Rice - The Perfect Frugal Food
There is a reason why rice is a food staple around the world. It is high in fiber, carbohydrates, and provides other nutritional needs all for a very low cost. There are many types of rice. I'm partial to the flavor and texture of Basamati. It isn't the cheapest available, but at $0.58 a pound at Sam's it is a pretty frugal food.
Rice can be eaten for every meal. Yes, rice for breakfast! Haven't you tried Hillbilly Housewife's Rice Pancakes? Oh these are so good! When we have rice for dinner, I make extra just so I can make these pancakes with the leftovers. We also will sometimes have leftover rice reheated with milk. Add brown sugar, raisins, or other flavors for an oatmeal like breakfast.
Rice can be used as a side, the main dish, and even dessert. One of our favorite rice recipes is Kheer; Indian Rice Pudding. There are a lot of variations to this recipe, but I make mine similar to this recipe at Allrecipes.
1/2 C rice
2 qt. milk
1 1/2 C sugar
4 pods cardamom
Put the milk and rice in a pan. Gently heat, cover, and cook for about 50 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add cardamom and sugar. Cook another 20 minutes. Serve warm or chilled.
The sugar in this recipe can be reduced for a less sweet dessert. Nuts, raisins and other spices can also be added. Many recipes use coconut milk too, but I've yet to try it that way.
How can you go wrong with a food staple that is so versatile and economical? Rice is a perfect frugal food!
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7 comments:
Why eat rice when you can have potatoes?
Papaw aka Pappy
We LOVE rice, and I love rice puddings. I've had this Indian rice pudding before, but I never thought to look up the recipe. Thanks! I'll have to try this. I have some cardamon powder that I need to use up. I love the way it smells.
Stephanie, thanks for commenting on my blog.
A friend at work tells me rice is a "bad" food. I'd like to slim down a bit but we're talking carbs here, aren't we?
Is rice really good for you?
Peace,
Mike
I love rice, but no one else in my family does. They are a bunch of weirdos. :)
My wife was a V.P. for a large U.S. rice company. If you want rice recipes, let me know.
2 nights ago we had rice and jalapeno peppers! Really not bad!
We cook rice and serve it like oatmeal some mornings. The kids really love it, and it's cheap. LOL
Thanks for submitting to the Carnival of SAHMs!
Mike- Rice can be a "bad" food if you only eat white rice. If I remember correctly, it's relatively high on the glycemic index--meaning it's not great for your blood sugar.
Brown rice, and probably wild rices, too, are a much better choice. They have more fiber (hence the longer cooking time) and more nutrients. If you're not a huge fan of brown rice's fantastic flavor, try half white, half brown rice. Add all the water you'll need for both, add the brown rice, and about halfway through the cooking time add the white rice.
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