water and dumping the excess (which unfortunately puts it right back into the environment one way or another), removes at most, about 30% of the arsenic.

Things that can help:
Sulfur helps eliminate arsenic from the body, so eat foods high in sulfur, such as eggs, beans, legumes and garlic. Eat plenty of fiber every day.

Garlic, pectin, selenium, L-Cysteine and L-Methionine, Vitamin C, and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) are all good detoxifiers. Be sure to read up on recommended allowances; some of these are mildly toxic in very large quantities.

Have a hair analysis done if you suspect arsenic toxicity.

Here is a link that might be useful: Boston NPR: 5 Things You Need To Know About Arsenic In Rice

Black rice in the cooker. To be paired with some pork-beef-carrot curry, dry-cooked green beans, and stir-fried beef strips.

Changed mind, decided to use salt & pepper rice instead.

I most often make rice as a side dish with other ingredients like mushrooms, green onions, red pepper, diced dried fruit, etc. and herbs and spices mixed in with it. The varieties I use most often are white basmati and short grain brown.

The main ingredients of the colored rice in the dinner are beet, dill, and raspberry vinegar, carrot & cumin, and onion, garlic and parsley.

I've also had success in molding rice. Mix room temperature cooked rice and its flavoring items with lightly beaten egg white to coat the grains and pack into greased ring molds or ramekins. Steam or bake until rice is hot, let sit about 2 minutes and then unmold. Molds are particularly attractive when two or more varieties or colors are layered.

Mollie Katzen has some good rice recipes and cooking techniques in her book Vegetable Heaven.