Have you got basmati rice or any rice in your pantry? Here are five simple rice recipes you can make for dinner any night of the week! Rice is so versatile that you can turn it into a palatable dish, make dessert, or turn it into a main course. It’s easy to cook, combine, or garnish as part of your dinner routine. 

Let’s take a look at these five mouth-watering rice recipes that you can cook with ease for dinner.

5 mouth-watering rice recipes that are easy to cook

01. Curried chicken and rice soup 

Ingredients you need

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 carrot (sliced into rounds)
• 1 stalk celery (sliced)
• 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• Black pepper powder/freshly ground pepper 
• 2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1 cup cooked basmati/jasmine rice
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp lime juice or zest
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves for serving
• Salt 

Cooking method:

Take a large pot and heat butter in it. Keep the heat medium so that the butter doesn’t burn out. 

Now add curry powder and stir it for a few seconds. Toss the chopped and sliced carrot, onions, garlic, and celery. Saute it and add 1/4 tsp salt and a few pinches of black pepper powder. Stir it and cook until the mix becomes tender. 

Once the vegetables are tender, add broth to the mix. Now, bring it to a boil. Reduce the flame and add rice along with the shredded chicken. Cook until everything comes to a soupy consistency. Remove the pan from the heat and add lime juice along with cilantro leaves. 

Season the chicken and rice soup with pepper and salt if required, and serve hot!

02. Iranian yellow rice with saffron 

Ingredients you need:

• 2 cups basmati rice 
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter 
• 3 ice cubes 
• 1/2 tsp ground saffron
• 1 small onion (finely chopped)
• Salt 

For Topping:

• 1/2 cup black raisins
• 1 medium onion (sliced)
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Cooking method:

Rinse the rice well and soak it in water for about 30 minutes or a few minutes. 

Meanwhile, take a small bowl and put the ice cubes in it. Sprinkle the saffron on ice cubes and let it settle at room temperature until melted. 

Now, add butter to a large saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Add half the quantity of the chopped onions and cook it until golden. 

Drain the soaked rice and add it to the pan with 1 tsp salt. Stir it well for a minute, then add 3 and a half cups of water. Also, add the bloomed saffron. Cook the rice over medium-high heat. When it starts boiling, set the heat to medium and cover the pan. Cook it until the water is absorbed. Check if the rice is soft and fluffy, then turn off the heat.  

Topping preparation:

Take a large skillet and melt butter in it on medium-low heat. Add remaining onions and stir fry until golden brown. Add raisins and stir it for two minutes (don’t cook it more than two minutes or it will burn). Once done, set it aside.

Remove the rice from heat and let it sit for a few minutes. Fluff it using a fork. Take the rice in a serving bowl or plate and serve it with the raisin toppings!

03. Gingery Tofu and Shiitake Fried Rice

Ingredients you need:

• 3 cups cooked long-grain white basmati rice/ leftover rice 
• 1 large egg (beaten)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup extra-firm tofu (diced)
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger (finely grated)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tbsp scallions (chopped)
• Salt
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms (thinly sliced stemmed)

Cooking method:

Take a large skillet or wok and heat it over high flame by swirling it. Add a tbs of oil to it and let it smoke. Now, add the beaten egg and swirl the wok to spread the egg in thin pancake shape. When the egg is half set, transfer it to a plate. 

Now add the diced tofu and season it with salt. Stir fry until the color changes to golden brown. Once fried, take it out in a bowl. Now, add the remaining oil to the wok and shallow fry the shiitakes until golden. Cook it for three minutes and after that add garlic, ginger, 1/4 tsp salt and soy sauce. Stir fry all the ingredients until fragrant. Don’t fry it more than 1 minute. Transfer it to a bowl. 

Add rice to the wok and cook for about 3 minutes. Add tofu, egg, and skillets to the rice and cook. Break up the egg to mix it well. 

Season with salt if required, garnish with scallion, and enjoy!

Note: You can use the leftover cooked rice for the same recipe. 

04. Almond cranberry rice pilaf

Ingredients you need:

• 1/4 cup almonds with skins (sliced)
• 1/2 cup cranberries (dried)
• 3 tbs unsalted butter
• 1/2 onions (finely chopped) 
• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice (you can use other long-grain white rice)
• 1 cup chicken broth 
• Freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped)
• Salt 

Cooking method:

Take a medium saucepan and heat 1 tbs of butter in it over medium heat. Add and fry the almonds until fragrant. Take it out in a bowl. 

Add the remaining 2 tbs of butter to the saucepan. Add onions and cook until softened. Now, add cranberries and rice. Cook for a minute, mixing it well. 

Add the chicken broth along with half cups of water and half tsp salt and pepper. Set the heat to medium high and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan and set the heat to low flame. Cook for about 15 minutes until the water is absorbed fully. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add half the almonds, parsley and stir it well. Sprinkle the salt and pepper. Garnish with remaining almonds and enjoy your easy rice dish!

05. Instant pot chicken rice with peas

Ingredients you need:

• 1 cup long-grain white basmati rice
• 2/3 cup chicken broth (low sodium) 
• 1 small red bell pepper (sliced into large chunks
• 1 small onion (sliced into large chunks)
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs (sliced into 2-inches)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro stems (chopped) + 2 tbsp chopped leaves
• 1 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic (roughly crushed)
• 3/4 cup frozen peas
• Freshly ground pepper
• Salt
• 16 pimiento-stuffed olives (halved)
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp Sazón seasoning mix with saffron

Cooking method:

Take an instant pot and set it to sauté on high mode. In the meantime, chop garlic, cilantro, and bell pepper using a food processor. When the pot becomes hot, add olive oil and toss all the chopped vegetable mix. Season it with salt and cook until the liquid is absorbed. Keep stirring in between. It will take 6 to 8 minutes until the vegetables are dry softened. 

Noa add the chicken pieces, rice, olives, rice, 3/4 tsp salt, a few pinches of pepper, and the sazon seasoning. 

Turn off the pot and cover it with lid and lock it. Ensure the steam valve is sealed and it points towards sealing. 

Set the timer for five minutes. Pressure cook the whole mix. 

Take a microwave safe bowl and put the peas in it. microwave it for 1 minute to ensure it’s heated. 

When the instant pot timer is finished, allow the pot to release pressure naturally. Set it idle for 10 minutes. After that turn the steam valve to venting mode. It will release the remaining pressure. Now, switch off the pot and remove its lid. Use a fork to fluff the rice and add the peas. Stir gently and garnish with cilantro leaves to enjoy!

So, these are easy to cook recipes with rice. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a pro cook or not, you can cook these easy rice dishes on any day and enjoy it with family and friends!

Keep following our page to explore and learn more about such easy dishes.