Rice Dishes For Dinner Beyond Your Regular Pulao

Dinnertime is an important part of the day as the whole family sits and enjoys the meal together. Family meals encourage members of the family to get together, strengthen bonds, and improve relationships. They foster a sense of belonging, which boosts self-esteem. Family meals provide an opportunity for parents to serve as role models. They can set an example of proper table manners and healthy eating habits. Also, when a family sits down together to eat, it helps them manage the tensions and hassles of daily life. When the whole family sits and eats together, the dinner table is usually spread with a variety of dishes and cuisines. Some prefer roti at night while some people prefer having rice. Food is all about preferences and variations. Just like a lot of dishes can be made from wheat, rice can be used in a variety of ways to prepare different dishes. Pulao is a staple and classic dish made from rice that is loved by all. The aromatic flavours and the richness of different vegetables make this dish everyone's favourite. 

Here are some dishes that you can prepare with rice for your dinner. 

1. Lemon Rice

Lemon Rice also known as chitranna or nimmakaya pulihora is a crunchy, flavorful and tangy dish that is easy to make and tastes so good. Lemon juice, fried nuts, aromatic herbs and spices combine perfectly to give this steamed rice an amazingly spicy, tangy and nutty flavour. The nuts add a crunch for the perfect rice dish texture.

Zarda is a traditional dish from the Indian subcontinent. It is a boiling sweet rice dish made with saffron, milk, and sugar, and flavoured with cardamoms, raisins, pistachios, or almonds. The term Zarda derives from the Persian word 'zard,' which means 'yellow,' as the rice is coloured yellow with food colouring.

Yakhni Pulao is a Kashmiri dish made with rice, chicken, and a variety of Indian spices. It is rich in flavour and aroma. This rice recipe is a delicious option for a party or family dinner. The dish is made with aromatic basmati rice, flavorful vegetable stock, juicy meat, healthy mixed veggies, aromatic spices and herbs. 

Tehri is a yellow rice dish in Awadhi cuisine. Spices are added to plain cooked rice for flavour and colour. In one version of Tehri, potatoes are added to the rice. In other variants, soybean chunks, vegetables, onions, tomatoes and many different spices are also added. Tehri is similar to pulao, however, it's cooked with turmeric and mild spice powders. It tastes delicious with raita and papads.

Fried rice is a dish made using cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or frying pan with other ingredients including eggs, veggies, fish, or meat. Fried rice is a staple and classic Asian dish that is loved by everyone! Fried rice and vegetables in hot garlic sauce is a match made in heaven. The smokey and tangy flavour of the vegetable-rich gravy is balanced by the rice. Chicken can be added to the rice as per preference.