Family friendly rice recipes

[Tinks15]

Trying to think of more meals that we can have with rice, my two little girls love rice but we don’t eat much of it. The only meal with rice that we all eat is chilli. My 5 year old can be particularly fussy so it’s not always easy finding something she likes. Can anyone give me some nice recipes that you can have with rice?

Thanks

We all love 'lamb biryani'

Fry lamb mince, onion and curry powder, add Basmati rice, stock, green beans and sultanas and simmer until cooked - top with natural yoghurt.

It's really tasty.

My children's favourite is chicken, rice, eggs and peas.

Long grain rice cooked, chilled then lightly fried in veg oil with a good splash of sesame oil and soy sauce. I tend to add a bit of garlic powder too.

Once its heated through i make a well in the centre of the rice and scramble an egg per person, throw in some finely diced chicken and lots of peas.

It's subtly flavoured with the garlic, sesame and soy so not completely bland. It's a big cross age range hit, cheap, easy and fairly low washing up.

Jambalaya is one of my favourite dishes that uses rice - I make this one but you can make so many variations www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chicken-chorizo-jambalaya

Risotto is lovely to make when you've got leftover roast chicken - make stock with the carcass and then stir in any leftover meat with your favourite veg (asparagus, peas, mushrooms etc)

If your children will eat fish then kedgeree is nice - and of course egg fried rice is nice

You could also try making a mild Thai green curry or chicken korma

Stroganoff www.taste.com.au/recipes/beef-stroganoff-rice/cd6551dd-883d-4939-a4ec-45dbe5f9d979
Paella www.mydish.co.uk/recipe/8344/annabel-karmels-paella
Chicken pilaf www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/quick-and-easy/chicken-and-spinach-pilaf/

I do a mild Mexican rice.
Brown a diced onion with 1 crushed clove of garlic until onion transparent in 1 tbsp oil.
Add 500 gm diced chicken and brown .
Set aside chicken and onion mixture.
Heat oil again and ‘fry’ 1 cup rice until rice changes colour.
Add 2 cups chicken stock and 1 jar taco sauce. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer, adding chicken mixture back in.
Simmer until liquid is absorbed by rice and rice is cooked. ( about 20 minutes)
Add handful frozen peas and stir through until peas cooked, about 3 minutes.
Serve with avocado or guacamole on tortillas with sour cream

We eat fajitas/burritos quite a lot, served with rice.
Spiciness can be adapted easily.

Mild korma type curry using leftover roast chicken

Stir fry chicken/ prawns with rice

Oven things like chicken kievs , sausages and fish cakes go nicely with rice and salad (instead of chips!)

Beef or mushroom stroganoff
Sweet and sour chicken or veg with rice
If you make risotto use leftovers to make aranchini

Some great ideas here - thanks very much everyone.

@Weenurse that looks delicious....i'm going to try that. Thanks

We do risotto, often with chicken (left over chicken stirred in or chicken pieces on the side).

Also roasted cauliflower with pilaf goes down well here. You could replace the cauliflower with chicken or whatever you fancy [fry onions slowly until soft, then up heat to brown a little. Add turmeric, fennel seeds, 1-2 cloves and a bay leave then rice - we use regular long grain because it's so easy - stir rice in then add stock, cover and simmer until done. Add peas if desired).

Growing up we often had mince with rice - mince would be cooked sort of in a bolognaise style but with less tomato. Sometimes with curry powder, sometimes not.

Any stew is good with rice. I do many in my slow cooker. But also do a quick easy "stew" of onion, chorizo/bacon, baked beans, splash of balsamic vinegar and a bit of stock. With rice. For quick easy supper.

Egg fried rice with extra veg

My dc loved Tuna rice bake when they were smaller. We rarely have it now but when the cupboards are almost bare its a useful budget meal.

Put a layer of cooked rice in an oven dish. (You can add some softened onion to the rice)
Cover with layer of drained tinned tuna.
Cover with tinned chopped toms
Add a layer of cheese sauce. Top with grated cheese and bake until cheese is brown.

(If you use the tuna in oil then you can use the drained oil as the base for the cheese sauce, it works as well as butter, or to fry off the onion.)

Rice and meatballs in tomato sauce

egg fried rice (good for using up leftovers)

risotto

I also did a poor man's arancini by frying little patties of left over risotto in a pan in some olive oil until crispy. That was yum and got an okay response as part of a bits and bobs lunch.

Risotto of various sorts (peas and prawns is my kids’ favourite)
Fried left over risotto cakes
Stir fried rice - bit of ginger and garlic, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and any veg that can be chopped and fried. Nuts and eggs go well in this
Korma and rice

I’ve also done a “plain” fried rice without the ginger and soy etc just with ham and veg and a bit of garlic. Tasted boring to me but the kids liked it.

Fried rice does require pre cooked rice so is best with left over rice from another meal

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/fish-oleekie - my children loved this

Bacon and leek risotto

Fried spricy rice with just about anything and great for using up salad that has gone a bit wilted so my picky lot won't eat it! So simple, fry onions/spring onions, garlic and ginger for a couple of minutes, stir in current paste of desired heat, add cooked rice and anything else you fancy, I dice bigger things. Great for using up leftovers - last night made one with leftover chicken, some ham, chorizo, ginger, garlic, spirng onions, peas, carrots, mangetout, a green pepper, chopped green chilli. Served it with lamb chops. Went to get the leftovers out to freeze them and found that teenage son had inhaled the rest last night.

PS - have you tried chicken korma made with the pataks sauce in a jar? Mine loved that when they were younger

This simple paella is good.