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Monday, April 07, 2008 5:07 PM

What can I do with leftover rice?

I grew up eating rice the way most people eat potatoes. It’s a major staple in Louisiana cooking and Creole cuisine, so leftover rice is never in short supply. I always seem to make at least twice as much as we eat, and we barely eat the rice that comes with a take-out order. Here's what I've learned to do with the leftovers:

* Spread warm rice in a one-inch layer on a cookie sheet to cool it.

* Once cool, cooked rice can be frozen. Basmati and other long-grain rice don't freeze (or store, or reheat) as well as short- and medium-grain rice.

* Cooked rice can be used to thicken soups, and give soups a creamy texture.

* Fried rice and rice pudding are great ways to use leftover rice, but thinking out of the Uncle Ben's box...

Dolmades: Stuffed grape leaves
Arancini: Italian rice balls (Post a recipe or link in comments…I know someone here has one!)
Com chay: Crispy Vietnamese rice cake
Dolsot Bibimbap: Korean crispy-rice and vegetables in a stone pot

In New Orleans, you can still find a restaurant here and there that serves calas, a sweet rice fritter made with leftover rice, flour, sugar, vanilla and eggs.

CALAS

Ingredients
6 tbsp. flour
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 cups cooked rice
2 eggs
pinch of nutmeg
canola oil
powdered sugar

Directions
Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Mix the rice and eggs together in a separate bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the rice and egg mixture and stir until thoroughly blended. Heat about ½-inch of oil in a cast iron skillet until the oil shimmers, about 360 degrees. Drop spoonfuls of the rice mixture into the hot oil and fry until brown. Place fritters on paper towels to drain excess oil. Sprinkle with powdered sugar (or serve with honey) and eat them while they’re hot.

So, WCers…what do you do with leftover rice? Post a link to a rice-y recipe from your blog in the Comments section.

Posted by Nest Colleen
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Comments

re: What can I do with leftover rice?

I love making Arancini with leftover rice, it is such a yummy snack.

Arancini

Leftover Risotto/snack

Cubed mozzarella

1 egg

1 cup bread crumbs

Take a scoopful of risotto and make a ball in your hands. Make an indentation with your finger in the center of the ball. Insert a cube of mozzarella and close the gap. Carefully dip in egg, then bread crumbs. Fry in hot oil and enjoy!

http://culinaryinfatuation.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html#62559410938891872

Posted by Posted by ally-cat    Wednesday, April 09, 2008 10:31 AM


re: What can I do with leftover rice?

I don't have a blog, but love this recipe:

Tortilla Rice Soup

    Vegetable cooking spray

1/3 cup sliced green onions

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups cooked rice

1 (10 ½) oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained

1 cup cooked chicken breast cubes (or 1 large can white meat chicken)

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies, undrained

Juice of 1 lime

Salt to taste

Toppings:

Tortilla chips

Chopped tomatoes

Avocado slices or cubes

Heat Dutch oven or large saucepan coated with cooking spray over med-high heat until hot.  

Add green onions; cook & stir until tender.  

Add broth, rice, tomatoes and juice, chicken and chilies.  

Reduce heat to low; cover & simmer 20 minutes.

Stir in lime juice and salt.

Serve topped with chopped tomato, avocado pieces & tortilla chips

Posted by Posted by Renee&David    Wednesday, April 09, 2008 10:32 AM


re: What can I do with leftover rice?

these are yummy :)  

Tomatoes Stuffed with Rice, Spinach, and Cheese

I've made stuffed tomatoes before and LOVED them but wanted a vegetarian version I can eat now... the others had turkey. These were so tasty. I started with a recipe from a vegetarian cookbook and tweaked a couple things.

Here's what I changed:

*Brown rice in place of white rice

*Spinach in place of Swiss chard

*Goat cheese in place of cheddar (if you use cheddar, sprinkle it on the tomatoes after they cook instead of mixing it in. Raise the temperature to broil and give them a couple minutes under the broiler. Watch them! The cheese will burn quickly).

*Walnuts in place of pine nuts

*Onion in place of shallots

*I also added some sun-dried tomatoes

Makes 6 stuffed tomatoes (I only made two but the measurements would be all wonky if I started dividing everything by 3 and posting it here!)

