Paella with Tomatoes MAKES: 4 to 6 servings TIME: 30 minutes With caramelized tomatoes on top and a dish on the table in half an hour, this is gorgeous and stunningly easy. When tomatoes aren't in season, try one of the variations. 31/2 cups vegetable stock or water 1...
Stuck-Pot Rice with Yogurt and Spices MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 40 minutes Here the rice itself forms the crust at the bottom of the pot, making this dish super-simple, super-crunchy, and utterly addictive. You'd think the yogurt might clump up or even curdle, but just...
Stuck-Pot Rice with Potato Crust MAKES: 4 to 6 servings TIME: 11/2 hours, largely unattended This is the first of these types of dishes I learned how to make (with thanks to the late great food writer Paula Peck). Potatoes provide the crust here, complemented by the...
Sushi Rice MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 40 minutes Though sushi rice is often served cool (in Japan it's considered best warm), it cannot be made ahead by more than a couple of hours or it loses its great texture. 1 recipe White Rice or Brown Rice, made with short-grain...
Nigiri Sushi MAKES: 24 to 36 pieces TIME: 20 minutes with premade rice and topping Nigiri is simple hand-shaped sushi, which takes less practice than rolled (maki) sushi; see the accompanying illustrations. To top, you can use any filling from the Improvising Sushi...
Mixed Rice, Japanese Style Kayaku Gohan MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 40 minutes Kayaku gohan (mixed rice) may be thought of as Japanese paella. It's less sophisticated than sushi and, in the home at least, far more common. Like paella, it may be made with or without...
Japanese Rice with Edamame and Sea Greens MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 minutes If you haven't yet discovered the wonders of sea greens (you might call them seaweed), this is your opportunity. And please try dashi here: It adds a complex flavor that simply can't be...
Rice Balls Onigiri MAKES: 4 to 8 servings TIME: 30 minutes Rice balls are a part of daily life in Japan, a fast snack, something to be grabbed on the run or part of a boxed lunch and clearly somewhat healthier than potato chips. There's almost nothing to them: cooked...
Yellow Rice, the Best Way MAKES: 4 servings TIME: 30 minutes There is the right way to make this and a number of easy ways; even the easy ways are good, but this right here with saffron and other spices and a couple of vegetables is really the ultimate. Vegan with oil...
White Rice and Black Beans MAKES: 4 to 6 servings TIME: About 2 hours, largely unattended Seriously delicious and really easy. This technique semipureing the half-cooked beans and adding the rice makes a great case for cooking all rice and bean dishes this way,...
