Seven super simple recipes for each day of National Rice Week

You can eat me for every meal, serve me hot or cold, and I’m packed full of nutritional benefits. What am I? Hannah Twiggs shares seven simple recipes that celebrate rice

Name a more versatile ingredient. We’ll wait (Rice Association)

National Rice Week, back this September (11-17 September), is the perfect opportunity to widen your recipe repertoire and discover great value meal ideas to feed all the family.

The annual campaign run by the UK Rice Association aims to raise the profile of the British rice sector and encourage more people to choose rice, whether that’s demonstrating the simplicity of cooking it at home or being first choice when eating out.

Showcasing dishes using a variety of rice grains, we’ve got seven super simple new recipes for you to try, all of which are tasty, easy to follow and make the most of leftovers and store cupboard staples – like rice!

Not only is rice super versatile – in fact, rice is one of the few foods that can be enjoyed sweet or savoury, hot or cold and for every meal of the day – it is also gluten-free and offers a host of nutritional benefits too.

With seven dishes using seven types of rice, there’s a new recipe to try every day of the week.

Creamy mushroom and chicken rice

A delicious, easy and budget-friendly dinner (Rice Association)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and sliced (230g)

3 garlic cloves, sliced

300g mushrooms, sliced

300g Bomba rice

1 litre chicken stock

½ pack (10g) flat-leaf parsley, chopped

4 tbsp sour cream

2 chicken breasts (skin off)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based casserole dish over a moderate heat, add the leeks and cook for about 6-7 minutes until soft.

Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for a further minute.

Add rice, stock and give the rice a good stir.

Cover the pan and bake in the oven for about 25 minutes or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and the grains are just cooked through.

Stir in the parsley, sour cream and season to taste.

In the meantime, pan fry the chicken in a non-stick pan with a little oil until cooked throughout.

To serve, chop up the chicken, then add it to the pan with the rice. Mix to combine.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Cooks tip: Add some chorizo for extra flavour.

Sticky chicken rice bowls

This sticky rice bowl is ready in just 30 minutes (Rice Association)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the rice:

6 spring onions chopped (90g)

1 tbsp coconut oil/olive oil

200g Jasmine rice

400ml coconut light milk

200ml water

For the dressing:

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp brown rice miso

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sriracha

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 chicken breasts (skin off)

1 tbsp olive oil

To serve:

2 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts

Handful coriander/mint

1 spring onion sliced

Method:

To make the rice, fry the spring onion in a large pan with the oil.

Now add the rice, coconut milk and water.

Stir then cover pan with lid and simmer until the liquid is absorbed (12-14 minutes).

Once the liquid is absorbed, turn off the heat keeping the lid on the rice for 10 minutes.

Season to taste.

For the dressing, add all the ingredients to a jar and mix to combine

To cook the chicken, pre heat oven to 180C.

Score the chicken breasts and heat the oil in a griddle or frying pan. Cook the chicken for 7-8 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a large baking tray and spoon over the dressing.

Bake for 5 minutes until they are bubbling.

To serve, spoon the coconut rice into bowls, top with the chicken and all the garnishes.

Cook’s tip: You can swap the chicken for salmon, tofu or aubergine.

Herby rice with harissa roast tomatoes and feta

A filling vegetarian dinner (Rice Association)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

200g brown rice

For the tomatoes:

300g cherry tomatoes

1 tbsp olive oil

For the harissa dressing:

2 tbsp harissa/rose harissa

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon juice

To stir in:

150g feta

10g fresh dill, chopped

15g fresh mint, chopped

Method:

Cook the rice as per pack instructions.

To cook the tomatoes, preheat the oven to 180C. Add the cherry tomatoes to a large baking tray and toss them in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Bake on for 20-25 minutes or until soft and browning a little. Set aside.

To make the dressing, add all the ingredients to a jar and mix to combine then season to taste.

To sever, toss the rice with the dressing, fresh herbs and feta.

Top with the roast tomatoes.

Cook’s tip: Make a vegan version by swapping the feta for vegan feta or crispy tofu.

