 Add shrimp or chicken to any rice side dish and you have yourself a main course! All photos courtesy RiceSelect.com
September 2007
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Rice Recipes
With Shrimp Salad, Chicken Salad & Wild Thyme Salad
Rice is a member of the grass family that is native to tropical and subtropical southern Asia and southeastern Africa. While the climate of Northern America and Europe bred a wheat-based diet, given the population in Africa and Asia, rice is the staple food for two-thirds of the world’s population. Rice is generally grown in paddies, shallow puddles of water that strategically prevent weeds from overtaking the crop. Farm families in some areas of China farm fish in the paddies as well. With the help of modern chemical weed controls, it can be grown on dry land as well, including on terraced hillsides.
Here are more “grains” of truth about rice:
Today, rice is grown on every continent except Antarctica. It was first planted in the U.S. in South Carolina, in 1694. South Carolina and Georgia planters became wealthy from rice harvested with slave labor. But rice is an extremely labor-intensive crop. When slavery ended, the cost to produce it in the U.S. skyrocketed, and the industry died out after the turn of the 20th century. In recent years, with a surging interest in America artisan foods, a variety of fine strains of rice have been planted in the southeast and Texas, including those under the RiceSelect name. Look for them at your specialty food store.
Read our Rice Glossary to learn about the many different types of rice, and our Beans & Grains Glossary to learn about other grains.
In celebration of National Rice Month, enjoy these easy rice recipes, provided by our friends at RiceSelect.com. Here are three delicious recipes that use rice in a less traditional way—in a salad format. You can use them as main dishes for lunch or as sides for dinner. The recipes are made with basmati or jasmine rice, both considered to be “gourmet” rice cultivars due to their special aromas, delicate flavors, longer grains and lower level of “stickiness” compared to other types of rice. For these reasons, they have become the rices of choice at fine American restaurants.
- Basmati rice is an Indian rice cultivar known for its fragrance and delicate flavor (basmati means “the fragrant one” in Hindi). It is available in both brown and white rice.
- Jasmine rice is a Thai cultivar with a nutty aroma and subtle flavor. In addition to Thai cuisine, is the rice commonly used in the Philippines.
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American long-grain rice. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.org. |
Hungry yet? Start cooking the rice!
Bangkok Rice & Shrimp Salad
Using basmati or jasmine rice livens up the flavor of the dish as a whole.
Ingredients
- ½ cup canned coconut milk
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh
basil, plus additional basil leaves
for garnish
- 3 cups cooked basmati or
jasmine rice
- 1 pound frozen cooked shrimp,
peeled, de-veined, thawed
- ½ cup chopped salted peanuts
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Jasmati from RiceSelect is a jasmine rice grown in the U.S.
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Directions
- Whisk milk, vinegar and oil together in a small bowl. Add salt and basil; set aside.
- Stir rice, shrimp and coconut milk mixture in a medium bowl until blended.
- Spoon into the serving bowl; sprinkle with peanuts and basil to garnish.
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Thai Chicken Salad
Use fresh cilantro in order to give this salad the kick and freshness it deserves.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces precooked, grilled chicken
strips, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 3 cups cooked basmati or jasmine
rice
- 6 cups pre-cut coleslaw mix
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 11.5-ounce bottle Thai peanut
sauce
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup coarsely-chopped dry-
roasted peanuts
Directions |
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In a large bowl, combine chicken strips, rice, coleslaw mix and cilantro.
- In medium bowl, whisk together peanut sauce, oil and water. Add to the rice mixture and toss well. Garnish with peanuts.
Wild Thyme Chicken Salad
Perfect for potluck dinners, this dish travels well and will certainly impress the other diners.
Use fresh cilantro in order to give the salad the kick and freshness it deserves.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked basmati rice
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken
breasts, cooked and cut into 1-
inch cubes
- 8.5-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes,
drained and chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup prepared vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup chopped thyme leaves plus sprigs for garnish
Directions
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Rice and fresh thyme make this a very special chicken salad. |
- In large bowl, combine rice, chicken, tomatoes, olives, vinaigrette and thyme.
- Toss well and serve. Garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.
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