Rice – a simple four-letter word that most people can’t live without! In fact, rice is one such commodity that is often cooked in bulk with an extra bowl getting its permanent space in the fridge. If food items could be given awards, rice would get one for being the most accommodating. A simple white grain of rice is so versatile that it can be combined with almost anything and it still won’t be weird. There’s daal chawal, biryani, pulao, rice croquettes, fried rice, rice cakes, and so much more! Did you know, India’s rice consumption is expected to reach 108 million tonnes by 2021? So, if you’re in the mood for some rice but need a nice twist and variation, check out these amazing rice recipes to add that zest to your meal.

Remember, these are the easiest rice recipes that you can make with things you have at home!

1. Lemon rice recipe

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Lemon rice is considered a staple in the southern states of India and can be easily made with leftover rice. You can have it any time of the day with pickle or chutney on the side.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp peanuts

2 tbsp cashews

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dal

1 tsp chana dal

1 dried red chilli

Ginger, finely chopped

2 green chillies

A pinch of hing

Curry leaves

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 cups cooked rice

Salt, to taste

2 tbsp coriander powder

2 tbsp lemon juice

Method:

Heat oil in a large kadhai, and roast the peanuts and cashews. Once they’re done, take them out of the kadhai and keep them aside. Add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, dried red chilli, ginger, green chilli, hing, turmeric, and a few curry leaves, in the same oil.

Once everything is sautéed, add the cooked rice and salt. Finally, add the coriander and lemon juice, and mix well.

Plate up, and serve!

You can watch the video by Hebbar’s Kitchen here.

2. Curd rice with tadka

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The smooth texture of curd rice, mixed with different kinds of tadkas and vegetables, makes it one of the easiest and most popular dishes. This is also one of the most famous rice recipes in India.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cup cooked rice

1 and 1/2 cup curd

1 tsp sugar

Salt, to taste

1 and 1/2 tsp ghee

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp chana dal

1 tsp urad dal

1/4 tsp hing

2 dry red chillies

1 sprig curry leaves

2 slit green chillies, optional

Method:

In a bowl, take the cooked rice, curd, sugar, and salt, and give it a good mix. In a separate tadka pan, heat up the ghee and add the mustard seeds. Cook till they splutter.

Add the chana dal, urad dal, and hing to the same pan, and cook till the dals get crunchy. Finally, add the red chilli along with curry leaves. If you like it extra spicy, add the slit green chilli too.

Add this tadka to the curd rice prepared in the first step, and mix it well to get your tadka curd rice ready.

You can watch the video by CookingShooking here.

Related: 10 Delicious And Easy One Pot Recipes For A Relaxed Dinner At Home

3. Aloo dum biryani

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Just like rice, potatoes are super accommodating. Mix the two, and you get this delicious biryani recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice, soaked

12 potatoes

5 tbsp ghee

2 tomatoes

Mint leaves

1/2 cup whisked curd

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

2 green chillies

1/4 cup milk

Saffron strands

2 bay Leaves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 black cardamom

2 green cardamoms

1/4 tsp garam masala

4 cloves

Ginger

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Boil the rice along with bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, salt and ghee for 5 minutes. Drain out the water and let it cool.

In another pan, heat the ghee and add potatoes. Let them roast until they are soft and brown.

Take the roasted potatoes out of the oil and, to the same oil, add cumin seeds, black peppers, cloves, green chillies, ginger, and tomatoes.

In a separate bowl, add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala in curd, and mix. In a cup of milk, add saffron and set it aside.

Take the masala off the flame and set it aside to cool down. Add the curd to the masala, and cook it again till the curd separates from the ghee.

Finally, add the potatoes to the mixture and cook well. You can add a little bit of water in the end to give it a liquid texture.

When all the ingredients are ready, separate the rice and masala, and layer them. Top it up with saffron milk.

Cook the biryani for 15 minutes, and serve after 10 minutes.

You can watch the video by Nisha Madhulika here.

4. Mexican rice

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So what if we’re all staying home? You can still savour international cuisine. Check out this one-pot recipe that can easily become your go-to recipe for those experimental cooking moods.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped

1 onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper

1/2 yellow pepper

1/2 green capsicum

1/2 cup green peas

1/2 cup tomato puree

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp red chillie powder

1 tsp red chillie flakes

1 tsp oregano

1-2 tbsp tomato sauce

2 and 1/2 cups water

Corn

1/2 cup boiled kidney beans (rajma)

Spring onions

Fresh coriander

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a pan, heat up the oil, add garlic to it, and cook it till it’s brown. Once the garlic is ready, add the chopped onions and cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Drain out the water from the soaked rice, and add it to the cooked onions without any additional water. Cooking the rice with onions will give it a unique flavour.

Add the red and yellow peppers, capsicum, green peas, and tomato puree, and mix well.

Season with salt, black pepper, cumin powder, red chilli powder, chilli flakes, oregano, and tomato sauce, if needed.

Add 2-3 cups of water to it, and let it boil till the rice absorbs it partially.

You can then add more ingredients like boiled corn, pre-boiled kidney beans (rajma), spring onions, green chilli, and fresh coriander.

Let the rice cook under a lid on low flame for about 6 minutes.

You can view the entire recipe from Kanak’s Kitchen here.

Related: Desi Comfort Food: 10 Authentic Indian Recipes From 10 Indian Chefs

5. Arancini rice balls

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Have you ever had arancini balls at a fancy restaurant and yearned for more? I know I have! That’s why this next recipe comes in super handy for people who absolutely love rice balls but don’t know how to go about it. It’s extremely easy and can be made with leftover rice.

Ingredients:

4 green chillis

Ginger

4-5 garlic cloves

Peanuts

1 cup leftover/boiled rice

2 tsp curd

1/8th cup water

2 potatoes

2 onions

Coriander leaves

Cumin seeds

Kasuri methi

Salt, to taste

Method:

In a blender, add the green chillis, ginger, and cloves, and blend to get a mixture with a coarse texture. In the same blender, you can then blend the peanuts separately to get a similar mixture.

Keep the peanut mixture aside, and add the leftover rice, curd, and water to the blender to get a thick paste.

In a bowl, add and mix all the blended ingredients – chillis, peanuts, and rice – and add to it grated boiled potatoes, chopped onions, coriander leaves, cumin seeds, kasuri methi, and salt.

Make small balls out of the mixture and deep fry in hot oil till they turn golden brown.

You can plate up the arancini rice balls beautifully and garnish with coriander leaves.

You can view the recipe video by Something’s Cooking with Alpa here.

These rice recipes can satisfy a lot of cravings, especially when you don’t want to do a lot of mehnat! Which is your favourite rice recipe?