Rice is such comfort food, whether it’s adding substance to a simple soup, a colourful pilaf side dish, a creamy risotto, or a fragrant main course biryani, rice recipes are diverse, colourful, easy and comforting, here are a few of my favourites.
Sticky Rice with Mango I find any dish with sticky rice addictively comforting, especially a dessert. So I adore khao neow mamuang, sticky rice with mango, which is one of Thailand’s most popular desserts. Glutinous (or sticky) rice is the staple grain of north-eastern Thailand and, despite the name, doesn’t contain any gluten, making it […]
Rice pudding is one of the most typical Portuguese desserts – and a great way to use some of the short-grained rice you have on hand for that other typical Portuguese dish, tomato rice! It always makes an appearance at celebrations, from birthdays to weddings and is usually decorated with a relevant motif sprinkled on […]
Chestnuts are a favourite autumn food in Japan in both savoury and sweet dishes. At their simplest, yakiguri (roasted chestnuts) are sold to passers-by from mobile street stands – just as they are in Europe. For something slightly more filling they’re combined with rice in this simple and delicious classic dish of kuri gohan. If […]
Lemon & Ginger Rice This deliciously fresh lemon and ginger pilau is a great accompaniment to any Indian dish, especially seafood or poultry. You can make lemon and ginger rice very easily in a rice cooker but might need to make a little extra as most rice cookers won’t cook less than 300g (2 rice […]
Indian Rice Pudding (Kheer) Called payasam or kheer, this rice pudding is one of the most typical southern Indian desserts and has as many variations as there are cooks. At its simplest, it’s rice simmered in milk with a pinch of sugar and spice, though it’s often flavoured with fruits, like mango or jackfruit, or […]
Every rice-centred cuisine has a version of fried rice to use up leftover cooked rice. I created this dish inspired by the Vietnamese tomato rice, cơm đỏ, which Mark Jensen introduced me to. It’s a great way to not only use up excess steamed rice but also any sprigs of Asian herbs you have on […]
I love glutinous rice desserts and have always wanted to experiment with them so, inspired by a dish that Mark Jensen served me several years ago, I came up with this easy, tasty version. It’s quick too, as long as you get organised and soak the rice the day before. Glutinous red rice (nép den […]
Every culture seems to have a chicken soup that’s the universal panacea, and in Vietnam it’s cháo gà. Similar to Chinese congee, it’s generally a breakfast dish – often served with omelette. It can be quite bland, if that’s what you want, and it’s traditionally served to anyone who’s feeling poorly, especially with a cold […]
Hainanese Chicken Rice I’ve always loved this dish, especially the delicious ginger and green onion sauce, so I thought I’d give it a try and discovered it’s surprisingly easy (especially with a few tips from the brilliant Tony Tan). It takes a few hours, but most of that is just resting time. There are a […]
Chicken Avgolemono Soup Avgolemono is a classic Greek combination of egg (avgo), lemon (lemono) and stock to create a tangy soup or sauce. As a soup it’s usually made from chicken stock with rice cooked in it, a typical example of peasant cuisine where nothing is wasted (the meat from the chicken bones added back […]
