RICE DISHES .... Any inspired suggestions?

Right now I have a largish quantity of left-over cooked Jasmine rice in my fridge. Hmmmmmmmm .... something baked?

well I am not so into cooking, so I can only tell you that in Croatia very popular dish is "sarma" and it is partially made with rice - sarma are actually rolls of cabbage filled with white rice and minced meat

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Ah yes! Ukrainians make that, too. (My family is Ukrainian) With garlic & egg & other goodies along with the rice & mince. One of my favourite dishes as a child. Yum!

Well, if you don't mind spending the time, lamb biryani is one of my favorites. This recipe is pretty good:

Title: Fragrant Lamb Biryani
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 c basmati rice
one-inch knob fresh ginger; -minced
4 garlic cloves; minced
1/2 c finely chopped onion
1/8 ts nutmeg
1/4 ts cinnamon
1/4 ts mace
4 green cardamom pods; husked -and ground
1/2 ts freshly ground pepper
6 whole cloves; ground
3/4 ts salt
1 c yogurt cheese (strained -yogurt)
3 tb tomato paste
1/2 lb boneless lean lamb; such as
shoulder or leg; cut into -1-inch cubes
4 tb desi ghee or mild vegetable -oil
1 whole star anise
1 cinnamon stick; about 2 -inches long
1/4 c slivered almonds
1/4 c raisins or sultanas
1 peeled onion; cut in half -and sliced le
1/2 c water; plus
1/4 c water; if needed
2 ts rose water

Instructions

Wash and soak the rice. Drain and set aside. Combine the ginger, garlic, onion, ground spices and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large glass bowl. Add the yogurt cheese and tomato paste. Mix well. Add the lamb and rub the mixture into the meat. Let marinate for 1 hour. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large pot.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon desi ghee or oil in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Add the star anise and cinnamon. Stir for 30 seconds, then add the rice. Stir and fry until the rice grains are glistening and coated with oil, about 5 minutes. Transfer the rice to the boiling water, add the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and boil for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander. Set aside. Heat 1/2 tablespoon desi ghee or oil in a large heavy skillet over moderate heat. Add the almonds and fry until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the raisins to the pan and fry until plump. Remove and place alongside the nuts.

Add 1 tablespoon desi ghee or oil to the pan, then add the onion and fry until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a plate. Remove the meat from the marinade. Add 1 tablespoon desi ghee or oil to the pan. When hot, add the meat cubes and sear until lightly browned, about 5 minutes per side. Add the marinade and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the oil starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the water, cover and cook until the meat is fork-tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Position a rack in the centre of the oven; preheat oven to 300 degrees.

To assemble the biryani: Spread a layer of rice in a 2-quart, heat-proof glass baking dish. Top with a layer of lamb, fried onion, nuts, raisins and rice, finishing with onion, nuts and raisins. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2
tablespoon desi ghee and the rose water over the top. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand (covered) for 5 minutes.

Serves 4. Variation: In place of the lamb, you may use skinless boneless chicken breasts, or beef chuck or sirloin cut into 1-inch cubes.

*Just a couple of tips, the cardamom pods can be used whole, they needn't be husked and ground. Also, as this recipe calls for rosewater, you could also include a pinch of saffron to the mix.

I was abt to suggest biryani as well !!

The correct way to cook biryani is in an earthen pot surrounded by hot coals

Thank you for that, cav. It sounds delicious! I think I WILL try it!
Just one question: The yoghurt cheese - Would straining it through a strainer do the trick? Or cheese cloth?
I have most of the ingredients already, though have never used mace or star anise before. Hey, it sounds good!

Mmmm....biryani.....rice at it's least boring, IMO.

msolga, a cheesecloth-lined strainer over a bowl will work just fine.

I make a weird thing called piebald rice, that I invented

Want it?

Ah, really, Deb?
Wanna share?

Does it involve removing the top of a perfectly good pie, thus making it bald, and throwing rice into it?

yeah, garlic too msolga but we don't use eggs in it

YES!

I can give you tonnes of rice recipies - wait till I have some more time

Just remembered another ingredient. Bread - soaked & crumbled up, then mixed with the rest of the filling.
Do you steam yours, or cook it in oil?

Why thank you, Gautam.

msolga, you should also consider expanding your rice horizons....there are SO many delicious kinds of rice out there.

Nah.

But 'tis one of those "throw a bit of this" recipes.

Ok.

Boil up a good quantity of Basmati rice in one pot
And a similar quantity of black rice in another

In a little oil (plus a bit of toasted sesame oil) saute cut up onions and crushed garlic, to taste

when all nice and squishy - add crushed cumin, crushed cardamon seeds, turmeric, garam masala, crushed dried chilis (or cut up fresh) to taste.

You can add diced chicken (cooked), or almonds, or raw cashews, or fish at this stage, if you want.

when rice is cooked, drain well

add some good chicken (or vegie) stock to onions and spices

add rice and heat through and such, until it is fairly dry

add salt if needed

chopped fresh coriander and laksa mint (vietnamese mint) is wonderful spread on top - sometimes I make a sort of flat omelette, with herbs and such, and cut it in strips and put it on top - as with nasi goreng


People love it - the texture of the black rice is wonderful

can be hot, warm, or cold