how to make rice less bland?

Question

i want to eat rice cos its healthy and cheap,so like if i cook some fish or chicken to just have rice as sidedish, but is there anything i could use to make it taste less bland..i know you're meant to cook something with it that has more flavour but i dont have time to prepare sauces and all that stuff, so any ideas would be appreciated, thanks

Answer 1

It looks a bit long to make but it is easy and very tasty.

SAUTEED RICE WITH ALMONDS, CURRY AND GINGER
1 tbsp veg oil
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 ½ cups thinly sliced bok choy or nappa cabbage
1 cup snow peas
½ cup chopped sweet red pepper
1/3 cup chopped carrot
1 tsp ginger
1tsp curry
¾ cup chicken stock
4 tsp soya sauce
1 egg
2 cups cooked rice
2 tbsp toasted chopped almonds
2 tbsp chopped green onion
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil; sauté garlic, cabbage, peas, pepper and carrot for 3 minutes or until just tender, stirring constantly. Add ginger, curry, stock and soya sauce; cook for 1 minute.
Add egg and rice; cook for 1 minute or until egg is well incorporated. Place in serving dish and sprinkle with almonds and green onions.

Serves 4.

Per Serving:
248 calories
8 g protein
8 g fat
36 g carbohydrates
950 mg sodium
53 mg cholesterol
3 g fibre

Answer 2

First eat some other type of rice instead of standard long grain white rice. I prefer short grained rices, plus they stay better in the fridge without setting up like concrete. Assuming you already do that you could cook it in stocks. Beef stock is my favorite for wild rice. Just pop in a bullion cube and presto. Curry rice is also pretty good and easy, but I often use white rice for that because the curry is really strong and easy to cover the blandness. Other spices like Cumin go particularly well with rice and if you add some other things like garlic, some green onions and a little mushrooms it is really good.

Answer 3

If you eat it with fish then do this: Wash the rice and soak it in water about 30 minutes. Saute chopped onions in oil. Add water, salt and 3 grains of cardamom( optional). When the water boils add the strained rice. When the water starts to boil again reduce the heat till cooked. The amount of water should be equal to the rice before washing, which means for every cup of rice you use a cup of water.
If you eat it with meat you can do the same but add a teaspoonful of cinnamon powder to the boiling water. Other things to add according to your taste are turmeric powder, oregano, bay leaves and pepper.

Answer 4

All of the above are good, but also consider how you are cooking it. Only use a steamer if u have one, or microwave/ stove top following the "evaporation" method shown on the pack. Never ever boil rice, its soggy and bland that way. Even in the cheapest hill villages in Bali they evaporate only. My foolproof way is to use only a great rice. Im partial to Basmati (a long indian grain) or Jasmine. Measure a cup, wash in cold water, add to a bowl, pour over 1 1/2 cups boiling water, a tablespoon of oil, a pinch of salt, microwave on high for 5 minutes, a further 7 minutes on medium low. Fluff with a fork, its ready.

Look for recipes of italian risotto or spanish/ mexican paella, or strir-fried asian style. They are cheap, easy and fun, not to mention filling and nutritious. Add anything that you like. Have a good soy sauce handy if you like Asian, I only use kikkoman brand.

Answer 5

You could use a stock cube in the water in which you boil the rice.

You could finely dice onion or garlic or spring onions and put that in the water in which you boil the rice.

You could add tomato puree to the rice as it is boiling in the water.

You could add coconut cream to the water as you boil the rice - and for extra texture coconut gratings or shavings the list is endless - but you do not need to take you more than a couple of minutes.

Answer 6

Curry, garlic and white vinegar. 1 tsp. curry per 1 cup rice with ghee, Indian butter, 1 tbsp. Add 1/4 cup vinegar, (good for up to three cups of rice), and garlic to taste. Serve with mango or apple chutney, preferably homemade. A nice plate of falafel with tzaziki goes well, so does a selection of European cheeses and beer. Never pair wine with a curry. Bad combination. Go for some Corona instead or Sol beer. Brasilia is good, too.

Answer 7

these recipes above are too weird. fry some onion and mushroom in a pot for 5 min then cube some tomato and add, fry for further 2 min. then add your cup of rice and your water to the pot and boil till water evaporated and rice ready. o dont forget to add salt obviously. and if you have tumeric(its a yellow spice) you can add a half a teaspoon of that to the water when you add it to your rice , this will give your rice a lovley colour.

Answer 8

Why don't you combine the chicken with the rice and cooka pilaf of sorts with tomatoes potatoes etc...

Or else add cloves to the rice when you boil them along with cummin seeds and a little butter and sprinkle parsley on top to get a flavor.

Answer 9

few days ago i bought INDIA GATE rice bag AGED BASMATI. these Rice are AWSOME i never ever saw ANY TYPE of Rice this much good ,i don’t have words to tell u, more then one inch Long, Very Thin, like THREADS. Sorry you asked for recipe and i am telling you about rice;)) so make it short, you need good rice, GOOD cooking depends on good rice so any one can cook.
1......Measure rice ...one cup rice is good for TWO times.
2......WASH and RINSE 3 times. then SOAK them in water

BOILED RICE,(for one cup rice)
IN pan put 4 cup water +1 TABLE Spoon SALT. and let it boil .
When it starts bubbling.
Drain Rice and add them in BUBBLING WATER and cover it, cook on medium heat
For 10 minutes. Keep checking, take out few RICE and see are they 80% done?
IF they are done, at once remove from heat and DRAIN rice in SIEVE.SHAKE sieve to rinse rice.
After 3 minutes put these rice back in that pain(you boiled them)
and add 2 table spoon OIL and mix them carefully slowly dont let rice brake.
cover it with foil and lid. on slow heat cook 10 to 15 minutes
check them and if they are done serve with any gravy or anyway you like.
NOTE:
FRY VEGETABLES AND chicken(pieces) and add in these boiled rice before you put foil and lid on pan.

PULAF, (for those ,doesn’t know much cooking)
2 cup rice
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon Crushed GARLIC
1 teaspoon GINGER (optional)
few pieces chicken or (mince1/2 cup), or Shrimps, or Beef Mince
4 CLOVES,1 CINNAMON,CARDAMON, BLACK PEPPER
SALT 2 table spoon LEVELD
Yogurt 2 table spoon

Wash and soak rice for 15 minutes.
FRY ONION,When it turns golden add crushed garlic +ginger and salt and all spices and fry 2 minutes more,
add chicken or any meat + salt and fry. keep sprinkleing water.cook 2 minutes
ADD 4 cup water and cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes. now add DRAINED RICE.and cook for 10 to 15 minutes keep checking .
when there is no water.cover pan with foil and LID and on very slow flame let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes.
NOTE, avoid stirring a lot with spoon it will brake your rice,

Answer 10

Cook it in broth or stock instead of water (you can buy cans or cartons that are low sodium). Also, you could add dried herbs and seasonings to the water. If you're having a chicken dish, add some thyme or curry to the water or chicken broth.