Rice is such a versatile food that there are hundreds of ways of preparing it depending on where on earth you are eating it. This is the second part of list of popular rice dishes from around the world.
Kheer from India – Kheer is probably the most popular dessert in the Indian food list. It is a slow cooked rice pudding made with rose water, sugar, full-fat milk, saffron and cardamom. Sometimes kheer is topped with cashews, almonds and pistachios.
Nasi Goreng from Indonesia – Nasi Goreng roughly translates to “fried rice”, so you may call it an Indonesianfried rice. It is generally made with meat, egg, shallots, fresh green chillies and some spices like turmeric and sweet soy sauce.
Tahdig from Iran – Tahdig is fluffy and buttery pan-fried rice with a crispy golden crust, laced with saffron, pistachios, dried fruits and often some orange zest.
Sushi from Japan – Sushi is one of the most popular exports of Japanese culture. Sushi is essentially rice and seaweed wrapped rolls with various fillings such as fish and vegetables. The rice for sushi is specially prepared with vinegar, sugar and salt.
TahchinJoojah from Iran – Another rice dish from Iran that made it to this list is TahchinJoojah. It is saffron spiced rice baked into a casserole with layers of chicken and caramelized onions, served with a special garlic-yoghurt sauce.
Injeolmi from Korea – Injeolmi is a type of glutinous rice cake covered in powdered soyabeans, azuki beans or sesame seeds and is fairly popular in Korea.
Nasi Lemak from Malaysia – Nasi Lemak is the symbolic dish of Malay cuisine. It is made with long grain rice like Jasmine which is boiled in coconut milk, pandan leaves and other spices. It is then served with a hot shrimp sauce called sambal, fried anchovies, cucumber and toasted peanuts. Sometimes there are eggs or chicken added to it.
Champorado from Philippines – Champorado is probably our favourite rice-based dessert from this list. This is a type of sweet chocolate porridge made with sticky rice and creamy coconut milk. Sometimes they even use evaporated dairy milk if coconut milk is unavailable.
Duck Rice from Singapore – Braised duck is served with rice and a thick, spicy sauce. It can also be roasted with seasoning like cinnamon, ginger etc. They are often accompanied by side dishes such as pickled vegetables and hard-boiled eggs.
Banh Tet from Vietnam – This is a savoury (sometimes sweet) rice preparation popular in Vietnam. It is a glutinous rice roll with different fillings like pork belly, mung beans or vegetables cooked in a banana leaf wrapper which you will have to remove before eating.
Pad Kra Pao from Thailand – Pad Kra Pao is basically jasmine rice fried with garlic, Thai basil, bird eye peppers and meat topped with a fried egg when served.
