Rice & Grains
2019 recipes found
Microwave Rice
The microwave is for more than just popping popcorn or heating leftovers. It can also make an excellent bowl of rice. Unlike a stovetop, which can create hot spots on a pan that result in scorched rice, microwaves provide even heat on all sides, creating uniformly textured grains. This method is also very practical: You don’t have to babysit the grains, and you won’t have to clean a pot with stuck-on bits of rice. It may take a few attempts to figure out the exact timing for your microwave as machines differ in wattage and efficiency in air circulation. If you want to jazz up your rice, try adding a pat of butter, a drizzle of olive oil or even a pinch of a spice blend like ras el hanout before microwaving.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms With Gremolata and Quinoa
When I discovered how delicious Brussels sprouts are when the edges are lightly browned, whether by pan-roasting or oven-roasting, they became a top winter vegetable in my house. Both the Brussels sprouts and the mushrooms roast quickly in a hot oven. I roast them separately so that the juice from the mushrooms doesn’t prevent the Brussels sprouts from browning properly. You can serve the roasted vegetables with quinoa but I also love them with polenta, pasta and other grains.
Dirty Rice
Dirty rice gets its color from caramelized sirloin and the roux — flour browned (but not burned) in oil. The New Orleans-based chef Isaac Toups offers a 15-minute roux shortcut in his book “Chasing the Gator,” but you may find your roux browns more quickly in the smoking hot oil. Be sure to stir, stir, stir once you add the flour. You cannot walk away from the pot while making this roux. Prep the “trinity” — bell peppers, onion and celery — in advance as you won't have time to do it while the roux cooks. When the roux turns the color of milk chocolate, toss in the chopped vegetables to stop the roux from cooking any further. Instead of adding rice and the serving components, you could do as Mr. Toups suggests and use the meat gravy as a base for a lasagna ragu. Just throw in some fresh tomatoes and cook it down “until it’s nice and tight” and make it your lasagna filling.
Quinoa Salad With Swiss Chard and Goat Cheese
This versatile salad, or pilaf, may be construed as a home cook’s answer to a fast-casual lunch bowl. But it does not need to be piled high with a freewheeling array of additional ingredients. As it is, this could be a stand-alone first course, a lunch dish or a side to serve alongside meat or seafood. Serve it hot, warm or at room temperature. The quinoa adapts well to advance preparation, and letting the salad sit before serving improves the texture. In summer, this dish is prime picnic material.
Curried Rice
I ate a version of this rice as an accompaniment to a few deep-fried paddles of Australian crab, sitting at the kitchen counter of Paul Carmichael’s excellent Momofuku Seiobo in Sydney. It tasted of a world far away, of Mr. Carmichael’s childhood in Barbados, in the Lesser Antilles, where influences of Africa, India, China and Britain combine in the food: the grains fried in butter scented with murky yellow curry powder, warm and fragrant, and flavored with fiery minced habanero and a salty punch of soy and oyster sauces. I sighed when I finished and asked for a recipe. I’ve been messing with it ever since. Please note: You’ll end up with more curry paste than you’ll need to season the rice, even if you season aggressively. Refrigerate the extra to make the dish a second time (it keeps well), or to enliven ground meat for a Caribbean-ish version of sloppy joes, even just to improve a bowl of instant ramen.
Vegan Arroz con Leche
Rice is a grain enjoyed around the world, and it’s typically eaten in savory forms. In this recipe, sweetened grains are cooked until creamy with almond milk, raisins, star anise, vanilla and flaky Ceylon cinnamon, which is commonly used in Mexican cooking. (Ceylon cinnamon is preferred to the other varieties for it’s sweet, delicate flavor.) This warm and comforting dessert is easily pulled together with ingredients likely already in your pantry.
Arancini
There’s no way around it: To make arancini, you have to make risotto, although you could also use any kind of leftover risotto, as long as the mixture isn’t loose from excess liquid. This recipe employs a simple base of Parmesan risotto that is chilled, rolled, breaded and fried, but the classic version starts with saffron risotto, which explains the Italian name arancine, or little oranges, named for their shape and hue. Simmering risotto and frying the arancini are simple tasks, but the step in between is crucial: Do not skimp on chilling your risotto. If it is not properly chilled, it will fall apart in the hot oil instead of forming crisp, glistening, orbs filled with molten cheese. Serve these arancini with warmed tomato sauce or even pesto, and crown them with a flurry of gremolata or plain lemon zest for brightness.
Red Quinoa Salad With Walnuts, Asparagus and Dukkah
I had initially envisioned a salad in which the asparagus was cut into short lengths and tossed with the quinoa. But the colorful asparagus got lost in the quinoa, and since I love the look of the bright green asparagus against the red grain (O.K., “pseudograin”), I remade this and garnished it with the steamed asparagus. The quinoa, tossed with chives, parsley, walnuts and a lemony vinaigrette, is sprinkled with dukkah before serving, a surprising touch.
Hearty Quinoa and White Bean Soup
Soup doesn't have to be loaded with meat to be deeply satisfying. This one from Mary McCartney, devoted vegetarian, cookbook author and a daughter of Paul, is proof of that fact. Quinoa adds a lovely bit of texture, and beans – practically any variety will do – add heft and a wonderful creaminess as they break down in the broth. This recipe begs to be tampered with, so feel free to add more beans, vegetables, quinoa or fresh herbs. One reader even added a few cups of cooked pasta. It's almost impossible to mess up, so don't hold back.
