Five ways to take the boredom out of white rice

White rice is a faithful companion in our meals: it goes well with something as simple as a boiled egg to the most delicious and elaborate stewed meat you can imagine.

Even so – ungrateful, we – we have to admit that at times we have come to think that white rice can be a bit boring, hospital-like, bland.

That's why we've put together these five simple but very effective options to give this cereal a little sparkle.

For all of them we start with already cooked white rice, so we want the grains to be loose so that it does not turn into a lump when mixed with the ingredients that we will add.

To achieve this, there are three tips you should follow: First, regardless of which cooking method you choose, wash your rice before cooking it to remove excess starch that causes the grains to stick.

Secondly, let the rice rest once cooked for a few minutes (five is enough).

And to finish, gently stir the rice once cooked with a fork to “release” its grains.

fresh herbs and lemon

With fresh herbs and lemon you can give freshness and a radiant green color to your white rice, both hot;

to accompany grilled fish, for example, or cold as a base for any salad.

For two servings of rice as a side dish, blend with a hand blender or food processor a generous handful of fresh herbs such as basil, parsley, dill, mint and/or cilantro, three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, one teaspoon of zest of lemon - only the white part - and two tablespoons of its juice, black pepper to taste and a pinch of salt.

Add it to the rice and mix gently.

If you want to give it a spicier touch, add arugula to the herbs, which will also provide a lot of color.

You can make this same recipe using lime instead of lemon – it combines very well with a lot of cilantro and a little spice – or using both.

To make a very simplified version of this accompaniment, add the chopped herbs, juice and lemon zest directly to your rice.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Domestic Gothess (@domestic_gothess)

Butter

If butter improves almost everything, rice was not going to be the exception.

Once you have cooked it, add unsalted butter in cubes while it is still hot and mix so that it melts and integrates well.

You can add little by little and taste until it is in the rice-butter ratio that you like and also correct the salt level if necessary.

To this you can add a lot of freshly ground black pepper to give it a spicy and aromatic touch, or grated Parmesan cheese to turn it into a kind of

cacio e pepe

.

If you want to go a little further: some chopped capers and a little fresh sage will go wonderfully and will be ideal to accompany simple grilled chicken breasts or roasted vegetables.

Sesame and chives

Add a teaspoon of lightly crushed toasted sesame seeds and a quarter teaspoon of sesame oil to each serving of already cooked rice.

Both white and black sesame seeds work for this recipe, although black sesame will be cuter.

To add an aromatic touch: a handful of fresh cilantro or a little of the green part of a chive cut into fine julienne strips.

If you want to make it a little spicy, a quarter of a teaspoon of the spice mixture that we know as “five spice powder” or “Chinese five spice” that you can previously mix with sesame oil is not bad at all: if you want it spicy , add a teaspoon of chili sauce or oil.

Furikake

and mayonnaise with kimchi

This idea comes hand in hand with the previous one, since

furikake

, the Japanese condiment to which journalist Lakshmi Aguirre already dedicated an article, has sesame among its mixture of ingredients.

However, the marine flavors of nori seaweed and, generally,

katsuobushi

(dehydrated and smoked bonito or tuna flakes) also come into play.

Start by mixing the cooked rice with rice vinegar – one teaspoon per serving is enough, if you don't have it on hand, add two thirds of apple cider vinegar and one third of water – and add as much

furikake

as you want on top.

You can finish it with a little kimchi-mashed mayonnaise or any hot sauce or spice like sriracha or Vera paprika (a little bit of the green part of the julienned scallion will also work well).

This rice is perfect to eat with marinated bonito or salmon, or for a quicker version, with any preserved fish you like.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Thomas I Vegan Recipes (@fullofplants)

Dehydrated fruits and nuts

Dehydrated fruits and nuts are a good complement to rice, especially to accompany a curry, stewed chicken or vegetables in any format.

Basmati is suitable for this recipe because it is aromatic, but the combination is applicable to any other type.

Hydrate the dried fruits – prunes, raisins, dried apricots, etc. – that you have chosen by covering them in a bowl of boiling water for 15 minutes (you can skip this step, but it will make them much more tender).

Drain and chop them along with the nuts of your choice and mix everything with the rice.

How to give it an extra point of flavor?

With a few cloves of garlic sliced ​​and golden in olive oil –add this oil too–, orange or tangerine zest, cumin and/or cinnamon powder, black pepper or fresh chopped parsley.

To make it a little more sophisticated: hydrate approximately 10 strands of saffron – for 300 grams of cooked rice – in two tablespoons of hot water for 15 minutes and add it to the rice with the water included.

Postscript:

if what you have is leftover white rice in the refrigerator, the best thing you can make is fried rice, the step by step of which is perfectly explained in this video.

Follow El Comidista on

TikTok

,

Instagram

,

X

,

Facebook

or

YouTube

.