I don't like rice

[marlie202]

what is a good and delicious alternative to rice as an accompaniment to other dishes?

[racer x]

I don't like rice the way my mom used to cook it: plain white rice with butter. And I generally don't like brown rice and other "healthy" rices no matter how they are served. But I love rice when it is eaten mixed with meats, stews, soups, in sushi, etc. I can eat it almost everyday that way.

Along those lines, I love mashed potatoes, french fries, even hash browns, but utterly detest baked potatoes. (God-willing, I will never eat another baked white potato as long as I live.)

There are a whole host of starchy foods, tubers and whatnot, that are used extensively in West African and Caribbean cooking. I think I've seen your posts on the Manhattan board, Marlie; you may want to check out some of the markets in Washington Heights (eg, corner of 183rd and St. Nicholas) to see some of the variety.

Cassava is one of the non-rice, non-plaintain, non-yam foods used in West African cooking in different forms and sometimes combined with ground corn or plantains: gari, fufu, attieke, banku, kenkey.

[lgss]

Millet, quinoa, polenta, potatoes, pasta, corn bread. What kind of rice have you had? If you've been having enriched white rice, no wonder. Try brown rice.

[phan1]

I'm Vietnamese, so I like rice. But it has to be PERFECT to be good, and I can definitely understand why people don't like it. The thing about rice is that you have to LET IT SET! Freshly cooked rice is a boring, tasteless, mushy mess, and that's how it's often served, even in restaurants.

What I do is put newly cooked jasmine rice in a wooden bowl to soak up all the moisture and wait until the grains are no longer sticky. Unfortunately, this can take more than 2 hours, but the wait is worth it. The rice isn't even worth eating otherwise.

[dancingTimmy]

Risotto?
We all hate plain white rice. But then 1 day my wife made me order risotto. I claimed I was not going to pay good money for italian rice! Glad she did it!
Risotto is now on the top of my list! There is so many different tastes you can add to it.
Uncle Bens sucks! But real grown up rice is just fine.

[capeanne]

fregola..is it pasta or grain? dunno but love it hot or cold . sweet nutty flavor...great as a side or a salad ...

[jennywinker]

I rarely include starch as part of my meals anymore - rice, potatoes, pasta, noodles, bread, etc. I just make 2 yummy veggie dishes. I do like polenta and cornbread once in a while, and occasionally wild rice. And actually I can't resist soba.

[Chinon00]

Unadorned white rice is like eating nothing. Much like eating egg noodles in that manner. But I don't know anyone who would serve white rice in this manner. For instance my mother would add butter, finely chopped onions, parsley, chicken stock (and sometimes curry power) to white rice.
And furthermore rice can be difficult to cook for some, coming out clumpy and sticky, instead of flowing. This may be another reason why many people "don't like rice". As a corollary as a kid my friends parents would you serve canned peas (the mushy brown ones) that were terrible. My family always bought frozen peas (which were always bright green and retained some "bite").
And for those who don't like the very aromatic rices like jasmine and basmati either, well lots of people don't like lots of things (that are absolutely fantastic;]).

[hannaone]

LoL!
Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, etc all serve unadorned plain white rice often.
Edit:
I have to add that when I was growing up I didn't like rice either - the individual kernals, too firm texture, etc.
When I went to Korea and experienced the plain white sticky rice, I became a convert.

[Sam Fujisaka]

As do Malagash, Pakistanis, Indians, Nepalis, Bhutanese, Indonesians, Filipinos, Timorese, Malays, Lao, Burmese, Bolivians, Colombians, Ecuadorians, ...

[Chinon00]

I am particularly speaking of serving rice as a side that can be appreciated without anything else. Are you saying that "Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian" eat and enjoy white rice wholely apart from the main meal? That they serve rice with a meal the same way that we might served rice pilaf as a side; not to be directly introduced into a meat or vegetable gravy?

Thanks!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Yes, probably half the world eats plain rice as a side (albeit this is not "wholly apart from the main meal") not mixed with anything, but as an accompanyment to the main(s).

[Chinon00]

That's my point and is why I specifically stated "wholly apart from the main meal" Sam. If didn't mean specifically that Sam why would I have said it?

