Rice Recipes

Rice is the staple food of the whole of region. although wheat- in the form of noodles - is eaten more often than rice in some parts of Asia, such as northern China, Asians every where regard wheaten food as mere supplements. Cultivated in southern Asia for more than five thousand years, rice is eaten at every meal, including breakfast, and is the basis of both sweet and savory snack foods, as well as being a source for both wine and vinegar. Throughout Asia, the importance of rice is underlined by the fact that in Chinese and other Asian languages, there is no single word for rice, but many. The crop, gain, raw rice and cooked rice are all referred to by different terms, and the Chinese character fan for cooked rice has acquired a much wider meaning in colloquial speech; it is also synonymous with nourishment and good health. When friends meet, instead of asking "How do you do?" they will often greet each other with the words: " Have you eaten rice?" An affirmative answer indicates that all is well.

There are more than 40,000 different strains grown in China alone. Since rice requires a wet and warn climate for its cultivation, some 90 per cent of the world production of rice is grown (and consumed) in the monsoon regions of Asia. A small amount of rice is cultivated on dry land in northern China, but because of the cold climate, only one crop can be grown each year, whereas two crops per annum is the norm in the temperate south.

The most common way of serving rice throughout Asia is simply boiled or steamed; fried rice does not normally form part of an  everyday meal, but is either served as snack on its own, or reserved for a special occasion such as a banquet. Unlike the India pilau, the Italian risotto or the Spanish paella, Asian fried rice dishes are never based upon raw rice (either boiled or steamed). For the finest results, the rice should be cold and firm, rather than soft.

Collections of Rice Recipes:

1. Cantonese Fried Rice

2. Fragrant Dhall Rice

3. Fried Rice with Salted Fish

4. Java Fried Rice

5. Rice with Eggs

6. Steam Rice with Vegetables

7. Yam Rice