Jollof Rice
A successful batch of jollof rice requires a few key ingredients (tomatoes, peppers, onions, a few herbs, spices and some stock) and a perfect sauce-to-rice ratio, so the cooked grains remain separate. I have found that the best, no-fuss way to do this is in the oven. Jollof is typically made with long-grain rice, though in Nigeria, parboiled rice is the norm. Most jollof is prepared over an open flame or on a stovetop. Missing from this oven version is the slightly smoky flavor you get from the little bits of rice that have browned on the bottom of your pan, but that’s nothing a pinch of smoked paprika can’t fix. Serve with braised goat or other stewed meats, and a side of fried plantains.
Norinj Pilau (Rice With Candied Orange Peel, Saffron and Lamb)
The sour orange, unlike the sweet orange, is too tart to eat straight. But the peels, when cooked, lend a bright tang and profound fragrance. To make norinj pilau, a celebratory Afghan dish of lamb and rice, Shazia Saif Naimi recruits her husband, Asadullah Naimi, to harvest sour oranges from their backyard. He cuts the peels into skinny strips using a razor blade and brings them to a boil three times, to make sure that most (but, crucially, not all) of the peels’ bitterness is leached out. Then he stirs in sugar, saffron and cardamom, and the scent of honey and white flowers expands through the house. Ms. Naimi braises the lamb and soaks the rice, massaging the grains to release the starch. At the end, lamb and rice are mounded together in a platter of abundance, with one cup of rice — simmered separately with the orange-peel syrup — spread over the top like spilled sun.
Crisp Quinoa Cakes With Pine Nuts and Raisins
Squash and Celeriac Quinoa Stuffing
Vegans and non-vegans will enjoy this twist on a traditional stuffing, where quinoa replaces the bread and butternut squash, celeriac and hazelnuts add the flavors of fall. Amber St. Peter of Long Beach, Calif., submitted this recipe of which she says, “It’s hearty without the bread or gluten, and flavorful without a bunch of processed ingredients. It was a crowd pleaser the first year, and will be a permanent fixture at our table for years to come.”
Vegan Jollof Rice
The chef Tunde Wey is based in New Orleans, but he was born in Nigeria, where jollof rice is a well-loved dish. The rice is cooked in a flavorful tomato and pepper purée; his version is vegan, and laced with chile heat.
Quinoa, Pea and Black Bean Salad With Cumin Vinaigrette
This salad was inspired by the fresh English peas that are in markets for only a month or so at this time of year, but in a pinch you could use frozen peas.
Sabzi Polo (Herbed Rice With Tahdig)
Cooked in two stages, this herbed rice, or sabzi polo, is a constant at the Persian New Year table, where everyone fights over the crust of crisp rice called tahdig. You can use a food processor to chop the herbs if you like. It's key to do the herbs in batches (don't overfill the bowl of the processor), to pulse rather than run and to stop and scrape a few times for even chopping. Work until the pieces are nice and small, about an eighth of an inch or the size of a small sunflower seed, but not so far that they begin to break down and form a paste.
Vietnamese-Style Soup With Broccoli and Quinoa
Here, Ms. Shulman adds a high-protein grain to her vegetarian pho broth instead of traditional noodles. The broccoli is thinly sliced and steamed or blanched separately.
Three-Cheese-and-Mushroom Quinoa Risotto
Risotto
Creamy and complex, classic risotto requires only a handful of simple ingredients to transform into a luxurious meal. In this most basic version, the dish is finished with just enough butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano to add rich creaminess while still allowing the rice flavor and texture to shine. Though it’s delicious on its own, this dish can serve as a blank canvas. For quick, easy upgrades, stir in 1 cup of frozen peas or 1 pound of cleaned shrimp during the last few minutes of cooking, or top the risotto with whatever cooked seasonal vegetables you desire.
Granola With Popped Quinoa
Quinoa that is toasted until the seeds begin to pop is crunchy, but not hard, with a flavor both grassy and nutty. They enrich this granola in the nicest way, adding texture and flavor, as well as a bit of “stealth health” — the popped quinoa bumps up the protein content.
Quinoa With Roasted Winter Vegetables and Pesto
This combination of sweet vegetables with pungent pesto is great for a simple grain and vegetable bowl.
Wild Rice Dressing With Mushrooms and Chile Crisp
This earthy side dish stands out brilliantly with its mix of mushrooms, wild rice and chile crisp. The contrast between the rice and mushrooms provides textural interest: soft and firm, tender and chewy. Halve any larger mushrooms lengthwise to help them cook evenly. And be generous with the chile crisp, making sure to stir the mixture well. All of those crunchy bits carry flavor — and a mighty punch of savory heat.
Market Table's Quinoa Hush Puppies with Chile Aioli
These hush puppies, served at Market Table in Manhattan, have a nubby texture and craggy surface, a perfect delivery method for a spicy, creamy aioli. You can make the quinoa mixture one day ahead, and you can even fry these a few hours in advance. Just crisp them under the broiler for a few minutes.
Can’t-Miss Rice
Baking rice in the oven offers an easy way to control time and temperature and frees up the burner on the stove. Shallots or a little onion can be sautéed in the butter before adding the rice, and chicken stock or other liquid can be substituted instead of the water for a full pilaf experience.