Rice – A Lifelong Love Affair
Rice is loved and used all over the world. I was born in the Philippines and rice is a staple at every meal. It is a staple in Japan, China, India and pretty much all of Asia and the Pacific Islands (Hawaii, Indonesia, etc). Many meals in Spain, Central and South America use rice as either the main meal or an accompaniment to the main dish. It is also widely used in the African Continent. I have even discovered its use in Germany and France.
It can be created as the main course, or as a side dish that complements the main course. You can also create it as a desert, hot or cold, with rice as the main ingredient. It could be a great snack food that the kids will eat without realizing it is boring rice they are enjoying. When you consider the possibilities of rice – it suddenly becomes easier to make your decision.
I love rice and have been eating it most of my life. I have even I created a blog a little while back that allows me to share recipes I created using this wonderful food source. For me it is a natural product that I can build the entire meal around without over doing the idea of rice.
Rice is a versatile staple, which comes in a variety of shapes and colors, and is very easy to prepare. There are many ways of preparing as well utilizing different cooking implements. I found the most convenient and easiest is an electric rice cooker.
There are over 120,000 rice varieties. This leads to endless possibilities. Everyone is familiar with long-grain white rice, often served steamed and unadorned as a side dish – but there is also short-grain rice, used in puddings, sushi and savory sticky rice dishes; Indian Basmati rice, with its distinctive aroma and flavor, which is ideal with curries; Thai fragrant rice, lightly scented and ideal with spicy dishes; and arborio – an Italian rice that cooks to a creamy and luxurious risotto. There is black wild rice, attractive mixed with white rice and dramatic used on its own; and brown or unpolished rice, which has a nutty flavor and chewy texture, and makes a base for a salad. When ground to a flour, it is even used in baking and in the creation of noodles.
Rice is an ideal pantry item – kept in a cool dry place, it has a long shelf-life. It can make a quick mid-week supper, a colorful salad for a picnic, or an elegant dinner party – try basing an entire meal on different types of rice. There are cookbooks that are specific to rice dishes, as well as websites and blogs. Check them out for hundreds of possible uses and recipes and you too will be hooked on rice, as I am, forever!
I enjoy entertaining and sharing my recipes with close friends and acquaintances. I have always wanted to write a cookbook and have found that sharing my recipes and experiences through my blog provides that opportunity.