Grains
When humans first began farming around 10,000 years ago, a variety of grains were among the first plants to come under the plow. Wheat, rice and corn are the big three used around the world these days. But barley, oats, rye, millet, spelt, quinoa, teff and amaranth are just some of the other grains used in in the world's different cultures and cuisines.
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by Meanest Indian
Grain Recipes
Arroz a la Mexicana
Also known as Spanish rice, arroz a la mexicana is one of the most popular ways to prepare rice in Mexico and the American Southwest. The tomatoes give it a rich, ruddy hue and a deep, rounded flavor. Read more »
Arroz con Gandules
If you're going to cook Puerto Rican, you better know how to make arroz con gandules. No holiday dinner or family get together is complete without this hearty side dish of rice and pigeon peas. Infused with the flavor of sofrito and sazón, a well-cooked pot will form a much-desired crust on bottom called the pegao. Read more »
Arroz con Pato
Arroz con pato is the tasty Peruvian version of the chicken and rice dish arroz con pollo that is found in many Latin cuisines. In Peru, duck is preferred and cilantro and dark beer are essential to the earthy taste of the dish. Read more »
Arroz con Pollo
Arroz con pollo, or "rice with chicken," originated in the Andalusia region of Spain. It shares similarities with several West African dishes such as jollof rice, and may in fact have origins there. The Spanish version as was introduced to the New World colonies, and arroz con pollo is very popular in the Caribbean, especially in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Read more »
Ceebu Jen
Ceebu jen (cheh-boo jen) is one of the most popular dishes in Senegal, especially along the coast. A Wolof term meaning "rice and fish," ceebu jen is a tomatoey mix of fish, rice and cooked vegetables that shows a strong resemblance to Spanish paella and Creole jambalaya. A wide variety of vegetables and fish can be used, making ceebu jen an extremely versatile dish. Also spelled thieboudienne, tiéboudienne, thiep bou dien, cep bu jën. Read more »
Coo-Coo
Coo-coo, or cou-cou, is one half of "coo-coo and flying fish," the Bajan national dish. This cornmeal porridge is similar to Italy's polenta or Africa's fufu and ugali. Okra goes by the name "ochro" on Barbados. Read more »
Gallo Pinto
If there is one meal that everyone in Nicaragua and Costa Rica eats, it's gallo pinto. This hearty, healthy and filling dish is your basic rice and beans. The beans in this case are red, and the color of the beans on the rice gives gallo pinto, or "painted rooster," its name. Costa Ricans especially are fond of serving gallo pinto with scrambled eggs for breakfast. Read more »
Geelrys
Geelrys is one of many South African dishes with roots in the Dutch East Indies. This sunny yellow side dish is the traditional accompaniment to bobotie. Read more »
Hoppin' John
Hoppin' John is an old Southern dish, especially popular in South Carolina. No one really knows how it came by its name, but its culinary roots seem to stretch back to Africa. It is traditionally eaten as part of a New Year's Day meal, as black-eyed peas supposedly bring good luck. For maximum luck, eat Hoppin' John immediately after midnight along with a side of greens. Read more »
Jambalaya
A classic of Cajun-Creole cuisine, jambalaya got its start in the French Quarter of New Orleans when Spanish immigrants cooked up a dish similar to their beloved paella from home. The name probably comes from a French Provencal word meaning "mix up" or "mash up." This versatile one-pot dish's popularity spread to the Cajuns in Louisiana's bayous, who, unlike cooks in New Orleans, made their version without tomatoes. This recipe is for the New Orleans creole "red" version. Read more »
Jollof Rice
Jollof rice probably originated from rice dishes eaten by the Wolof people of Senegal and Gambia, but its popularity has spread to most of West Africa, especially Nigeria and Ghana. Based on rice, tomatoes and usually meat or fish, it is believed by some to be the origin of Cajun jambalaya. The Gambian version is called benachin. Also spelled jolof or djolof rice. Read more »
Kalam Polo
Kalam polo is a hearty, filling pilaf scented with cinnamon and saffron. Sometimes spelled kalam polow, or kalam pollo. Kalam is Farsi for cabbage. Read more »
Kasha
