How To Cook Brown Rice In The Microwave - Easily!

 

Okay, put aside your skepticism and try this way of cooking brown rice, for perfect results every time!

We all know brown rice is more of a pain to cook than white rice, and sometimes it feels like it takes forever. Well, no more under-cooked chewy brown rice, or soggy, mushy rice - this recipe gives consistent results every single time.

Serves four.

How to cook Thai sticky rice perfectly (includes Thermomix Instructions)

The good news is that it's easy to do!

The unfortunate news is that if you buy a packet from a supermarket and follow the instructions on the back of the packet, you'll probably never get authentic sticky rice (especially if it tells you to boil it)!

Goodness knows why, as it's so easy to steam! See below for how to cook Thai sticky rice and get an authentic result - if you've never had it before, don't expect it to be like any other rice you've ever had - it's literally like a big sticky lump of glued-together chewy rice grains (I'm really selling it here, right?!) - but if it's like that, then you've done it right!

Jamaican Rice and Peas (includes Thermomix method)

The perfect accompaniment to dishes such as jerk chicken, curry goat, or even on the side of ackee and saltfish! (Can you see where I'm going here?)

OK, so this is one of those things that I usually don't really bother measuring or timing when I make it - in that I make a load, we eat what we need for that meal, and the rest goes into the fridge or freezer for convenience - it's very forgiving when being re-heated, or kept warm!

This quantity serves a good eight to ten (from 245 calories per generous portion) - but let's face it, if you're having a barbecue for friends and making a heap of jerk chicken, you'll be glad of it! And if not... just halve the quantities, or put what you don't want into the freezer for easy future accompaniments. To be honest, if you are entertaining, and you make this quantity and serve a range of dishes, it's probably going to serve a few more than ten people.

Easy Turkish Rice

This is so simple and delicious, and tastes much naughtier than it really is!

Only three ingredients, and about 20 minutes, and you have savoury, glossy, buttery rice - perfect served with Turkish kebabs and all the trimmings.

This quantity will serve four to eight - if you're eating it with kebabs, salads, tzatziki and all the trimmings, possibly with pitta or Turkish bread, it will serve six to eight, if you're just having it with kebabs and a side salad., then it's more likely to serve four to six.

Calories per serving: 145 for an eighth of the total quantity, 193 for a sixth, and 290 calories per serving between four (I found an eighth was more than enough with everything else!).

If you fancy putting together a nice Turkish feast, with a shopping list and preparation plan, then have a look here!

Easy Mexican 'Green Rice' - Arroz Verde (with cauliflower rice substitution method)

Give your rice a bit of colour and flavour for a change! Also good the next day as a cold dish.

Rice cooked the Mexican way in chicken stock, flavoured with garlic, coriander, Jalapeno chilli and a squeeze of lime - the next day, add extra lime juice, fresh coriander and a slug of olive oil, and serve cold as a delicious rice salad.

Delicious served with my Chicken in Chipotle sauce and Frijoles di Olla (Mexican beans), or cold the next day with my Yucatecan-Spiced Chicken Skewers and salad.

Serves four to six as a side dish (I eat about an eighth of this quantity!), 191 calories per serving for six servings (scale up or down as appropriate, it's 144 calories for an eighth etc. ). [Calories in square brackets]

If making with cauliflower rice (see Variations below), 78 calories per serving between six; 117 calories per serving if served between four, .

Coconut, Lime and Coriander (Cilantro) Cauliflower 'Rice'

What's that? Cauliflower 'Rice'?

Well, faux-rice is probably a better term, also known as cauliflower 'cous cous'. Anyway, I've covered that bit here, and this is a recipe to give you an idea of something to disguise the taste of cauliflower do with it.

This is nice served with grilled fish, chicken (such as my Cajun chicken) or pork, or in a plainer form (e.g. you could leave out the lime and coriander) with curries (e.g. Indian, Thai), or leave out the coconut and serve it with something Mexican. Or swap the coriander for some fried shallots and roasted cumin seeds and a squirt of lemon, and serve with some pan-fried shallots, with a couple of tiny roasted florets or temupura florets, some cauliflower puree and call them 'textures of cauliflower', like in restaurants... (where's my slightly sarcastic font gone?).

Anyway, I digress, here's the recipe...

Cauliflower 'Rice'

Cooks in just a couple of minutes!

Just a quick post (although it will take me longer to post this, than it will for you to make some cauliflower rice!) for those who are not familiar with this 'phenomenon'.

Also known as cauliflower 'cous cous', it's basically just cauliflower florets (minimal stalk) pulsed in a blender (or grated on the largets setting) until it resembles grains of rice (or cous cous) and then cooked quickly.