1

Nobody here eats much of the rice, that Asian restaurants include with take-out orders. Three people can finish their entries sharing a single box of rice. But we don't like to throw out food either.

There are currently five boxes of cooked white rice aging in the refrigerator -- is there something cool I can do with it to make it palatable to the rest of the family? Thanks!

Mikhail T.
  • 111
  • 3
  • 3
    Two words: *Fried rice*. And don't forget our canonical post: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/21068/how-long-can-i-store-a-food-in-the-pantry-refrigerator-or-freezer. Welcome! – Stephie Jul 01 '16 at 14:56
  • There are so many dishes you can just throw it in. For sure any soup. – paparazzo Jul 01 '16 at 16:06
  • Feed to chickens. Collect eggs. And the aforementioned standard ideas, though I'm somewhat surprised it hasn't been closed as a recipe request. – Ecnerwal Jul 02 '16 at 02:41

2 Answers2

2

Apart from the Fried Rice mentioned.

  • Rice Cakes - not the polystyrene looking discs.

Wor Bar/Puffed rice cake (Shape is strictly personal preference) dried rice cake drying/dried wor bar fried rice cake
fried wor bar
fried rice cake fried wor bar

Pressed/shaped rice cakes are dried, before frying into a puffy rice cake, to be eaten on it's own or with some dip/seasoning, or as a crispy sizzling base for a saucy dish).

The rice needs to be wet/sticky enough to squish together form a cake (alternatively add some flour, try 1 tablespoon per cup of rice), before leaving to dry on a rack, low oven, or a dehydrator.
Once dry, deep fry in hot oil until all the rice puffs up (ideally the rice stays white, but fry as long as you prefer)

Mi Xiang - Puffed rice cake compressing mi xiang
mi xiang being pressed/rolled
completed mi xiang
mi xiang bars

Puffed rice with a binding agent (honey, syrup, or caramel), typically mixed with roasted peanuts, sesame and/or coconut (however, any fruits, nuts, or grains can be added), before being compressed, then cut into bars (similar to a flapjack/granola bar)

  • Puffed rice - Cooked Rice can be dried, then placed into hot oil, which will puff up similar to 'rice krispies'

  • Jhaal muri Jhaal Muri
    Puffed rice mixed with a selection of spices, and optionally other fruit, vegetables, nuts or sauces.

  • Deep fried rice balls/Arrancini - A deep fried rice ball, which can be stuffed with filling and/or coated (breadcrumbs, flour, nuts, etc)
  • Rice Tamales A rice parcel with sweet or savory fillings, that is wrapped (bamboo leaf, banana leaf, corn husk, etc) before being boiled or steamed.
  • Onigri - A compressed oval/triangular shaped rice, can be plain or filled, and/or wrapped with a sheet of roasted seaweed 'nori'.
    The completed Onigri can be grilled, broiled, or pan fried into 'Yaki Onigri'
  • Thickening agent - Soups and stews can be thicken as the rice absorbs liquid and breaks down.
  • Sushi - gunkan, nigri, maki, temaki, oshi sushi, inari sushi, etc.
  • Chirashi sushi - A bed of rice (seasoned with vinegar), with toppings covering the rice.
  • (Cheat's) Hainanese Chicken Rice - A Boiled chicken and rice dish, originally from Hainan, China.
  • (Cheat's) Congee - A rice soup/gruel/stew , which can be flavoured with stock, meat or vegetables.
  • If you steam or broil a dish, try using rice as a bed, it will heat up and absorb any sauces or juices.

There seems to be a number of leftover rice recipes on the internet.

Community
  • 1
Food Lover
  • 915
  • 5
  • 9
  • 1
    Like most of you answer but you cannot make Sushi from refrigerated rice - it just won't stick. – paparazzo Jul 01 '16 at 16:05
  • In my experience it depends on the consistency of the rice. You can warm up the rice and then add some sushi vinegar, or add warm/cold the sushi vinegar to the cold rice. – Food Lover Jul 01 '16 at 16:26
  • 2
    I am going to the trouble to make Sushi I am going to use fresh rice. – paparazzo Jul 01 '16 at 16:28
  • Thanks, @FoodLover, for the rice cakes idea... Any particular recipe? I'm thinking, something with raisins perhaps -- where I can substitute the raisins with dried sour cherries (my favorite)? – Mikhail T. Jul 01 '16 at 18:08
  • @Paparazzi Out of choice, sushi is better made from fresh sushi rice. However the topic is for ideas on using leftover rice, not the best practice for sushi or any other rice dishes. – Food Lover Jul 02 '16 at 21:13
  • @MikhailT. No unfortunately, but you can have fun trying out a few ideas. Maybe you can include the family involved in the process. – Food Lover Jul 02 '16 at 21:17
2

Rice pudding. Some of the quickest and easiest recipes for rice pudding start with leftover rice. Essentially just mix the rice with some milk (soya milk or coconut milk work nicely) and a bit of sugar. Then cook for 15 minutes or so until most of the liquid is absorbed. You can also add spices (nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon), and a bit of fruit (eg raisins) if you want.

vclaw
  • 232
  • 1
  • 7