PHOTOS: Unusual, but delicious rice dishes from around the world

1 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

A selection of rice-based bowls at NYC restaurant Harlem, which focuses on the grain across its menu. On offer are meals from Asia, India, Nigeria and America. (Courtesy: Fieldtrip Harlem)

2 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Gemistes. The Greeks never met a vegetable they didn’t want to stuff and bake. Among the most popular versions are tomatoes or bell peppers stuffed with fluffy rice, herbs, nuts and dry fruit. Often cheese and meat too. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

3 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Cowboy salad. Americans in the Midwest often serve a mix of cooked rice and beans with raw tomato, capsicum, red onion, corn and a sweet vinaigrette. Can be eaten as a salad or with corn chips as salsa. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

4 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Jambalaya. Almost as fun as the song, this rice, meat and fish stew from the southern American state of Louisiana is a staple of Cajun and Creole culture. Expect long cooking times, lots of flavour and a discussion over whether or not to use tomatoes. (Getty Images)

5 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Rice burger. What does a restaurant do when the Japanese want hambagu (hamburger) but don’t eat much bread? Restaurant chain Mos substituted rice balls shaped like buns in 1987. An instant hit. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

6 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Dirty rice. Spicy, and named because the finely chopped chicken liver and ground beef or pork speck the rice with spots. Cajun communities often serve it as a dry side dish. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

7 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Arancini. In Italy, the Sicilians make a café snack from cooked rice, blended with cheese or minced meat, coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

8 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Geelrys. Afrikaans for ‘yellow rice’. South Africans love this quick-cooking dish of rice, onion, raisins, garlic and spices – the yellow comes from turmeric. Typically served with bobotie, the national dish – a minced-meat casserole with an egg custard topping. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

9 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Omurice. Much more than omelette and rice, the Japanese home-style and diner favourite wraps flavoured meaty fried rice in a gooey omelette. You break the eggy parcel open, let the soft egg run into the rice, add ketchup or sauce, and dig in. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

10 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Kushari. An Egyptian comfort food dish of rice, lentils, macaroni and tomato sauce, cooked together with spices. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

11 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Jollof rice. The West-African one-pot meal gets its name from the Wolof people, and its distinctive red colour from tomatoes. Nigeria and Ghana use different kinds of rice and preparation styles, and endlessly battle over which is best. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

12 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Mujaddara: The Middle-Eastern rice-lentil-meat preparation has been around since at least the 13th century. Think of it as a drier, richer, meatier khichdi. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

13 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Thieboudienne. Senegal’s national dish (pronounced ceebu-jen) is a combination of marinated smoked fish, a local fermented bean, the season’s vegetables and broken rice. Served and often eaten on a large communal platter. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

14 / 14

Updated on Oct 04, 2020 10:12 AM IST

Tahdig. For Iranians, a test of skill. Rice cooked with extra fat – yoghurt, butter, even mutton grease – at the bottom of the pan, so that the lowest layer gets evenly crisp and caramelised. Flipped and served to much delight. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

PHOTOS: Unusual, but delicious rice dishes from around the world

A selection of rice-based bowls at NYC restaurant Harlem, which focuses on the grain across its menu. On offer are meals from Asia, India, Nigeria and America. (Courtesy: Fieldtrip Harlem)

Gemistes. The Greeks never met a vegetable they didn’t want to stuff and bake. Among the most popular versions are tomatoes or bell peppers stuffed with fluffy rice, herbs, nuts and dry fruit. Often cheese and meat too. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Cowboy salad. Americans in the Midwest often serve a mix of cooked rice and beans with raw tomato, capsicum, red onion, corn and a sweet vinaigrette. Can be eaten as a salad or with corn chips as salsa. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Jambalaya. Almost as fun as the song, this rice, meat and fish stew from the southern American state of Louisiana is a staple of Cajun and Creole culture. Expect long cooking times, lots of flavour and a discussion over whether or not to use tomatoes. (Getty Images)

Rice burger. What does a restaurant do when the Japanese want hambagu (hamburger) but don’t eat much bread? Restaurant chain Mos substituted rice balls shaped like buns in 1987. An instant hit. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Dirty rice. Spicy, and named because the finely chopped chicken liver and ground beef or pork speck the rice with spots. Cajun communities often serve it as a dry side dish. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Arancini. In Italy, the Sicilians make a café snack from cooked rice, blended with cheese or minced meat, coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Geelrys. Afrikaans for ‘yellow rice’. South Africans love this quick-cooking dish of rice, onion, raisins, garlic and spices – the yellow comes from turmeric. Typically served with bobotie, the national dish – a minced-meat casserole with an egg custard topping. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Omurice. Much more than omelette and rice, the Japanese home-style and diner favourite wraps flavoured meaty fried rice in a gooey omelette. You break the eggy parcel open, let the soft egg run into the rice, add ketchup or sauce, and dig in. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Kushari. An Egyptian comfort food dish of rice, lentils, macaroni and tomato sauce, cooked together with spices. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Jollof rice. The West-African one-pot meal gets its name from the Wolof people, and its distinctive red colour from tomatoes. Nigeria and Ghana use different kinds of rice and preparation styles, and endlessly battle over which is best. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Mujaddara: The Middle-Eastern rice-lentil-meat preparation has been around since at least the 13th century. Think of it as a drier, richer, meatier khichdi. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Thieboudienne. Senegal’s national dish (pronounced ceebu-jen) is a combination of marinated smoked fish, a local fermented bean, the season’s vegetables and broken rice. Served and often eaten on a large communal platter. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Tahdig. For Iranians, a test of skill. Rice cooked with extra fat – yoghurt, butter, even mutton grease – at the bottom of the pan, so that the lowest layer gets evenly crisp and caramelised. Flipped and served to much delight. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

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