Although kasha is a word used to describe a wide variety of grain porridges in Russia, it has come to be most closely linked to this particular buckwheat (gretchka) dish. Kasha is a nutritious and excellent substitute for rice, especially when paired with beef or lamb. Read more »
Kushari
Kushari is a simple yet healthful dish of pasta, rice and lentils widely sold in small Egyptian restaurants and roadside stands. With its full complement of protein, a spicy topping of tomato sauce and crispy fried onions, kushari is often considered the Egyptian national dish. It was originally a poor man's dish, but nowadays kushari is enjoyed by all strata of society. Variously spelled koshari, kosheri, koushari or koshary. Read more »
Maki Sushi
Maki sushi is what most people think of when they hear the word "sushi"—filled rice rolls wrapped in nori seaweed. Many types of maki sushi are vegetarian. When making sushi with raw fish or seafood, it is important to use the freshest, highest grade you can find, often helpfully labeled "sushi-grade." Although you will often see it spelled "maki sushi" or "makisushi," the correct spelling is actually "makizushi." Read more »
Maqluba
Maqluba (مقلوبة) is Arabic for "upside-down," which is how this popular Palestinian dish of rice, eggplant and meat is served. Read more »
Moros y Cristianos
Moros y cristianos is Spanish for "Moors and Christians," and it refers to the dark black beans against the whiteness of the rice. The combination of rice and beans is a popular one throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Congrí, or congrí oriental, is a variation using red beans that is popular in eastern Cuba. It shows the influence of nearby Haiti, where it is known as riz et pois, or diri ak pwa in French Creole dialect. Read more »
Muesli
Muesli, or müsli, is a breakfast cereal developed at the turn of 20th century by the Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner, a Swiss nutritionist. He introduced a dish of raw grains, nut, milk, cream and honey for the patients at his sanitorium The original recipe, called Birchermüsli, is widely popular in Europe and has since spread around the world. Variations on the basic theme are endless. Read more »
Oyako Don
In Japan, oyako don is probably the most popular of all donburi, or rice bowl dishes. The term literally means "parent and child bowl," and is a reference to using chicken and egg in the same dish. With its comforting ingredients simmered in a sweet sauce, oyako don is a perfect, quick meal for hungry children. Read more »
Paella Valenciana
At once both rustic and elegant, this exquisite rice dish originated in the Valencia region of Spain and is typically made outdoors in large, shallow pan called a paella, or paellera. Making paella is a man's activity in Spain. A fire of orange and pine wood is built, and the paella is cooked over the fragrant flames. Paella valenciana is the most famous version. Optional additions to paella Valenciana are rabbit and snails. Other versions include paella de mariscos (seafood) and paella mixta (mixed). Read more »
Pulao
Pulaos form a wide variety of spiced rice dishes in India. It is a method of cooking rice that was adopted from the Persians with their rice polows. The style of first sautéing and then boiling rice is also known as the pilaf, or pilav, method. Pulao is also popular in East Africa given past Indian immigration to the area. Read more »
Rice and Peas
Rice and peas, as kidney beans are called in Jamaica, follows the Caribbean and Central American tradition of bean and rice dishes. Jamaicans give their version a rich, tropical flavor with the addition of coconut milk. Read more »
Sabzi Polo
Sabzi polo is a brilliant green version of the famous Persian "polo," or pilaf, rice dishes. The green comes from a variety of herbs that give an otherwise plain dish a sublime flavor. Pair sabzi polo with fried fish, and you have sabzi polo va mahi, the traditional Nowruz Persian New Year meal. Read more »
Sushi Gohan
Contrary to the belief of many, the word "sushi" actually refers to the seasoned rice itself, not the rolls and such made with it. It serves as the base for chirashi, inari, maki, nigiri, oshi and temaki zushi. Read more »
Tah Chin
Tah chin — also spelled tah-chin or tacheen — is a dramatic Persian rice dish. Partly cooked rice is flavored with saffron, yogurt and egg yolks and then layered in a dish with chicken or lamb. The whole dish is baked and then turned out onto a platter, forming a mound of deliciousness with a golden, crispy crust. Read more »