Ingredients:

6 medium-large sized tomatoes

1 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 cup washed, chopped spinach

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

1 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp. chopped walnuts

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 cup chopped soft goat cheese

1/8 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Cut a 1/2-inch slice from the top of each tomato. Scoop out the seeds and pulp carefully (I ran a knife around the inside like you would a grapefruit). Leave the shell intact. If you'd like, you can sprinkle the inside of the tomatoes with a little salt (I totally missed this - shows how much I pay attention to recipes! - and didn't miss the salt... I really don't think you need it). Turn the tomatoes upside down on some paper towels or a plate to drain while you prepare the stuffing.

3. Heat a wok or skillet over high heat for one minute. Add the oil and onions, reduce the heat to low. Saute until the onion is soft, 2-3 minutes. Add the spinach and saute until wilted, 2-3 minutes more. Remove from the heat and mix the rice, spinach mixture, soy sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, goat cheese, and oregano together.

4. Stuff the tomatoes with the spinach and rice mixture and place them in a shallow greased baking dish. Leave a little space in between them.

5. Bake, uncovered, until the tomatoes are cooked through, 10-12 minutes (I think mine had more like 15). Serve immediately.

Reference:

Based on the Tomatoes Stuffed with Swiss Chard, Rice, and Cheese recipe from The Occasional Vegetarian by Karen Lee.

Posted by Posted by M&GSimcox040905    Wednesday, April 09, 2008 10:35 AM


re: What can I do with leftover rice?

I don't have it in my blog but I love having leftover rice.  I usually turn it into a tex-mex rice by added chili powder, cumin, sauteed onion, garlic and a little salsa/tomato and some lime juice. Then I use it in my burritos! So delicious.

I also use it to add to soups - chicken rice soup usually.

Posted by Posted by Mrs.OCandME    Wednesday, April 09, 2008 10:35 AM


re: What can I do with leftover rice?

The original recipe called for shrimp and sausage to be two of the eight treasures... I made mine vegetarian by subbing some marinated tofu and broccoli for those items. The eight treasures here are represented by: eggs, tofu, mushrooms, peas, broccoli, pineapple, cashews, and cilantro.

For next time, I'd make it more colorful by adding some red (a lucky colour in the Chinese culture) with some red bell pepper or even some cherry or grape tomatoes which I'd add after cooking. You could also easily make this vegan by omitting the egg. Since tofu is a great egg substitute, you won't miss it! Just be sure to replace it with an ingredient to keep the eight treasure theme going!

This made quite a lot! Probably enough for 2 main-dish servings or 4 side-dish servings. The amounts are a bit weird since I divided the original recipe by 3...

Ingredients:

White or brown rice, cooked and cooled (I used 1/4 cup rice and 1/2 cup water to cook it)

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 egg, beaten

1/12 cup chopped onion (probably works out to be 2-3 tbsp.)

3 white mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup frozen petite peas, thawed

1/4 cup diced pineapple

1/4 cup cashews (I chopped mine up a little)

1/6 cup thinly sliced green onions

1/6 cup sweet-and-sour sauce

Small amount of chopped cilantro

1/4 cup broccoli florets

1/4 block extra-firm tofu

1 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. orange juice (you could also use pineapple juice or half orange/half pineapple if desired)

1 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce

A quick shake of red pepper flakes

1 tbsp. vinegar

Method:

1. Marinate tofu. Squeeze tofu between paper towels to remove the excess moisture. Cut into small cubes. Mix together the honey, orange juice, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, and vinegar in a zip-lock bag. Add the tofu and toss to coat. Let it marinate in the fridge for about 30 minutes - it doesn't need long. Work on the rest of the recipe while the tofu marinates.

2. Heat 1/2 tbsp. of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat until hot. Add the egg and scramble until set. Remove the eggs from the skillet and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook the onion 15 seconds or until shiny and fragrant. Add the tofu (discard the marinade); stir-fry until cooked through. Add the mushrooms, broccoli, and peas; cook one minute.

4. Add the rice and toss to combine. Add the egg, pineapple, cashews, green onions, and sweet-and-sour sauce. Cook 2-3 minutes until the rice is tender and all ingredients are heated through. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

Reference:

This is based on an eight-treasure fried rice recipe I found in the February/March 2008 issue of Cooking Pleasures magazine. The tofu marinade is based on the Honey-Glazed Chicken Stir-Fry recipe from Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (1996 edition).

Posted by Posted by M&GSimcox040905    Wednesday, April 09, 2008 10:40 AM


re: What can I do with leftover rice?

Ya'll ROCK! These recipes look great. Thanks!

Posted by Posted by Nest Colleen    Wednesday, April 09, 2008 11:03 AM


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