HOME  FOOD

What 16 rice dishes look like from around the world

Aliza Gulab 
Jul 9, 2020, 2:02 AM
  • Rice makes up a major part of the diet of more than 3.5 billion people around the globe.
  • The grain is used in savory dishes like Spain's paella and sweet dishes like Filipino champorado.
  • We took a look at 16 rice dishes from around the world.
  • Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Following is a transcript of the video.
Abby Tang: Over 3.5 billion people from around the world eat rice as a staple part of their diet, and we can only show some of the beloved rice dishes that exist. Let's take a look at how rice is eaten around the world.
This dish stirs up a debate out of love. Jollof rice is a dish from West Africa that varies from country to country. It's popular in Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, and many others. Most jollof rice dishes include tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Choices of protein can vary from lamb to chicken, beef, or fish. Jollof rice can be served with sides like fried plantains or vegetables.
Nasi goreng is Indonesia's national dish and translates simply to "fried rice." It's believed to have been introduced when Chinese immigrants made their way to Indonesia sometime between the 10th and 15th centuries. Nasi goreng is made with an abundance of spices, garlic, shallot, and a sweet soy sauce called kecap manis. Meat, vegetables, and eggs can also be added in. Some accompaniments include fried prawn crackers, salad, or sambal, an Indonesian chili sauce.
In Spanish cuisine, paella is a must-try rice dish. It originated in Valencia and is best cooked in a paella pan over an open fire. Traditionally, it was made by farm laborers during lunch and eaten straight from the pan. The meats and vegetables used in this dish varied based on whatever was available at the time. Nowadays, there are plenty of variations with meat and seafood. Essential ingredients are onions, garlic, and saffron for a deep yellow stain.
This creamy rice dish is an Italian staple. Arborio or carnaroli rice is the best type of grain to use. The rice is cooked with broth, butter, onions, wine, and Parmesan cheese. Some may argue that risotto is time consuming and requires a lot of attention when cooking, but once you get a hang of the technique, the dish can be ready in as little as 30 minutes.
Cơm tấm, also known as broken rice, is a Vietnamese dish with humble beginnings. The grains used in cơm tấm are considered to be broken leftovers from the drying and milling process. Traditionally, farmers from the Mekong Delta would cook the unsellable grains. Eventually, they introduced the dish to the city of Saigon, which is now known as Ho Chi Minh City. Cơm tấm is served with a variety of sides, like shredded pork, eggs, and pickled vegetables.
This rice entree comes from the city of Yangzhou in China's Jiangsu province. Some may know the dish as house fried rice. It's made of rice tossed with roast pork, shrimp, scallions, eggs, and peas inside of a wok. The best type of rice to use is leftover cooked rice. Chinese restaurants worldwide have kept this dish a staple menu item. India's biryani rice is a fusion of spices. The word biryani derives from the Persian word birian and means "fried before cooking." A long-grain rice, such as basmati, is fried and cooked with meat, vegetables, eggs, nuts, and fruits. Depending on the region, there are countless variations and cooking methods of biryani.
Puerto Rico's rice dish is also considered the island's national dish. Arroz con gandules is rice cooked with pigeon peas, pork, and sofrito sauce. It's usually served during holidays and special occasions.
Jamaican rice and peas uses pigeon peas or kidney beans. Long-grain rice is cooked with coconut milk, garlic, scallions, pepper, and allspice. Rice and peas is commonly served in households every Sunday. It's usually served as a side dish along with curries or jerk and barbecue chicken.
Using similar ingredients like pigeon peas and coconut milk, Trinidad and Tobago's rice dish is called pelau. Trinidadians use a technique called browning the meat by adding meat to burnt sugar in a pot with onions and garlic before adding the rice and other ingredients. For extra flavor, a key ingredient to add near the end of cooking would be Golden Ray salted butter. The final product can be served wet, meaning it's on the soupier side, or dry, on the grainy side.
Korean bibimbap translates to "mixed rice with meat and vegetables." Traditionally, it was made with raw beef and raw egg yolk. Today, many variations exist based on choice. White rice is served with side dishes like kimchi, onions, eggs, mushrooms, and so on. Bibimbap is served with gochujang sauce for extra flavor.
When visiting Louisiana, you must add jambalaya to your food-bucket list. The one-pot dish is a staple in New Orleans and can be categorized into two types, Creole and Cajun. The Creole version is redder and uses tomatoes. In both versions, long-grain rice is cooked with a mix of meats. Some popular choices are seafood, chicken, or sausage. Some variations include all three. Vegetables, onions, spices, and peppers are also mixed in.
This rice dish is sweet. Champorado is a chocolate porridge made with glutinous sweet rice. Traditionally, tableya, or pure cocoa blocks, are used, but cocoa powder makes a great substitution. In the Philippines, the porridge is commonly eaten for breakfast and served alongside tuyo, a salted dried fish. It's topped with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, or coconut milk.
Tahdig is basically scorched rice. It's made from the pan-fried layer of crust at the bottom of the rice pot. Many years ago, rice was a luxury ingredient in Persia. According to legend, a single grain of rice should not go wasted or left in the pot. To achieve this, cooks would layer the bottom of the pot with bread to prevent the rice from burning. Other techniques use a mixture of rice, yogurt, and saffron or thin slices of peeled potatoes. Whichever ingredients you choose to place beneath the rice, the end result will be a golden crispy layer at the bottom of the pot.
Mansaf is Jordan's national dish. It consists of rice and lamb cooked in a sauce called jameed, which is a fermented dried yogurt. The dish is served on a platter in layers with a base of flatbread. Rice, jameed, lamb, almonds, and pine nuts are layered on top.
These Japanese rice balls are called onigiri. Steamed rice is formed into shapes like balls, triangles, or cylinders. It's then wrapped in nori, dried seaweed. Onigiri can be eaten plain or stuffed with fillings like salmon or vegetables. It makes a perfect snack for on the go.
What's your favorite dish? Will you be trying any of these in our video? Let us know in the comments below.

MOST POPULAR

MOST RECENT