Fluffy texture with neutral flavor, white rice is the most popular rice choice to eat on a regular basis. It’s tasty, fulfilling, relatively inexpensive, and easy to cook.
Plain white rice is relatively tasteless, therefore it is easy to season into sweet, spicy, salty, sour or savory flavors to your liking. Luckily, adding flair to white rice is as simple as adding sauce, spices, or seasonings.
What to eat with white rice? White rice pairs wonderfully with multiple protein sources, vegetables, fruits, nuts, cheese, and herbs to create risotto, fried or pilaf style rice.
Additionally, plain rice dishes can be served with soup, stew, or marinated meats on the side. Including salmon, chicken, shrimp beef and pork, white rice can be paired with butter or soy sauce for a simple side dish.
By adding egg to a rice bowl, it can become a great breakfast item. Blend with milk, butter, and brown sugar with cinnamon spices to make an easy rice pudding.
White rice is delicious and versatile to cover sweet and savory dishes. Condiments, spices or herbs will add flavor to the white rice, make it appealing, and improve its overall taste.
This article shares exactly what to pair with white rice to make it flavorful and more sumptuous. Answered below are frequently asked questions about what to eat with white rice for flavors that balance and complement well with each other.
What goes good with white rice?
White rice goes well with various ingredients including vegetables, fruits, nuts, cheese, and many more. Serve for breakfast, dessert, lunch, and dinner, white rice complements well in sweet or savory dishes.
- Vegetables: string beans, corn, carrots, celery, peas, snow peas, bell pepper, zucchini, leek, broccoli
- Fruits: pineapple, peaches, orange, grapes, apple, cranberries, raisin, lemon
- Nuts: almonds, pine nuts, walnuts
- Cheese: cheddar, parmesan, cream cheese, sour cream
- Meat: chicken, beef, pork
- Condiments: oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, olive oil, butter
What sauce goes with white rice?
Don’t disregard the rice, whether making vegetable curry or meaty stir fry to serve on top of white rice. Going for the right sauce will make the dish spicier and tastier.
Some sauces that go with white rice include:
- hot sauce
- curry sauce
- pesto sauce
- oyster sauce
- chili sauce
- teriyaki sauce
- sriracha sauce
- soy sauce
What spice go with white rice?
When adding spicy or savory flavor to plain white rice, consider adding spices. The herby and woodsy flavors mixed with white rice an excellent pairing with East Asian or Indian cuisines.
- cumin
- cardamom
- cinnamon
- ginger
- cloves
- turmeric
- saffron
- nutmeg
- black pepper
- mace
- coriander
- sumac
- garlic powder
- chili
These combination of spices give a warm, earthy, and floral taste that will infuse the white rice with flavor. For a savory note, garlic or chili powder are always great additions to make the rice more flavorful.
What seasoning goes with white rice?
Light seasoning on the white rice is highly recommended. It gives plain and bland rice a better taste, especially when served with meat or seafood.
Here are classic seasoning that go well with white rice:
- onion powder
- smoked paprika
- chili powder
- cayenne powder
- curry powder
- red pepper flakes
- black peppercorns
- ground ginger
- furikake seasoning
- za’atar spice
What flavor goes well with white rice?
White rice goes well with savory and sweet flavors. Try drizzling in lemon juice, savory or sweet sauces, pepper, chili, or spices to infuse the flavors into the grain.
Furthermore, adding broth or bouillon for cooking the rice instead of water does the trick. Alternatively, add dried fruit, fresh herbs, or nuts to make it more flavorful, colorful and give texture to the dish.
Here are classic flavor combination that goes well with white rice:
- white rice + butter + raisin + egg + cinnamon + milk + brown sugar
- white rice + soy sauce + sesame oil + red pepper flakes
- white rice + chicken broth + butter +garlic + pepper
- white rice + chicken + olive oil + broth
What food goes with white rice?
Owing to its pretty mild flavor, white rice pairs with many foods. White rice can be served with stews, lettuce wraps, salads, vegetables, and soups.
- Stew: Prepared separately, but served together in a bowl. The meat chunks and sauce can be drizzled over plain white rice to enjoy with. Select beef or chicken chunks with potatoes or vegetables to cover the rice bowl so the grain soaks up any remaining sauce at the bottom.
- Vegetables: White rice can be eaten with sautéed, steamed or stir fried green beans, carrot, corn, mushroom, or peas. Be sure to drizzle in some lemon or olive oil, then season it with cilantro to make it more appealing.
- Soup: Pair rice with vegetable, chicken or beef based stock. Soups makes white rice soft and add more complex flavor to the make the liquid hearty and fulfilling.
- Lettuce wraps: Wrapping veggies and sautéed chicken in lettuce leaves is delicious appetizer idea. These two combinations are a classic pairing for white rice. Rice adds flavor and bulk to wraps without dramatically altering the taste.
- Salads: Mixing freshly chopped salad with white rice is a healthy way to enjoy leafy greens and make the dish more fulfilling. Simply, use white rice with onion, bell pepper, carrots and your favorite veggies with either sesame oil dressing or vinegar dressing to coat with. It’s delicious and adds color to the dish.
Eat With White Rice: Conclusion
White rice is quite versatile, making it easy to pair with various dishes. From seasonings to spices, take the food staple to a whole new level using straightforward ingredients.
This popular rice is served with meats, vegetables, seasoning, and spices to create meals like risotto, fried rice, pilaf, stew, soup, salad, and much more.
Whether you are making breakfast with eggs or milk, butter, and brown sugar, the combinations are endless. In addition, white rice can be a great dessert when transformed into rice pudding or drinks like horchata.
Take a bet on these classic white rice pairings, and they’ll for sure uplift your experience.