Harissa Rice, Tunisia
Harissa is a delicious roasted pepper paste made with red peppers, chillies, garlic, cumin, coriander seeds, salt and olive oil. Sometimes, rose petals and caraway seeds are also added.
Harissa is highly versatile; it can be used as a condiment or as a key ingredient in dishes across Tunisia and the neighbouring countries. For instance, you can use it to marinate meat, enhance the flavour of a vegetable stew, spread on bread, or turn an ordinary plate of rice into a taste sensation.
The best bit about harissa rice, in our opinion, is there isn’t a standard recipe – you can cook your rice in water spiced with harissa paste or you can mix cooked rice with a tablespoon of harissa paste, lemon juice, freshly chopped mint leaves – and voilà, you get a plate of rice that packs a massive flavour punch.
Amazon link to Harissa paste
Paella, Spain
This popular dish has quite a few regional variations yet many still prefer the original Valencian version. The recipe requires you to sauté small pieces of rabbit and chicken first, before adding green beans, chopped tomatoes, sweet paprika, saffron and water to create a flavourful stock. You then spread the rice – preferably the starchy and absorbent Valencia variety – across the paella pan (a flat, round pan that allows the rice mixture to cook evenly).
Here’s a good tip from a Valencian – the paella is cooked when the stock has evaporated, but don’t remove the pan from the stove just yet, leave it a little longer to achieve a crispy layer of caramelised bottom (known as socarrat), which is cherished by all Valencians.
Risotto, Italy
Arguably the most popular rice dish in Italy, risotto is thought to have been created in Milan during the Middle Ages. To make risotto, you need two things: quality short-grain rice such as arborio, carnaroli or violone nano, and your undivided attention, for you must add in the stock, one ladle at a time, while the risotto simmers, allowing the rice to absorb the liquid fully before adding more. The creamy (but not stodgy) texture of the dish comes from the starch released when the rice is slowly cooked.
Risotto is delicious when eaten plain or can be enhanced with wild mushrooms or chopped vegetables. Another striking variant is squid ink risotto, popular in Venice.
If you’re pretty familiar with making risotto, consider taking a step further to make arancini, risotto rice stuffed with mozzarella and deep-fried to perfection