Thanks

[Sam Fujisaka]

"I am particularly speaking of serving rice as a side..."

"...the same way that we might served rice pilaf as a side; not to be directly introduced into a meat or vegetable gravy?"

"...wholely apart from the main meal"

I'm just a moron I guess. Given your three descriptive phrases, I got confused as to what you meant: i.e., a) eating plain rice as a main dish with nothing else (hardly anyone does this), b) eating plain rice as an accompanyment to a main dish (half the world does this), or c) eating plain rice only if mixed with a gravy or sauce (the group practicing b) above almost never does this).

[Chinon00]

Example: If served a plate of rice pilaf, green peas and say chicken with gravy, most of us I don't think are going to directly mix the chicken and gravy together with the rice pilaf. We'd eat each sort of separately. Now i haven't been everywhere but in my experience at Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc, restaurants the rice (I think) is used as a base for a meat or vegetable sauce. I could be wrong but I would have to have been wrong for 38 years.

[Humbucker]

Generally you only see stuff piled on top of white rice in Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese cuisine if it's one of those lunch specials in America or some kind of cheap eats place. Most of the time, rice is kept separately (often in its own bowl) and it may combined with another food a bite at a time. It's no so much like pasta (to be sauced), but more like mashed potatoes without gravy (which usually isn't mixed in with your turkey, meatloaf, etc.).

[Chinon00]

I'm a fairly adventurous eater; as I'm sure most of us are (e.g. I had Bibimbop just last night). Are you suggesting that in the cuisines that you've mentioned that rice is utilized as is say rice pilaf in Western cuisine? I have never seen rice pilaf "combined with another food a bite at a time" which is specifically what I'm talking about. The expectation when eating rice pilaf is that you would savour and enjoy it without mixing it or combining it with other things. That in my experience simply is not the utility of the bowl of plain white rice that accompanies a Vietnamese, Chinese or Indian meal (for example).

Thanks

[Humbucker]

I would say that fried rice is roughly analogous to rice pilaf in Chinese cuisine.

White rice isn't eaten absolutely naked much, but it is often enjoyed as a snack or light meal with a scant seasoning or topping (e.g. a few pickles, a little soy sauce, or a dash of furikake).

[Chinon00]

You appear to understand and appreciate my point. Thanks!

[augustiner]

i don't think it's useful to keep comparing plain white rice to rice pilaf in a western context. in asia, rice is never a side dish, it's the alpha and omega of food. it's not a meal at all without rice. the word for rice in many asian countries is synonymous with food, or a meal. people greet each other by asking "have you eaten rice?" of course there are vegetables, meats, soups, curries, etc., but really, they are secondary.

rice pilaf is a seasoned, flavored rice side dish that you might possibly serve with some dinners in, say, the US. plain white steamed rice, unsalted, unadorned, is basically mandatory at every single meal in say, korea or japan. everyone gets their own bowl of it, and you can eat it in separate bites between bites of other dishes, or you can spoon it into your soup, sauce, or you put the other food on top of the rice and shovel it into your mouth with chopsticks. but it can't be stressed enough that rice is basically synonymous with food. it's not the starch component of a meal, interchangeable with potatoes, pasta, or other grains. it's FOOD. many asians even make it when eating western starchy foods, like spaghetti. and many wouldn't even understand why you'd question the presence of rice at a pasta meal, or any other meal. it's there because we're eating.

hmm. although i have to say that you wouldn't get a bowl of rice if you stopped at a noodle stand. but noodles are seen as one dish meals, almost like snacks. quick lunches. not a real meal, in terms of sitting down with family or guests.

if i haven't had rice in a long time, i can very happily eat and enjoy a bowl of plain white short or medium grained rice on its own, but of course i'd rather have something to eat with it. like a bit of kimchi, but i wouldn't need anything else to enjoy it.

i hope this clarifies things a bit. if you continue comparing plain, unadorned white rice with rice pilaf, you won't really be able to appreciate how fundamental rice is to...well...half the world.

[Humbucker]

"hmm. although i have to say that you wouldn't get a bowl of rice if you stopped at a noodle stand. but noodles are seen as one dish meals, almost like snacks. quick lunches. not a real meal, in terms of sitting down with family or guests."

