Comfort food is our go-to meals during winter.
Hearty stews and spicy curries are ideals dishes to warm up with on a cold rainy day.
These dishes are best served with rice.
Whether it’s fragrant rice or your everyday white rice, it’s a kitchen cupboard basic.
Because it’s such a essential part of these winter dishes we tend to cook more than necessary for one serving, making leftover rice a common feature in fridges.
This doesn’t mean it has to go to waste.
One can get creative and whip up a whole different meal with your leftover rice.
Here are three easy recipes:
1. MEXICAN FRIED RICE
Ingredients
3 cups cooked white rice
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
3 chopped jalapeño peppers
½ cup chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 green onions, sliced
Directions
Add two tablespoons of the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the onion, and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft.
Add the tomatoes, corn and jalapeño peppers. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the seasoning and garlic, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic begins to brown.
Turn the heat down to medium, add the remaining olive oil and the cooked rice.
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently to blend the rice and seasoning.
Stir in the green onions, and remove the pan from the heat.
Top with the remaining green onions.
Recipe – Premeditated Leftovers
2. EASY THAI-FRIED RICE
Ingredients
4 cups cooked rice (jasmine rice works best)
2 eggs, beaten
2 green onions, chopped
2 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
Directions
Add your oil to a wok or large frying pan and heat over medium-high.
When the oil is hot, add your garlic and fresh ginger (if using ground, wait to add it until you add the rice). Sauté for 60 seconds.
Add your rice and stir it around to coat it in oil. You may feel like you want to add more oil, but don’t.
You need the rice to get some good colour and texture on it, and too much oil will just make it … well, oily.
Fry the rice for 30 seconds and then stir it around to expose the un-fried side to the heat.
Cook for another 30 seconds, and stir. Add your soy sauce and fish sauce and stir it in.
Move your rice mixture out of the centre of the pan, making a little well for your eggs.
Pour your beaten eggs into the centre and let them cook for a few seconds undisturbed.
Now, break up the eggs and stir into your rice, making sure to mix everything together well.
Add your green onions and cilantro and stir well.
Taste a bite of it with a spoon to make sure everything is seasoned well and heated through.
If it needs more flavour, add a bit more soy sauce, or even some red pepper flakes for some heat.
Garnished with more coriander.
Recipe – The Wanderlust Kitchen
3. VEGETABLE EGG-FRIED RICE
This simple recipe can be whipped up in 10 minutes.
Ingredients
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp garlic purée
140g chopped fresh or frozen peppers
Handful fresh or frozen broccoli florets
140g cooled, cooked leftover rice
1 egg , beaten
Light soy sauce , to drizzle
Directions
Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over a high heat.
Add garlic purée and stir briefly. Add the peppers and broccoli florets, stir fry for 3 minutes.
Tip in the rice, then stir fry for another 3-4 minutes.
Make a well in the centre of the rice and add the egg.
Cook for 1 minute, then stir the egg into the rice.
Season to taste and spoon into serving bowls.
Drizzle with soy sauce and serve.
Recipe – Good Food Team
