5 recipes that use rice
By
Halls Life
Posted 19 hours ago
Wed 04 Nov, 2026 12:11 AM
It's not just a meal, it's a lifestyle!
Rice is a staple fo easy meals because it's cheap, cooks quickly with minimal effort and absorbs the flavours of almost any protein, sauce or vegetable!
Here are 5 easy rice recipes that you can make with your friends or for a solo night in.
1. Bacon and kimchi fried rice
Serves: 4
Cook Time: 10 to 30 minutes
- 6 rashers of streaky smoked bacon, cut into wide strips
- 100g kimchi, roughly chopped
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 500g cooked long-grain rice
- 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 free-range eggs
- Chilli sauce, to serve
- Cook the bacon in a large frying pan until it starts to crisp. Stir in the kimchi and carrot and cook for 1 minute. Add the rice and continue to cook, stirring regularly until the rice is piping hot. Stir in the chilli flakes, soy sauce and most of the spring onions.
- Divide the fried rice between four shallow bowls.
- Wipe out the frying pan with kitchen paper, then heat the oil in the pan and quickly fry the eggs until done to your liking and place on top of the rice. Scatter over the remaining spring onions and serve with the chilli sauce.
2. Chicken and chorizo jambalaya
Serves: 2
Cook Time: 10 to 30 minutes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 boneless chicken thighs, skin removed, cut into pieces
- 75g chorizo
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 200g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 150g basmati rice
- 200ml chicken stock
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped, optional
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and fry the chicken and chorizo for 3 minutes.
- Add the onion and celery, season well and fry for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and pepper and cook for a further minute. Add the tomatoes and cayenne and cook for 2 minutes, then add the rice and stir well.
- Pour over the stock, bring to a boil, put the lid on, turn the heat down as low as it will go and cook for 12 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and leave the rice to stand for 12 minutes. Take off the lid, fluff up the rice and serve immediately.
- Garnish with the parsley, if using.
3. Tofu fried rice
Serves: 1
Cook Time: Less than 10 minutes
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 3 spring onions, thinly sliced, green parts reserved to garnish
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
- 80g leftover cooked rice
- 200g silken tofu, roughly crumbled
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 75g frozen peas
- 50g frozen sweetcorn
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Pop in the spring onion and garlic and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and the onions have softened.
- Turn up the heat, add the rice and fry for 2 minutes. Add the tofu and soy sauce and toss gently.
- Stir through the peas and sweetcorn and cook for 2 minutes before serving with the spring onion garnish.
4. Pea and goats' cheese risotto
Serves: 4
Cook Time: 10 to 30 minutes
- 1L vegetable stock (made with a stock cube)
- 50g butter
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 300g risotto rice
- 200g frozen peas, defrosted
- 125g soft goat's cheese
- Salt and black pepper
- Keep the stock warm in a pan over low heat while you prepare the rest of the risotto.
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and, once melted, add the onion along with a pinch of salt. Cook gently until the onion is softened and translucent. Turn up the heat a little and stir in the risotto rice, making sure each grain is coated in the melted butter. Cook the rice for 1-2 minutes, or until the grains become translucent at the outer edges.
- Pour in a ladleful of stock and stir to mix into the rice. Reduce the heat slightly to medium. Once the stock is absorbed, add another ladleful and repeat, waiting for the stock to absorb before adding more. Stir continuously.
- Once three-quarters of the stock has been incorporated, taste and check the rice. It should be soft but retain a slight bite. Continue to add the remaining stock if it's not quite cooked. Once ready, stir in the defrosted peas and reduce the heat to low. Mix well and leave to stand for 2-3 minutes to warm the peas through. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
- Just before serving, dot the risotto with three-quarters of the goat's cheese, stirring it to slightly mix the cheese through. Serve hot with the remaining goat's cheese dotted over the top.
5. Butternut squash curry with chickpeas
Serves: 3-4
Cook Time: 30 minutes to 1 hour
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 fresh red chilli, roughly chopped
- 2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes
- 400g coconut milk
- 1/2 butternut squash, seeds removed, chopped into pieces
- 400g tin chickpeas
- Fresh coriander leaves
- 150g basmati
- Salt
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, garlic and ginger and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garam masala, fresh red chilli, cumin and turmeric and cook until the onions have softened.
- Pour in the tomatoes and coconut milk, bring to a boil, then add the squash and chickpeas. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Check occasionally and add water if needed.
- After 30 minutes, remove the lid and cook for another 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Place the rice in a large bowl and cover with water. Carefully discard the water and repeat until the water runs clear.
- Place the rice in a saucepan and add 500ml of water with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat and leave to stand with the lid on for a further 10 minutes.
- Serve the curry with rice and a sprinkling of fresh coriander.
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