Actually, at some ramen places (at least in California), various rice bowls (like mini negitoro don or fried rice) are offerred on the side with your ramen.

[Chinon00]

That was my point. Plain white rice served in a Western context would be fairly boring.

[augustiner]

it seemed that your point wasn't about white rice being "boring" in a western context, but rather that you questioned whether or not rice was served alone in the many rice-based cultures sam named above, in comparison to a pilaf, which is a side dish. in your words, "I am particularly speaking of serving rice as a side that can be appreciated without anything else. " my point was that i don't think that is useful to compare a side dish to a food that is essential to about half the world. and your posts really don't stress the point that "Plain white rice served in a Western context would be fairly boring." you seemed more concerned about whether plain rice is eaten like rice pilaf. with peas and chicken.

so that wasn't your point. i don't care at all if you don't like rice, but i can't take you seriously when you insist on comparing a staple food to a side dish, and even suggest that any difficulty in cooking rice is a reasonable explanation for other people disliking rice wholesale. "And furthermore rice can be difficult to cook for some, coming out clumpy and sticky, instead of flowing. This may be another reason why many people "don't like rice"."

the rice eaten by koreans, japanese, and many other people is "clumpy and sticky" by nature. and i can cook rice well in my sleep and that shouldn't affect anyone's apprecation or lack thereof of rice. if you don't like it, you don't, and i would never challenge your personal taste. but the implication that "clumpy and sticky" are negative attributes to good rice displays a profound ignorance of several of the most significant rice-based cuisines in the world.

[Chinon00]

I'm afraid that the internet is not the best way to communicate. I enjoy rice. I was merely attempting to suggest that those who don't like rice may have been raised eating it unadorned and in a Western context (i.e.: as a side dish, not meant to be combined and enjoyed with other items). This MIGHT lead to one concluding that rice as "boring".

[KTinNYC]

But traditionally rice is the main and everything else is eaten a compliment. So it really is like pasta and the meat and vegetables are like the sauce.

[hannaone]

Uncovered, unseasoned, no additives, either as a side dish or at times a main dish accompanied by side dishes to the rice.
Example:
In Korea you will often see a light breakfast of rice with kimchi and perhaps other banchan as a side(s).

[Sam Fujisaka]

Many Japanese of my generation made and make meals of gohan and ume or tsukemeno.

[Morticia]

I agree about badly cooked rice creating lifelong rice-aversions: my mother always burned the rice (severely), causing the smoke to filter up through the pot so that all of the rice tasted burnt, even when she tried to use just the top part. So yes, I count myself among those who don't like rice (except brown rice) - I always get my burritos without rice, I eat my Indian food with naan instead of rice, and I try to eat at Asian restaurants that serve brown rice.

[peachtart]

Look up recipes for Persian Rice. It is a very flavorful way to cook rice...it is cooked with spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, saffron, nuts and dried fruits. After cooking the rice you then cook it in a skillet where it develops a great crisp crust.

[ymushi]

how about 'QUINOA' ?

cook it in chicken broth, you can eat just like that.
I like add chopped veges & feta or goat cheese.

It's super good for you grain.
I'm not super healthy eater, but I can enjoy this.

[peachtart]

Quinoa, bulgar wheat and farro all work well for that type of preparation. All are great alternatives.

[Cookiepants]

I too hate rice. I associate it with poverty. I also think it unfortunately reminds me of maggots. Perhaps if I ate it growing up I would like it better but its boring and can tolerate a bowl with some stirfry but why all of those bits? I can't imagine eating it everyday, its boring and I always make too much and it gets watery and weird in my fridge and then I feel guilty for the waste. I don't get it. Potato chips make a good side dish alternative to rice.

[Chinon00]

Could you please describe a dinner course (non-sandwich) where you'd serve potato chips as a side dish?

Thanks

[piccola]

I don't personally serve chips as a side, but I could see it working with something like a chili, a curry or even some egg dishes (ie, eggs in purgatory).

[Chinon00]

As an alternative to rice? I'm open to new ideas but I'm really struggling to see how you marry potato chips with chili or a curry. I mean you can eat WHATEVER you want but does it make gastronomical sense? You'd personally find it acceptable if served potato chips instead of rice with curry at an Indian restaurant? Would you serve the curry over the potato chips? Again I'm struggling with this concept and I'm admittedly not as young as I used to be.

