instant rice...tricks for quick meals

[maki2]

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.

 

[vanbrat]

Plenty of both genders that don't know much about travel cooking. Both my Grannies where baaad cooks, but my Granddad was great. Both my sons didn't have choice, they learned to cook basics, at least for now they both out cook their wife/girlfriends. One only because she works longer hours then him right now. She is a great cook. My hubby .... not so much, sometimes we chew through his BBQ and enjoy his rice crispy treats. What he lacks in cooking skill he makes up with in math. NOBODY wants to ever rely on me doing anything with numbers...
I will have to find a place for the instant rice. Thank you for the ideas. I love rice and veggies. Not only will this idea help with a fast meal, but also what to do with that liquid that i would have to dump somewhere. I am finding the liquid in cans something that I never thought to deal with. We had tuna water that I was going to throw in the woods, but then thought of the critters in the woods .... my doggy was more then happy that night but....
I wonder how good it would be in pineapple juice with coconut milk?
Maybe chili beans, one can chili beans and one can red beans and a bit of cheese on top.... OK now I need to go get some instant rice.....
Maybe salsa and rice and corn in tortillas. Maybe tuna rice and veggies with a creamy sauce.
Going to have to add this to my van cook book....

 

[abnorm]

We like mixing White Instant rice and the Brown Instant...........Stored dry in recycled juice bottles until ready to use

Adds a texture and color and flavor........

 

[rvwandering]

This thread is about RICE. All of the off topic posts have been deleted. If you don't agree with this decision please send me a private message.

 

[WanderingRose]

Rehydrate, then add hot milk, a little sugar, and sprinkle with cinnamon for breakfast.

I’m not a big rice consumer, but sometimes it is a vehicle to get more milk into my body.

 

[maki2]

I use the milk to rehydrate it for milk rice as milk is mostly water, about 87%. Except of course condensed milk which has had a lot of the water removed from it.  condensed milk also works for rehydrating the rice but you have to watch you dont scorch ii with too high of heat because of all the sugars in milk and rice.

Some of the propane stoves are tricky to get set to a low heat especially when using them outdoors. That is another reason instant rice is easy for camp cooking. Since you turn the heat off and let it sit to finish making it.

Last week I got one of the Coleman single burner stoves. I can adjust it to a very low flame but only when indoors during daylight hours as I cant see the blue flame to know if it is set just right when there is sunlight. Plus any wind might blow out the flame when it is set to low. That explains why some people can't set it to low heat and others say they can. You can only reliably do it do it under the right condiitions which is dim lighting and still air. But even then it of course creates a concentrated hot spot.

 

[bagabum]

Some of the propane stoves are tricky to get set to a low heat especially when using them outdoors. That is another reason instant rice is easy for camp cooking. Since you turn the heat off and let it sit to finish making it.

Maki, I like  diffuser for not burning the bottom os some meals that require low heat. It works great.  Amazon, cheap.  https://www.amazon.com/Diffuser-Sto...ocphy=9028138&hvtargid=pla-426943592114&psc=1

 

[flying kurbmaster]

Here is a trick I learnt from a Philippine nurse I used to share house with. Standard white or brown rice can be cooked this way, basmati, jasmine, Thai, Australian brown etc.. Two Water to one rice mixture, bring to boil remove from stove let sit covered for 15 minutes or while you finish up your other bits.Rice will be perfect every time for brown let boil for a bit longer maybe 4 minutes then let sit. What is important you need a good pot that seals when left. Any semi quality cooking pots do this, if they don’t seal it will fail. Been doing this for over 30 years rice never burns perfect everytime. The good thing about this way in a van is there is less steam inside your van. A nice extra I sometimes throw in a bit of chopped garlic in a bit of oil or butter, stir In the dry rice as it warms up slightly browning the rice then add the water, it gives it a nice flavour once cooked. I suppose you could use ginger or any spice you like.

 

[VanFan]

Nature:  I thought of you first thing when I saw this!  It looks like a generic Uncle Ben's thread, doesn't it?

Bagabum:  Like the folding handle on that flame tamer!

Kurbmaster:  Absolutely will try that (I'm not crazy about the texture of instant rice).  Thanks!

 

[GypsyJan]

Chunky soups over rice make a filling, comfort food meal. I use rice packets as these require less cooking time. For one pot meals, I add some of the juice from the cannned mushrooms, tuna, etc. to the pot of packet rice, meat & veggies as needed.

 

[maki2]

If you need a lid that seals tight for letting thing stand to finish cooking including regular or instant riice the silicone pot lids will work just fine.. They are good for van life, lightweight and silent wwhen driving. No risk of breakage. They are the only lids I travel with. Found all of mine in thrift stores.

 

[Qxxx]

Two Water to one rice mixture, bring to boil remove from stove let sit covered for 15 minutes or while you finish up your other bits.

Tried it, wasn't even close to being cooked. Around here, I have to simmer brown rice for 45-minutes, "after" first boiling for 10-minutes or so. YMMV.

 

[Qxxx]

Chunky soups over rice make a filling, comfort food meal. I use rice packets as these require less cooking time. For one pot meals, I add some of the juice from the cannned mushrooms, tuna, etc. to the pot of packet rice, meat & veggies as needed.

+1. That is exactly what I do. O[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]n the road, I use precooked rice to save on propane, but here in S&B where propane isn't an issue, I have been using dry rice simmered for long time periods until cooked.

Also, couple of months ago, I discovered the Chunky Steak+Potato soup. The beef is real beef and not ground, and the potatoes are real chunks that I have been generally missing (ie, emotionally) for a while. I had also tried Hormel Compleats and Dinty More, but in both the beef was much poorer than in Chunky, and the volumes are smaller for the price. Chunky is basically the pot roast or stew but with more water.[/font]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/4-Pack-Campbell-s-Chunky-Steak-Potato-Soup-18-8-oz/47224410

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dinty-Moore-Beef-Stew-15-Oz/10290959
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]https://www.walmart.com/ip/6-pack-Hormel-Compleats-Beef-Pot-Roast-9-Ounce/747948651[/font][/SIZE]

 

[barleyguy]

I actually tried the rice+soup combination for dinner tonight, specifically Progresso loaded baked potato soup, with long grain and wild rice. Very tasty, and allows me to get two meals out of a can of soup. I'm adding this to the meal list.

 

[Qxxx]

Oh that soup looks good. What I also do is further load the fry pan with combinations of canned corn and carrots, olives and also diced tomatoes where they're amenable to the main course (ie, not so good with white sauce).

 

[WanderingRose]

Chili over rice is really good, too.

One could mix a can of chili with one of seasoned black beans, pour over rice and top with cheese and a little sour cream.

 

[GypsyJan]

"Chili over rice is really good, too."

One of our favorite meals on road trips is Wendy's chili over a packet of pre-cooked rice. If at a motel, we heat it in the microwave. At a campsite, I use the rice cooker.

Another favorite is cream of mushroom soup, sliced real muchrooms, green peas and ground beef over rice (using same methods to cook as above).

 

[highdesertranger]

almost anything over rice is good, IMO. highdesertranger