5 Unique Rice Dishes to Make at Home

Growing up, rice was paired with almost everything I ate. If the meal did not have some sort of rice, chances are it could be better if you added some. This strong love for rice is most likely due to the Chinese-American heritage within my family, but there is also a part of me that just believes rice, especially jasmine, is just the superior carb. So whether you are obsessed with rice like me or just eat it because it is all that is in your pantry, MODMIND is here to give you some unique dishes you can make with rice!

1. Beef Stroganoff

As a child this was one of my absolute favorite dishes! The creamy gravy and tender beef strips over a warm bed of white rice was to die for! So when I went to my friend's house for a sleepover and they served me beef stroganoff over pasta for the first time, you could sense my surprise. I have a core memory of being appalled by the thought of my favorite meal over those soggy noodles… I could have cried. I asked my friend “What is this?” when she replied “Beef stroganoff” I insisted that it was not and she had made it all wrong. Well turns out, I was wrong, and it is most commonly served over noodles. But since this is my blog, here is a recipe to make Mom’s beef stroganoff the right way!

2. Chicken Curry

This isn’t necessarily the most unique recipe, but my mother's recipes tastes like home to me, so I’ll count it. A smooth and light yellow curry sauce flavored with chicken, onions, and tomatoes over jasmine rice is an easy recipe that will warm you up and is always a crowd pleaser. (...plz b patient while i write this post, need to get measurements for you guys! :p)

3. Merango Chicken

This dish has its roots in France and while the process might take a little longer than other recipes in this post, I promise you it's worth every bit. This is another dish where I truly do not understand how it can be served without rice. To have all this amazing sauce just sitting on your plate, when it could all be absorbed into some white rice and be enjoyed blows my mind! A tip for serving is to lay out the rice onto a large serving dish, spoon on a generous amount of sauce, plop the chicken onto the top, accessorize with some green onions if you're into that fancy stuff, then serve it to the table!

4. Pulled Pork

With sauce or plain, this is another dish I can never pass up! After a family BBQ, I am always left with a huge surplus of pulled pork leftovers. While I love pulled pork sandwiches, after a day or two of pulled pork sammies breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I am over it…But it can't go to waste, not in this economy! Lucky for you, rice is here to save the day! If you have plain pulled pork I find putting that over rice, with about a tablespoon of chili oil is heavenly. If you have pulled pork in sauce, no worries, it’ll still taste great with some rice. If you would want some more flavors try adding a little bit of hoisin, ginger, and chili oil and heat it back up.

Eggs:

Rice is for all the time, not just some of the time! Which means rice for breakfast is totally acceptable! It is also a cheap, easy way to have a unique, flavorful, and filling start of the day! One way is just to put some sesame oil and an over-easy egg over a bowl of white rice for an easy breakfast. If you are feeling like you might want some more flavor, try adding things like: tomatoes or a sweet sauce .

In conclusion:

These are just a handful of the hundreds of rice recipes floating around! There are so many ways to pair rice, so experiment, because to me, none of it will turn out that bad! And if a recipe turns out great, feel free to post a picture and tell the community about it on MODMINDS photo-board!

Happy Eating!