Thanks

[piccola]

Well, only if the person doesn't like rice. And I wouldn't serve it to anyone, but I might eat it. Though not with the wet stuff on top - that would make the chips soggy.

[Miss Needle]

I can see the potato chips with curry. You see curry served over french fries, which essentially is the same thing -- fried potatoes. A potato chip is just a different form of fried potato. And I wouldn't serve the curry on top of the chips but on the side. You can even dip the chip into the curry if you'd like.

[piccola]

Yeah, if you get the thicker chips, they're like little scoops.

[Miss Needle]

Yeah. And now I'm remembering that in Top Chef Hung served his hamachi crudo along with homemade potato chips in the finale. There shouldn't be any rules -- if it tastes good, why not? Though I remember myself getting a bit disturbed when somebody from another thread suggested adding kimchi to gumbo.

[Cookiepants]

You can eat potato chips anytime. My grandparents are from Prince Edward Island, so perhaps this is why I grew up eating potatoes often and rice only once in a while and perhaps this is why I think rice is disgusting, maggoty and boring.

[coleyas]

I'm with you. I don't like rice too much, either.

I normally make either parmasean or mushroom risotto, parmasean polenta, or grits with whatever my favorite cheese of the day happens to be.

[piccola]

I don't really like rice as a "flavour absorber" for other foods - like something you use to stretch out the tasty food. The only time I like rice is when it's a dish unto itself - risotto croquettes, stuck-pot rice, fried rice, etc.

[PseudoNerd]

I don't much care for rice either-- in fact, if I bother at all, I eat about a few tablespoons a year. It may be rather unusual, considering I grew up eating rice that was far better than what most people had (usually a mix of higher-quality rice varieties with a ton of glutinous rice 'cos my parents cared about that sort of thing), but whatever. It's my caloric intake, right?

I'd suggest barley or lentils. Conversely, you could forgo grains altogether and have vegetables, which is what I normally do.

[welle]

I like wild rice or buckwheat. I also like those pre-mixed blends like Lundberg Wild and premium browns - they are always a hit with my guests.

[FishMPLS]

I do not like rice either. And in fact, I have had high quality rice of every kind. You don't have to like rice. It doesn't mean you are a rube or anything. I am ok with the fact that I do not like rice, and no one is going to make me feel bad about it. And, like I said, I have had tons of high-quality rice of every kind. I simply do not care for it.

[MakingSense]

It's easy to understand your not liking rice. Like most Americans, you might have grown up never having the good stuff, suffering through Uncle Ben's and Minute Rice and people who just never knew how to cook it or serve it. Like billions of Asians and others around the rest of the world, I grew up eating it every day - in South Louisiana, where we grow it and export it, even to Asia. To my Cajun father, a day without rice was a day without sunshine. I'll never forget the look on my husband's face when we were guests at our first non-Louisiana Thanksgiving and the hostess served potatoes????? Who had ever heard of such a thing? It was comfort food to my children - plain, often with nothing added.
It's hard to understand not loving Red Beans and Rice on Monday, Jambalaya, rice and gravy. Gumbo without rice is a mortal sin. What else would you eat with Etoufée?
Then there's Risotto, Paella, arroz con pollo o camarones, fried rice, risi e pisi or risi pisi (depending on which side of the Alps you're on), Spanish Rice, sushi, Carolina Red Rice, Calas, and how many more wonderful dishes around the world that use a simple grass to feed so many happy people.
Rice seems to come in limitless varieties from humble to sublime. Cheap to very expensive. Mushy to toothsome. White to black. Ordinary to sublimely fragrant.

I felt that way about potatoes once. Until I had good ones, cooked well. Keep trying.

[Sam Fujisaka]

I'm with your Cajun father--rice at least once a day is best. Also, I can't really enjoy a good steak, ribs, meatloaf, chops, sausage, roast, fish, chicken, turkey, duck, rabbit, cuy, capybara, ham, lamb, goat, mutton, veal, osso buco, stir fry, meaty stew, beans, ...without rice.

Should I start a topic on "I don't like potatoes"?

[LordOfTheGrill]

Put enough garlic and/or cheese on it and anything will taste good.

[LBeff]

Ain't that the truth! In fact, plain rice with butter and grated parm is pretty tasty, now that I think about it.

[piccola]

Ooooh I forgot plantains

[RShea78]

I am a barley user but mostly in soups. Deserts would have to be tapioca. The rest is a pick of a different starch or vegetable

Rice was a thing I got severely burnt out on as a kid. Up till I was around 12, I would have to say, every home meal had something with rice in it. Dad divorced mom by the time I was 13, and I never saw so much as a box of rice at home after that.

Not to long ago, dad mentioned that to him, Rice was about as thrilling as reading the Geritol bottle. And his yawn afterwards, made even my jaw hurt.

-----

[billjriv]

Cous cous,grits.rice noodles,bean noodles fried tofu

[foodenthusiast]

Well, rice comes in a black version to (I think it's called Chinese rice) and it has a wonderfully perfumed taste. Then there are brown rice (with the fiber-rich shell still on), and they are not only healtier, they also taste good.

[pikawicca]

There's no reason why you have to like rice; if you don't like it, don't eat it. I hated it as a kid, but like flavorful varieties/preparations now. I remember really disliking the way rice felt when I bit into it. There's also a lot of very bad/badly prepared rice out there, and that can be off-putting.

[LBeff]

I don't think the original poster said that rice was bland, just that she doesn't like it. I don't like rice with other foods, no matter how flavorful those other foods are (unless fried rice or Mexican-style rice, which I learned in Mexico and is an exception). I don't enjoy the flavor of rice. Has nothing to do with being bland.

[sandrina]

Plain steamed rice is pretty boring. I much prefer preparing it in the more traditional way that my mom made it and still makes today which is basically spanish style. It involves stir frying the uncooked rice in a good amount of hot oil until it takes on a chalky appearance. Add your water and salt to taste. Simmer uncovered until the water reaches level of rice, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Rice cooked this way comes out fluffy and each grain is nice and flavorful. It's way better than steamed rice. Heck when I'm feeling lazy, I just plop a fried egg on top and eat it like that!

[Karl S]

Hands down: bulgur. It's the easiest grain to cook (because it's wheat grains that have already been steamed and cracked). Even easier than white rice. And it's more nutritious.

[Carrie 218]

The other consideration for those who find rice "tasteless" beyond brown rices are the new "artisinal" rices by Lotus. Amazingly flavored rices in their Bhutanese red rice, Forbidden Black rice (which colors purple when cooked), or their bamboo rice. All have really stunning textures and flavors in their own right and are some of the few rices I haven't felt a need to add additional flavors to.

http://www.worldpantry.com/cgi-bin/nc...

[apswartz]

Let me second Carrie! These dark grain rices are great, especially when cooked in broth and add a little pecorino.

[rabidog]

i know it's not quite what you're asking for, but i make a mean 5-minute fried rice. believe me, i am the same way - i'd take bread or any other carb over rice almost any day (except jasmine or brown rice, which i think are two very good varieties). but if you ever want to give rice another chance....

if i'm cooking for one to two people: i heat up some vege oil in a non-stick skillet. while it's heating, i chop a bit of onion. in goes the cooked white or jasmine rice, in goes one egg, in goes some onion, and in goes some goya adobo seasoning. i fry and toss until the egg is cooked to my liking. optionally, dress it with some chopped cilantro.

adobo seasoning in my opinion makes even the most bland things delicious. and fried rice takes on a whole different texture than plain ole' cooked white rice. this dish is good enough for me to eat alone, or tossed into a burrito with some refried beans and guacamole and tomatoes and chopped green apples (it's good i swear!), or underneath one of my chickpea stews (like a chana masala), or mixed into some of my veggie chili - it's very diverse.

[Kelli2006]

American long grain rice is bland and tasteless, but I like to substitute basmati or jasmine because if the different taste and texture.

Noodles and couscous could be substituted, but that would leave out much of Latin, Asian and Indian cuisine.

[Emme]

Farro, amaranth, quinoa, spelt, millet, polenta, teff, kamut, barley (my fave!)... I experimented quite a bit with all of these when I was going through a period of gluten issues... all are quite good for different purposes!

