Food Ingredients Grains Rice 23 Rice Recipes for Your Side Dish Repertoire Upgrade your dinner with sides featuring steamed basmati rice, colorful saffron rice, irresistible jollof rice, and more. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on February 16, 2024 Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Thom Driver As our editors often say, rice is a highly versatile pantry powerhouse — possibly the world's most popular ingredient. Whether you've neglected a bag of rice for too long or want to try something new, we have a selection of rice recipes from cuisines around the world. Try a simple rice pilaf or fried rice, or another staple rice dish. If you are looking for simple sides and bases full of flavor and perfectly fluffy, start here. 01 of 23 Lemon Brown Rice with Garlic and Thyme Diana Chistruga Even the simplest bowl of rice holds possibilities. Use brown rice and transform bland into bold by stirring in butter, lemon, and garlic for an easy side that goes with everything. Get the Recipe 02 of 23 Saffron Rice Pilaf with Cherries and Pistachios Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Saffron not only gives this rice pilaf its jewel-toned hue, it permeates each grain with smoky, earthy, aromatic notes. This dish has hits of flavor from the fruity cherries, fresh cilantro, and toasty, salty pistachios, while fresh lime juice brightens every forkful. Get the Recipe 03 of 23 Greek Rice Salad Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Victoria Granof / Prop Styling by Thom Driver This bright, punchy rice salad is packed with all the flavors we love from Greek cuisine: crunchy vegetables, juicy tomatoes, fresh herbs, and salty feta cheese. Get the Recipe 04 of 23 Bacon Fat Fried Rice Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christine Keely 1999 F&W Best New Chef Rocco DiSpirito fries rice in savory bacon fat, then imparts a smoky sweetness and balanced acidity with jammy pineapple preserves and crisp fresh chopped pineapple. Get the Recipe 05 of 23 Coconut Rice Matt Taylor-Gross Coconut rice gets its barely sweet flavor and rich texture from using coconut milk as part of the rice cooking liquid. It may look deceptively plain, but it’s the perfect accompaniment to many Asian, African, and Caribbean curries, stews, and soups. Get the Recipe 06 of 23 Island Jollof Rice Angie Mosier Incredible depth of flavor sets jollof rice apart from other seasoned rice dishes. This version of the beloved West African dish was inspired by Eric Adjepong's Ghanaian roots. Get the Recipe 07 of 23 Mexican Rice Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Ali Domrongchai Cooking this rice in a blend of canned tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, and jalapeño pureed with the juices from the canned tomatoes gives it extra flavor and a rich color. Get the Recipe 08 of 23 Jamaican Rice and Peas Diana Chistruga Jamaican rice and peas — seasoned with the special trinity of thyme, scallion, and garlic — is a staple dish of the island. Briana Riddock shares her mom's recipe, with woodsy and fruity flavors from the allspice berries, thyme, and Scotch bonnet pepper. Get the Recipe 09 of 23 Nam Khao Tod (Crispy Rice Salad) Aubrie Pick Cooked and cooled rice is seasoned with curry paste and dusted with a generous coating of rice flour then fried until über-crunchy in this dish from Night + Market chef Kris Yenbamroong. Get the Recipe 10 of 23 Royal Rice Greg DuPree Chefs Saqib Keval and Norma Listman of Masala y Maíz in Mexico City marry aspects of Indian and Mexican cuisines in this colorful dish, a hybrid of biryani and toasted, pilaf-style rice that is cooked in coconut milk with mint, almonds, and golden raisins. Get the Recipe 11 of 23 Bacon Ginger Fried Rice courtesy of Dotdash Meredith video team Kylie Kwong ensures the eggs stay fluffy throughout this dish by scrambling them, then setting them aside. Then, stir-fry the onion, bacon, ginger, and all of the aromatics and combine the rice and soy before adding them back to the dish. Get the Recipe 12 of 23 Fried Forbidden Rice © Tina Rupp For a robust take on the Indonesian fried rice dish nasi goreng, Sang Yoon stir-fries black rice, sometimes called forbidden rice, with bacon and roasted garlic. Get the Recipe 13 of 23 Sabzi Polo (Herbed Rice) © Con Poulos Sabzi polo is a staple on the Persian New Year's table. It's made with basmati rice and layers of fresh herbs, but what is most coveted is the tahdig — the crunchy crust that forms on the bottom of the pot during cooking. Get the Recipe 14 of 23 Kimchi Fried Rice © Madeleine Hill Andrew Zimmern grew attached to this rice dish while on a trip to Hawaii. It's a flavorful side for any meal or on its own for lunch with a crisp salad. Get the Recipe 15 of 23 Caramelized Red Onion Rice with Tamarind Eric Wolfinger In her book Fresh India, Meera Sodha uses sweet-and-sour tamarind paste to turn plain rice into a show-stealing side in just 40 minutes. Get the Recipe 16 of 23 Brazilian Black Rice © John Kernick This dish from chef Aladim Alves traces its roots to Brazil in the 1970s. It combines richly flavored Bahian seafood with whole-grain black rice mixed with garlic and onion cooked in butter. Get the Recipe 17 of 23 Shrimp Fried Rice with Coconut and Pickled Onions © John Kernick For his exquisite version of fried rice, known in Southeast Asia as nasi goreng, Chris Yeo adds quick-pickled onions and nutty shredded coconut. Get the Recipe 18 of 23 Herbed Steamed Rice © Con Poulos Chef April Bloomfield uses chopped mixed herbs, such as parsley, chives, and tarragon, to flavor this 30-minute rice base or side. Get the Recipe 19 of 23 Brown Rice Pilaf with Toasted Almonds and Parsley © Emily Farris Emily Farris adds toasted almonds and chopped parsley to this super-simple, gluten-free brown rice dish. Get the Recipe 20 of 23 Golden Fried Rice with Asparagus and XO Sauce Yekaterina Boytsova Stir-frying rice with egg yolks is a technique that hails from Chinese imperial cuisine, says chef Lucas Sin of Junzi restaurant. It gives the dish a buttery richness and beautiful golden color. A generous amount of onions, garlic, scallions, and fresh ginger builds a foundation of flavor. Get the Recipe 21 of 23 Crispy Coconut Sticky Rice © Jenn Rinchey Chef JJ Johnson makes fragrant, lightly sweetened coconut rice, which he pats into a skillet and crisps to serve. Get the Recipe 22 of 23 Thai Basil Fried Rice with Radishes © Phoebe Lapine Fish sauce, Thai basil, and lime juice season this 20-minute fried rice from Phoebe Lapine. Get the Recipe 23 of 23 Sticky Rice Dressing © Con Poulos Chef Joanne Chang's addition of Chinese sausage to this rice-based stuffing makes makes the rice deliciously sweet and savory. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! 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