Rice: When was the last time you ate rice? Was it from a Chinese restaurant takeout box? On the other hand, was it from a friend that loves to cook Asian food? The fact that rice is commonly seen in Asian restaurants is because of its roots. Commonly, rice can be found in the Asian Region, where they serve it as staple. Nevertheless, only a few people know about rice being grown naturally here in Northern America.
Well, enough talk about History, and all of these boring things; let us talk about food. What makes rice so yummy when it comes to creating that comfort food that are most commonly cooked during the rainy season? That warm feeling when you eat rice is always as good as the first time you tried eating one. What makes rice so great are the soft texture that it possesses when cooked properly and the ability to absorb whatever liquid you cook it with, naturally. They act as small little sponges that just absorb every liquid that is cooked with it; and when eaten, it bursts everything in your mouth at the same time.
Not only is rice good for accompanying dishes, it can also be served as is. The high calorie value of rice means that it can easily fill your tummy and give a full feeling afterwards. They go great with meat as well, perfect if you want to try something new other than bread or pasta. Below are great rice recipes that are perfect for you and your family, for those times that you want to skip bread and pasta, and you want to try something new. We will start with Minnesota Wild Rice Chicken Soup and talk about two main courses, which would be Louisiana Red Beans and Rice and Baked Chicken and Rice.
Minnesota Wild Rice Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
- 1lb boneless chicken chopped in bite-size cubes
- ¾ cup raw wild rice
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups half-half (dairy product of half light cream and half milk)
- 8 cups water
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ cup butter
- 1/3 cups flour
- ¼ tsp rosemary
- 1/8 tsp dill
- 1/8 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- ½ chopped onion
- Salt & black pepper
Instructions:
Cooking the Rice
- Boil 8 cups of water in a pan. When it starts to boil, add the 2 tsp salt.
- Once the water is fully boiling, add the ¾-cup raw wild rice. Make sure to stir it in order to get equal parts of the heat.
- Boil the rice in low heat for an hour and drain in colander.
- Set aside.
Soup
- In a large pot, melt ½-cup butter over medium heat.
- Add chopped celery, carrots, and onions, stir to coat with butter.
- Simmer the vegetables for at least 8mins or until they soften.
- Sprinkle in 1/3 cups flour.
- Make sure to cook the flour in the butter, preventing the soup from having a “flour-taste”.
- Stir in the chicken that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.
- When the chicken is cooked through, pour in 5 cups of chicken broth.
- Simmer for 5mins; do not forget to stir often.
- Turn the heat to low and add the cooked wild rice, ¼-cup rosemary, and 1/8 cup dill and 1/8 cup fennel seeds.
- Simmer the soup for ½-2hrs stirring occasionally. Make sure that the soup will not boil for it will break down the cream broth.
- Once the soup is cooked, season with salt and pepper. If desired, add crackers or bread for sidings.
Now that was already a meal on its own. Nevertheless, we still need to talk about two more recipes that will surely make you a rice lover in no time.
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Louisiana Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients:
- 375g long grain white rice
- 450g dried kidney beans
- 450g smoked sausage, sliced
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 chopped green pepper
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 chopped celery
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ¼ dried sage
- 1 tbsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- Water
Instructions:
- Make sure to rinse and soak the beans the day before the actual cooking, this will soften the beans for a much easier way to cook it.
- In a frying pan on medium heat: Cook the garlic, onions, pepper and celery in 4tbsp olive oil.
- Clean the beans. Once cleaned, place it in large pot. Add water and put in the cooked vegetables, season with cayenne pepper, bay leaves, sage, thyme, and parsley and finally the Cajun seasoning.
- Bring the pot to boil and reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 2 ½ hours.
- Add the chopped smoked sausage into the beans and continue simmering for at least 30mins.
- Rice can be cooked separately from the start. Find a pot or pan to cook in, add water and the rice. Let the water boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it cook for 20mins.
- Once the rice is cooked, serve the beans on top of the rice. Add a splash of Tabasco sauce in order to give it a little kick.
Still not satisfied? Talking about these Cajun recipes just makes your mouth water. But wait, we are not done yet. Below is the final addition to our Rice entries that will complete the day.
Baked Chicken and Rice (Recipe adapted from food.com)
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup raw long-grain white rice
- 4 boneless skinless breasts cut in halves
- 1 can cream of mushroom
- 1 cup water
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to a good 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In an ungreased shallow casserole mix soup, rice, water and ¼ tsp each of paprika and pepper.
- Place the chicken on top properly, and sprinkle with the remaining pepper and paprika.
- Cover with foil and let it bake in the oven for 45mins.
- Serve on a plate and garnished with your favorite herbs and spices.
Rice is not only great as a stand alone dish, but also great when it comes to dishes just as mentioned above. The ability to absorb flavor is what makes the rice a popular dish not just in Asia but all around the world as well. Create a hearty meal filled with rice and very interesting ingredients creating a mouth-watering experience for you and your family.
Author Bio:
Linda Rosario is a food enthusiast from Chef Needs “The Kitchen that Every Restaurant Needs”. Linda also loves arts and crafts and works as a pre-school teacher.