[tomato]

What did you do with the amaranth? I tried to make it *once* and it was a disaster. I made it more or less the way you make polenta, pretty straight forward. I couldn't tell if it was what I did to it or if I just really don't like the way it tastes, but I seriously couldn't eat it, and I eat most things. Maybe you had better luck with it?

[Emme]

I made it into a "salad" a la a couscous salad, and it was pretty good... I'll see if I can find the recipe, or at least remember what it was I did. You can also bake it into recipes...

[marlie202]

I really like cous cous and bulgar

[piccola]

Depends what with.

With stew or saucy dishes, I like polenta (wet in the winter, grilled in the summe), baked potatoes/sweet potatoes (put the stew inside), gnocchi, or crepes/waffles (you read right).

For less runny things, I use rolls/biscuits, cornbread, or pilafs made with quinoa or barley.

If you like couscous, you should try Israeli couscous - it's bigger and, IMO, tastier. Not to mention prettier.

[hotoynoodle]

the only time i eat rice is with sushi, or a maybe a tiny bit when i occasionally eat chinese food. pasta is my go-to starch, although i've recently been enjoying israeli couscous.

[Sam Fujisaka]

It is impossible not to eat rice with sushi, given that sushi means vinagared rice.

[KaimukiMan]

i've seen my "no carbs" friends eat the fish off the top of the sushi and leave the rice. when i asked why they don't just order sashimi they just gave me a confused look. sigh.

[Will Owen]

I don't really like the taste of rice, the "riciness" of it I suppose you'd say. I like it fried (hell, I like almost ANYTHING fried), and I like it WITH stuff, but a bowl of rice all by itself, even a nice fragrant Basmati, just does not do it for me. As a special treat my mom used to give us cold rice with sugar, cinnamon and milk for breakfast, which I gagged down politely; my first (and only!) taste of horchata brought that all back to me.

But rice and porkchop gravy? Arroz con pollo? Salty-fish fried rice? Yum.

[LBeff]

How about noodles/pasta of some sort?

I'm not a big fan of rice, but I've discovered that I do like basmati and brown basmati, and that's what I make at home. I never eat rice when I'm out, though.

Maybe there are some kinds you haven't tried yet that you'd like?

[vorpal]

I was going to suggest rice noodles... not the dry kind emulating durum semolina pasta, but the Asian kind. They may not have a lot of taste, either, but they have a beautiful consistency, and they go really well with Thai curries as an alternative for rice.

[Linda VH]

I never liked rice either until I had brown rice - not white, not yellow but brown. Tastes nutty and I actually like it!!

[Candy]

Barley. what don't you like about rice?

[marlie202]

I find it tasteless on it's own-don't like the consistency

[fauchon]

Bulghur is excellent & a snap to make...just add water/stock & let stand until soft...currants, toasted almonds or walnuts also go well....Kalustyan's in NYC has excellent bulghur...I also like the one from Bob's Red Mill

[BellaCalabrese]

I love cous cous and it's so quick. I only prepare whole grains at home, so it's ww for me. Cannellini are good, and don't get in the way of other flavors. I've never tried rice beans, but you might like them or other legumes. See http://www.foodsubs.com/Beans.html

[kcchan]

Mashed potatoes are always a good stand-by. What is it that you don't like about rice? Do you not like all types of rices, or just the typical long-grain?

[marlie202]

I find rice tasteless

[Das Ubergeek]

You might try a different kind of rice -- jasmine rice is much more fragrant and flavourful than that Uncle Ben's crap which still dogs the heels of Americans. Same for basmati.

[scubadoo97]

Depends on what type of rice and how it's prepared. I stay away from converted rice or anything instant. Regular rice, long, medium and short grain has wonderful flavor when cooked properly. More fragrant rices like Jasmine or Basmati are wonderful and full of flavor. Couscous is a pasta and really has very little flavor unless you use stock or other flavor ingredients. Bulgur, barley, oat groats and other grains all have unique flavors to experiment with.

[southernitalian]

I hate rice! I don't like the consistency or the smell of it. Unless it's totally covered in something. My alternative is pastina. Or orzo.

[Chinon00]

When you say that you "hate rice" do you include in that Italian risotto and Spanish paella?

Thanks!