Everyone knows I can cook even when I’m half asleep. FYI, I have done this before. My love for food is that strong. So, it has been comforting to know that many others are finding solace in cooking right now.
Need a mood lifter? Why not bake a bread. Need to energise the mind? Why not whip up a mug cake.
Well, I’ve got some more good news for you. Recipes that you can put together in a jiffy without worrying about ingredients.
Wonderin’ what’s quick to make and can be found in every pantry? Rice.
I’ve rounded up 8 easy rice recipes that are a touch heartening, a little cheery and all made from rationed supplies you have at home!
What to Make While on Lockdown Due to Coronavirus?
If you’ve been struggling with dinner ideas or juggling work from home with work for home, take inspiration from these eight easy-breezy rice recipes. Cooking them is child’s play even with limited resources at hand because all their ingredients are that basic.
1. Fresh Green Chickpea Pulao
Pulaos are a quick, healthy meal and the variations are limitless, from soya to chicken to seasonal vegetables. Why did I pick chholiya pulao then?
Because fresh green chickpeas are dense nuggets of fibre, protein, vitamin B, iron and phosphorous – exactly what we need right now to boost our immunities. Take the light, refreshing flavour of the fresh green chickpea pulao as the cherry on the top.
Quick note: I’ve used brown rice for the recipe, but go ahead and use white rice. If you can’t get your hands on fresh chickpea, dried or canned ones are great too. You can also substitute the green chickpea with kala chana (Indian black chickpea). Even beans – kidney or black – take the pulao to delectable heights.
2. Raw Mango Rice
One golden rule I follow is that cooking shouldn’t be stressful. That’s how this recipe was born and why now is the textbook time to try it.
With raw mangoes trickling in, all you require rice (if you have some leftover in the fridge, even better), a few spices and you have a spicy, savoury and crunchy meal ready.
Raw mango rice is your dish if you want something delicious and healthy that is way better than any takeout!
3. Coconut Rice
This recipe is my go-to saviour on days when my mind hangs the sign “out-of-order.” It is not only quick and handy but also a complete meal. Although, you can always serve it with a side of cool, thick yoghurt or as an accompaniment to sambhar.
If you’re twiddling your thumbs at home, wondering what to make for lunch or dinner with basic ingredients, then try the aromatic coconut rice.
4. Curd Rice
In quarantimes (get it?), this recipe has to be the first on your list. It’s ridiculously easy, and so, so nourishing. With a bit of curd, rice, ginger and carrot, you have a healthy and nutritious meal ready in a matter of minutes.
Beside being wonderfully light, curd rice doesn’t ask you to slave over a hot stove – a true blessing with temperatures on the rise.
5. Black Rice Broccoli Pumpkin Salad
Minerals, phytonutrients, fibre and whatnot, black rice has it all. That’s point one for the salad. And going for the slam dunk - the oven does all the hard work.
Your part is merely caramelising onions and mixing the ingredients. Enjoy the salad cold or serve it warm, the choice is up to you. And if you don’t have black rice at home to make the black rice broccoli pumpkin salad, any nice, chewy short-grain rice will work like a charm.
Someone rightly said that a lot of things are cancelled in 2020, but love isn’t cancelled. The conversation isn’t cancelled. And experimenting is definitely not cancelled. So, keep the savoury rice dishes on the hold for a minute and whip up these two sweet rice desserts. I kid you not with one bite you will fall in love.
6. Jaggery Rice
Or as we call it, gur-wale chawal is terrifically easy to make (all you do is cook rice with spices and jaggery syrup). It’s also therapeutic thanks to the incredible fragrances that waft through the house.
Jaggery rice is a family speciality, the recipe passed down from my father. In a time when many of us are stuck far away from our loved ones, I hope this delicate rice dessert brings you joy.
7. Coconut Black Rice Pudding
This was a kitchen experiment that took me entirely by surprise. And the reason I include it here is that black rice (as I mentioned before) is full of disease-fighting antioxidants, essential amino acids, dietary fibre, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Coconut black rice pudding is also topped with fresh mangoes (you can use any fresh fruit you have), making it the ideal refreshing and cool summer dessert.
8. Easy Mexican Rice
Bold and flavourful, my easy Mexican rice is loaded with a complex tomato flavor infused with gorgeous spices. Each grain has just the right amount of bite, heat and an underlying hint of tang!
This Mexican Rice uses the most basic of ingredients and is unbelievably easy to make. The prep and the cooking barely take any time.
When You Are Done With The 8 Easy Rice Recipes
The burden of work has increased for everyone - kids, work, chores and not to forget the generalised anxiety over the pandemic. In the chaos, planning and organising bare sustenance gets side-tracked.
I hope these 8 easy rice recipes take at least one load off your shoulders. And when you’ve exhausted these, try the nine pasta recipes that you can make just as effortlessly.
I’d love to hear from you! Please tag me on Instagram @tashasartisanfoods, using the hashtag #tashasartisanfoods. You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST for more fabulous recipes! Do subscribe to Tasha’s Artisan Foods so you’ll never miss a recipe!
Leave a Reply