How to jazz up rice

jennyb

jennyb

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I'm a fan of rice and we eat it quite often. Today I made egg fried rice which is an obvious tried and trusted way to jazz up rice. I was thinking about other ways to cook it. I am not meaning the classic rice based dishes like risotto or paella but ways in which to jazz it up a bit when rice is used as a side dish.
 
One thing I do which is really easy it to put a few lime leaves into the rice when its boiling. I get them frozen and they are as good as fresh (you can use them straight out of the freezer). It gives a fantastic citrus aromatic taste to the rice. Waitrose has started stocking fresh lime leaves recently.
 
Our local restaurant in the village sells a variety of fried rice (khow pad). Most are available everyday: khow pad kai (plain egg); khow pad gai (chicken); khow pad moo (pork); khow pad khung (prawn). If you order the previous day, she will cook khow pad poo (crab) and khow pad neua (beef). She fries the pre cooked rice usually with garlic, ginger, chopped carrot, chopped yardlong beans, spring onions and egg mixed in. You can have fried egg on top but I don't because she overcooks it (IMO). It's served generally with Chinese cabbage leaves and sliced cucumber.

It's ideal for me if either I'm too lazy to be bothered cooking or have been in the pub all afternoon.
 
Yorky said:
Our local restaurant in the village sells a variety of fried rice (khow pad). Most are available everyday: khow pad kai (plain egg); khow pad gai (chicken); khow pad moo (pork); khow pad khung (prawn). If you order the previous day, she will cook khow pad poo (crab) and khow pad neua (beef). She fries the pre cooked rice usually with garlic, ginger, chopped carrot, chopped yardlong beans, spring onions and egg mixed in. You can have fried egg on top but I don't because she overcooks it (IMO). It's served generally with Chinese cabbage leaves and sliced cucumber.

It's ideal for me if either I'm too lazy to be bothered cooking or have been in the pub all afternoon.
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That all sounds delicious. I'll have the khow pad poo - so crab is poo in Thai... and pork is moo!
 
morning glory said:
One thing I do which is really easy it to put a few lime leaves into the rice when its boiling. I get them frozen and they are as good as fresh (you can use them straight out of the freezer). It gives a fantastic citrus aromatic taste to the rice. Waitrose has started stocking fresh lime leaves recently.
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@morning glory

Fascinating .. Shall have to look into this ..

Have a lovely day ..
 
@jennyb

The Mediterranean does not really have " side dishes " served in a separate plate or bowl.

Culturally, Paellas ( each town, each family & every restaurant have their own traditional recipes ) and it is the main Iberian rice dish ..

The same in Italy, as Risotto is the key rice dish and is not a side usually .. It is a course & sometimes it is served with veal or chicken but on the same plate .. And it is considered the main course of that meal .. Not a side served separately.

Greece, has a scented lemon, dill, mint, currant & prawn rice used predominately, to stuff Dolmades, a Mezze or Appetiser of stuffed grape leaves ..

Of course, it could be used as a "side" if you wish to and like the profile ..
However, in Greece it is a key Mezze ..

Some Asian rices are used as "sides" however, this too is a " rarity " .. The Chinese are perhaps the only Asians that I have seen, and I spent 1 month in Hong Kong, that eat a bowl of rice by itself .. As a course, not as a " side " ..

Thai and Japanese usually have a rice dish with shellfish or fish or algae in it and it is not considered a " side dish ".. It is a course or main entrée ..

Persian Irani and Indian eat rices however, as a main starter or main entrée .. They are aromatic and amazing .. The Himalyans as well ..

Could be wrong, however, I am inclined to believe that side dishes are a North American and / or British Isles ( U.K. ) form of dining.

Have a lovely day and summer ..
 
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Francesca said:
The Mediterranean does not really have " side dishes " served in a separate plate or bowl.
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That is an interesting point you make. I am not sure if sides are just North America and UK. I am trying to think if I had side dishes on holiday elsewhere. :unsure::scratchhead:
 
Yorky said:
Our local restaurant in the village sells a variety of fried rice (khow pad). Most are available everyday: khow pad kai (plain egg); khow pad gai (chicken); khow pad moo (pork); khow pad khung (prawn). If you order the previous day, she will cook khow pad poo (crab) and khow pad neua (beef). She fries the pre cooked rice usually with garlic, ginger, chopped carrot, chopped yardlong beans, spring onions and egg mixed in. You can have fried egg on top but I don't because she overcooks it (IMO). It's served generally with Chinese cabbage leaves and sliced cucumber.

It's ideal for me if either I'm too lazy to be bothered cooking or have been in the pub all afternoon.
Click to expand...

Oh my you are lucky! All these dishes sound very inviting. These sound like main course rice dishes though.
 
@jennyb

If a dish is served in a separate bowl or plate, and / or it is ordered in a restaurant as a side accompaniment, it is a side dish .. It is usually a la carte in a restaurant and is paid for separately if not on main course plate ..

This is a North American form of dining ..

In the Mediterranean, we have: a starter, which could be a salad or soup selection, a gazpacho, a pasta choice, a seasonal vegetable, a rice dish like a small paella or risotto, or shellfish usually or croquettes filled with cod fish and bechamel .. Of course, depending on season.

The main entrée or main course, is a protein usually, and / or a pasta or a dish like Paella or Risotto ..

In North America, I have only been for Business travel and have eaten at the Hotels where we were staying, and one has an appetiser and then their fish or whatever, and it maybe accompanied with a separate bowl of plate of salad .. It is not a course like in the Mediterranean.

In Manhattan, we had a chance to dine at a few restaurants and one of the Italian Restaurants served a fried zucchini (courgette) on a platter or tray .. However, we ordered this as a starter, not a side ..



Anyway, hope you have a lovely summer ..
 
jennyb said:
Oh my you are lucky! All these dishes sound very inviting. These sound like main course rice dishes though.
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They tend to be main courses, yes; although Thais generally have only one course which could consist of one dish and a dip or half a dozen or more dishes.

The next time that I order a khow pad whatever, I'll try to remember to take a picture.
 
Francesca said:
Could be wrong, however, I am inclined to believe that side dishes are a North American and / or British Isles ( U.K. ) form of dining.
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The first time I had a meal with side dishes was when I went to live in Germany in the 1960s, either in a restaurant or in a home. Could this be an influence from the large number of US bases in Germany? We did go to some of them to eat as well. We certainly never had side dishes when I was in Austria, and can't remember having them in other European countries. I can't remember it ever being a UK thing either until relatively recently, although the separate food items would often be/are still brought to the table in separate dishes where formal meals are concerned.

@jennyb If I do have flavoured rice, it is because it was actually cooked with the rest of the meal, such as in a pilau etc. At home I usually cook plain rice as an accompaniment, simply because I can then give some to the cats and the dog too. In a Chinese or Thai restaurant, they often put some form of shellfish or fish sauce, which I cannot eat, in rice, so I tend to steer clear of it and stick to plain rice.
 
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