Homeade Rice mix Recipe?

[buckeye lady]

I've been trying to improve our eating habits ie-moving away from processed foods, preservatives, chemicals, Corn Syrup etc...
DH and I are traditional meat and potatoes people. We like a meat, a starch and a veggie with each meal. I really like those boxed rice mixes-especially the long grain and wild mix. Plain rice just doesn't have the flavor that these mixes do. I'm looking for rice mix recipes that have similar flavor but without all the added junk. Any suggestions?

 

[The YardFarmers]

Good for you on your new way of eating. Our goal, too, is not to buy anything at the grocery store we can grow, cook ourselves from scratch, hunt, fish.

I use this website for ideas and there is a whole rice section. Good luck! I use the leftovers in rice pudding and have it for breakfast.

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/category/recipes

 

[Dace]

Hi Buckeye....my best suggestion is to use good homemade stock as the liquid in your rice.

You could use bouillon cubes, but then you are defeating the goal of cleaning up your diet!

A couple of easy flavor boosters are: saut some garlic and onion (bell pepper, herbs...options are endless) before adding your rice. Use broth/stock (read the label if using canned and choose the least adulterated brand you can get...or better yet, make your own!) or stock /wine combo. Finish with fresh chopped herbs and or a squeeze of lemon juice.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Yep, what Dace said - cook your rice in homemade broth! I made a simple rice side dish last night by cooking the rice in deer broth instead of water & I added a tiny bit of lemon zest, some garlic, salt, pepper & celery seed. Then when the rice was done I added a 1/2 tbsp of butter for each serving. It was so good!
Try your favorite herbs for seasoning, adding them to the cooking liquid really helps to put the flavor in the rice.
Also, try toasting your rice before you boil it, especially brown rice. Just put the dry rice in a dry pan and over medium heat, toss it in the pan. It will crackle just a bit & start to smell lovely, when it starts looking light brown take it off the heat. You can add some sesame seeds when you are toasting it for even more flavor.

 

[patandchickens]

Yup, cooking the rice in chicken broth (preferably made from your own chickens, which tastes FAR FAR better, and is better for ya, than the storeboughten stuff), and you can add herbs and spices and a little salt and maybe some onion/garlic (sauteed or initially-raw, depending on tastes)

Another thing that is good, if you like curry type things, is to add a tbsp or two of curry paste (homemade or storeboughten) to rice when you cook it. Again, onion/garlic/herbs don't hurt either

If you like meat, add a little bit of leftover shredded chicken meat, or thin-sliced initially-raw sausage (I keep sausages in the freezer and whack off half at a time to cut up and add to rice etc, you can cut it while still frozen) when you put the water on to boil, the sausage will be cooked by the time the rice is done and they add some extra flavor and texture that you might like.

One thing to realize though is that a significant part of the flavor and texture of boxed rice mixes is BECAUSE OF all that stuff that you are trying wisely to avoid now, thus you are not going to duplicate it... what you want is to find something vaguely similar that you ALSO happen to like, or even prefer.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Ldychef2k]

These aren't mixes, per se, but they are rice recipes that I dearly love:

When I was in college back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, a friend of mine from Israel taught me one of his favorite dishes. He took scraps of lamb and browned them off, then made brown rice with the addition of 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice and garlic to taste. And salt and pepper of course. He added the lamb to the rice the last ten minutes.

Then he melted some butter, sliced some cauliflower florettes about 1/4" thick, and fried them until the edges were brown and crispy. This was turned into the rice, and he served it with plain yogurt. I often change the sauce to include chopped cucumber and garlic.

Here's a soup mix I put in jars and gave for Christmas:
Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup Mix in a Jar

Posted by Tiffany at recipegoldmine.com 12/8/2001 11:50 pm

Source: Tucson Citizen

Great last minute gift idea!!

1 (2.75 ounce) package country gravy mix (regular or no-fat)
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
2 teaspoons dried celery flakes
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 cup uncooked wild rice
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped dried mushrooms
(shiitake, chanterelle or oyster)*

Pour gravy mix into wide-mouth pint jar. In small bowl, stir together bouillon granules, onion, celery and parsley. Pour into jar to make second layer. Add layers of wild rice, white rice and mushrooms. Seal with lid. Attach gift tag (below) and decorate jar as desired.

Attach a gift tag with the following instructions:
Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup:
Empty contents of jar into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 7 cups water; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley