I like having instant rice on hand in the pantry. It is very light weight and cooks quickly both of which are positives. But it is also very handy and cost saving.
For instance, the other day I purchased some canned yams, they go on sale at this time of year. I took the leftover liquid in the can, heated it up to boiling and added instant rice to it. It is a one to one mix, the measured volume of liquid to the same volume of rice. Of course I just guesstimated rather than doing actual measuring. The yam liquid is a light syrup so it is sweet. Once the rice was cooked I had a good base for a desert of rice pudding. Yams are often used as desert treats in Asian countries as is sweetened rice so it i was s a natural pairing. Next I needed it to be "creamy" for the pudding, I used some canned condensed milk but even better would have been a bit of canned coconut milk. Some ginger would have added yet more of an Asian flair but I had cinnamon so that was what I used.
If you have some canned vegetables the liquid from them can also create a flavored rice to use as a side dish. Or you can just heat up the can of veggies and add instant rice to it for a meal of its own.
If you are a fan of beans and rice then use a can of beans of your choice of variety and just add instant rice to it. One pot meal, easy clean up and not a lot of fuel as it is literally done in a few minutes time. You just bring it up to temperature for a minute or two until the liquid boils, turn off the heat, cover the pan and let it sit until the rice is ready. If there is not quite enough liquid in the can you can add some more water or some type of broth. In the winter time you don't want to have liquids boiling for a long time indoors as it quickly increases condensation problems.
Anyway some quick, bachelor style, easy to do, but filling meal ideas when you don't want to spend a lot of time cooking.
For instance, the other day I purchased some canned yams, they go on sale at this time of year. I took the leftover liquid in the can, heated it up to boiling and added instant rice to it. It is a one to one mix, the measured volume of liquid to the same volume of rice. Of course I just guesstimated rather than doing actual measuring. The yam liquid is a light syrup so it is sweet. Once the rice was cooked I had a good base for a desert of rice pudding. Yams are often used as desert treats in Asian countries as is sweetened rice so it i was s a natural pairing. Next I needed it to be "creamy" for the pudding, I used some canned condensed milk but even better would have been a bit of canned coconut milk. Some ginger would have added yet more of an Asian flair but I had cinnamon so that was what I used.
If you have some canned vegetables the liquid from them can also create a flavored rice to use as a side dish. Or you can just heat up the can of veggies and add instant rice to it for a meal of its own.
If you are a fan of beans and rice then use a can of beans of your choice of variety and just add instant rice to it. One pot meal, easy clean up and not a lot of fuel as it is literally done in a few minutes time. You just bring it up to temperature for a minute or two until the liquid boils, turn off the heat, cover the pan and let it sit until the rice is ready. If there is not quite enough liquid in the can you can add some more water or some type of broth. In the winter time you don't want to have liquids boiling for a long time indoors as it quickly increases condensation problems.
Anyway some quick, bachelor style, easy to do, but filling meal ideas when you don't want to spend a lot of time cooking.
