10 easy rice dishes to try this week
By adding just a few extra ingredients, you can turn rice into a savoury side dish, a satisfying main or even a sweet dessert. Try the best rice recipes from David Herbert to Lennox Hastie.
Whether you have it soft, fluffy, hot off the stove or straight from the fridge, rice can be transformed into any kind of more-ish delight. It’s perfect served as a side dish, main or even a dessert. Stuffed into capsicums, transformed into a risotto or melded into a pudding. The versatility of rice is endless.
If you’re looking for new ideas for how to use rice, here are ten easy rice recipes you can make any day of the week. Including David Herbert’s prawn and zucchini risotto, Lennox Hastie’s traditional Spanish paella and Mike McEnearney’s rice pudding and rhubarb jam.
Nearly all of them are flexible, so you can use whatever variety of rice you have on hand (unless stated otherwise), and if you don’t have a specific vegetable or herb, swap in what you do have. Let’s start with the sweet rice recipes, which double as breakfast treats, and finish off with the savoury.
Hot brown sugar rice pudding with rhubarb
We all have stressful mornings, starting your day with a nice, hot rice pudding will surely get you up and going for the day. A rich, custardy pudding topped with roasted rhubarb is a sure way to start the day in comfort. Taking cues from French riz au lait, this rice recipe sets itself apart from a classic baked English rice pudding.
Get the recipe for Elizabeth Hewson’s hot brown sugar rice pudding with rhubarb.
Mike McEnearney’s rice pudding and rhubarb jam
Mike McEnearney shares his nana’s rice pudding, offering a delectable home cooked dessert packed with texture and sweetness. Served with nutmeg and “if we were very lucky, with jam,” says McEnearney, this rice pudding recipe has a distinct vanilla and cream taste.
Get the recipe for Mike McEnearney’s rice pudding and rhubarb jam.
This fragrant rice is good enough to eat on its own
The perfect side dish to any meal, or a fresh filling dish good enough to eat on its own. Lennox Hastie’s coconut and cashew rice recipe is a combination of fragrant basmati rice, exotic coconut, and zesty makrut lime. Using fresh ingredients that Hastie says transports him “to far-flung places and bustling markets, from the comfort of home,” works as an accompanying dish or as a meal on its own.
Get the recipe for Lennox Hastie’s Coconut and cashew rice.
Creamy chicken or duck congee
Congee is regarded as one of the ultimate comfort foods. Despite being known as a popular Chinese breakfast dish, it can be enjoyed any time according to David Herbert. This recipe for chicken or duck congee is simple and satisfying. The combination of creamy and salty will leave you wanting more.
Get the recipe for David Herbert’s duck or chicken congee.
Spanish rice (arroz a la banda)
Spain is well-known for its rice. For the past 1200 years rice has grown in the area around Valencia, where it was first introduced by the Moors. In this rice recipe Lennox Hastie explores the traditional flavours of paella. Taking inspiration from the coastal region of Alicante, in the southeast of Spain, Hastie’s rice recipe champions the flavours of rice and the seafood melding together. Sharing tips on how to get the right ratios and techniques for full flavour, it’s the perfect dish for warming the soul and awaken the appetite. And it’s not as hard as it looks!
Get the recipe for Lennox Hastie’s Spanish rice.
David Herbert’s Stuffed Capsicums with Rice
Adapted from London-based food writer Claudia Roden, David Herbert’s stuffed capsicum recipe is a great way to combine seasoned vegetables with fresh Mediterranean herbs. From raisins and pine nuts, to zucchini and lemon, this recipe is perfect for a flavoursome dinner or lunch.
Get the recipe for David Herbert’s stuffed capsicums with rice.
Prawn & Zucchini Risotto
“A perfectly made risotto can be made by stirring every now and then, as long as you keep an eye on it,” says David Herbert. Hone in your risotto making skills with Herbert’s next-level prawn and zucchini risotto. The plump rice, married together with light, fresh flavours make for a comforting rice dish that will ease away the stress of the day.
Get the recipe for David Herbert’s prawn and zucchini risotto.
Creamy golden orzo
The flavour and texture of risotto is hard to beat but it can sometimes take a bit too much attention for a week night. Why not try this pasta recipe as an easy alternative? Orzo mimics rice and is delicious, creamy. It’s the perfect side for any meal but also stands up as a dish on its own. And it pairs delightfully with Elizabeth Hewson’s osso buco.
Get the recipe for Elizabeth Hewson’s rich and creamy golden orzo.
Aromatic saffron rice
Saffron rice traces its roots back to India and Persia but has made its way all around the world as a staple dish. It is fragrant and will be a compliment to any main. Try this with Lennox Hastie’s slow-cooked lamb.
Get the recipe for Lennox Hastie’s saffron rice.
Risotto verde
This unique risotto recipe is called ‘verde’ because of its colour but Alice Zaslavsky says she’s “tempted to call it a ‘Verdi paste’ for the way it elevates this dish to operatic levels”. This dish works as a standalone, or accompanied by a simple spring salad.
Get the recipe for Alice Zaslavsky’s risotto verde.
Want more meal ideas for the week? Check out these delicious recipes to cook at home at theaustralian.com.au/life/food-drink.
For weekly recipes sign up to our weekly food and wine newsletter.
