If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, here are some Chinese rice dishes to try out for your next dinner.
You’ll often see rice used as a staple food in many cultures and cuisines around the world. Even here in America, rice is familiar enough – think about rice pudding, for instance. But if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary, here are some Chinese rice dishes to try out for your next dinner.
Plain Rice
You need to start somewhere. Before you can experiment with the more colorful and tasty rice dishes, you need to know how to make some rice. You could always use leftover rice from your latest trip to your local Chinese restaurant (which is a great base for fried rice!). That said, don’t underestimate how difficult making plain rice can be – you’ll want to be sure it turns out fluffy and not crunchy and overcooked, after all.
Fried Rice
As we noted above, fried rice is one step up from plain rice. It’s easy to make some fried rice with leftover rice that has dried out, and you can dress it up however you like: diced eggs, bits of ham, even some green onions. Fried rice can serve as an entree all on its own, especially if you top it with meat, vegetables, or seafood such as shrimp and fish. Chinese sausage makes a great accompaniment to your fried rice, too.
Chicken
If none of those other options appeal to you, you can always throw some chicken into your fried rice. It’s another fantastic way to use up any cooked chicken, rotisserie or not, that you don’t have time to turn into soup.
Special
One final variant of fried rice to consider is to make your very own house special. That means you can try your hand at Yongchow fried rice, which contains roast pork, shrimp, and eggs.
Crispy
Believe it or not, even overcooked rice can be used. In this case, crispy rice, also known as sizzling rice, is made up before it is needed and can be combined with broth to make a delicious sizzling rice soup.
Congee
Congee is also known as rice porridge. You’ll often see it is eaten for breakfast, particularly in southern China and in several other countries throughout Asia. Thanks to the Chinese diaspora from the mainland and Taiwan, congee is popular in the West, too.
Vegetables
Take some steamed rice, mixed with bok choy and sliced dried mushrooms, and you add another delectable element to your meal, either on its own or with some fresh stir-fry.
Get All Your Asian Groceries at Lotte Plaza Market
Lotte Plaza Market is your one-stop shop for all of your Korean and Asian grocery needs. With more than 10 locations in Maryland and Virginia, this growing market is always expanding and opening new markets to serve our customers better. Since we opened in 1976, our goal has always been to provide the best customer service and groceries to our customers. For answers to all of your questions, email us at LottePlaza.com.