Rice salad with salmon, greens and lemon tahini dressing

Break out of the recipe rut with this fresh salad (Rice Association)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

200g long grain rice

2 salmon steaks (240g)

1 onion, sliced

100g cabbage greens

1 courgette sliced (200g)

For the lemon tahini dressing:

Juice of ½ lemon

2 tbsp runny tahini

1 tbsp olive oil

50ml water

To serve:

Fresh mint

Method:

To make the rice salad, cook the rice as per the pack instructions. Drain and set aside.

In the meantime, pan fry the salmon steaks on a little oil for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Set aside and flake up when cool.

In a separate frying pan, add the onion and fry for 5-6 minutes.

Now add the cabbage and courgette and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add in the cooked rice.

To make the dressing, add all the ingredients to a jar and mix to combine.

To serve, add the rice and greens to a large bowl, add the flaked salmon and toss lightly to combine.

Serve with dressing and fresh mint.

Cook’s tip: This also works well with a harissa or classic vinaigrette dressing.

Veggie biryani with crispy tofu

Perfect for a special occasion (Rice Association)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

For the biryani:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced finely (120g)

2 carrots, chopped up finely (200g)

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ red chilli or ½ tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

3 tomatoes, chopped (350g)

200g basmati rice

500ml vegetable stock

1 can coconut milk (400ml)

150g frozen peas

For the crispy tofu:

1 x 200g block firm tofu cut into medium-sized slices

1 tbsp oil

To serve:

Fresh coriander

Method:

To make the Biryani, add the oil to a large saucepan pan, heat to medium then add the onions, carrots, garlic, chilli and spices.

Fry on a low heat for approx 6-7 minutes until soft.

Now add the tomatoes, rice, stock and coconut milk – simmer until the rice is cooked (15-20 minutes)

Stir in the peas 2 minutes just before the rice is cooked.

Season to taste.

To make the crispy tofu, heat a frying pan to medium and add the oil to the pan. Add the tofu to the pan, fry on each side for a few minutes, turning carefully until crispy.

To serve, top the rice with the tofu and fresh coriander.

Cook’s tip: The rice works really well with prawns or chicken.

Sticky mango rice bowls

Take inspiration from a classic Thai dessert (Rice Association)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

100g sushi rice, pre-soaked

250ml plant based milk

½ can coconut milk (200ml)

3 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

To serve:

1 ripe mango sliced

4 tbsp desiccated coconut, toasted

Pistachios

Method:

In a medium pan, combine the sushi rice, plant based milk, coconut milk and sugar and stir well.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes or until the rice is tender and has thickened.

Stir in the vanilla extract.

To serve, divide into bowls and top with the mango, coconut and pistachios.

Add a little additional coconut milk if needed.

Cook’s tip: This makes a lovely dessert but also can be eaten in the morning for breakfast.

Cheesy pea arancini with garlic mayo

These arancini balls are packed with flavour (Rice Association)

Makes: 16-18

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

For the arancini:

800g leftover risotto of choice

150g frozen peas, defrosted

Juice of ½ lemon

100g mature cheddar grated

To coat the arancini:

200g toasted bread

50g plain flour

2 eggs, beaten with 1 tsp water

To serve:

Garlic mayo

Fresh herbs

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Method:

To make the arancini, mix the leftover risotto with the peas, lemon juice and cheddar, seasoning to taste.

Scoop up a golf ball sized amount and roll into a ball. Place the balls on a plate ready for rolling.

To make the crumb, break up the toast a little and add to your food processor and blitz until you get a fine crumb and add to a shallow dish.

Add the plain flour to a shallow bowl and the beaten egg to another.

Roll each arancini in a little flour, then egg and finally coat in the breadcrumbs. Repeat.

Drizzle a baking tray with olive oil and add the balls.

Bake for 25 minutes – turn halfway through.

To serve, top with a little olive oil and fresh herbs.

Cook’s tip: Also delicious with some mozzarella in the middle of the arancini instead of the cheddar.

For more information see: www.riceassociation.org.uk or www.facebook.com/TheRiceAssociation