White rice is a popular dish around the world. It tends to pair very well with many different main dishes as well as many different side dishes. While rice was first eaten in Asia, mainly China, it has since spread around the world, and many people enjoy having rice with their dishes. If you have some rice at home, it may be difficult to decide what dish you should prepare to go with the rice.
Rice is a common dish that tends to go well with many main dishes as well as many side dishes. If you visit a Chinese restaurant, you will often find rice paired with many of the dishes on the menu. Some dishes, like grilled chicken and beef steak, go great when rice is added as a side.
Continue reading to learn about six main dishes as well as six side dishes that you can make that go well with white rice.
Why Do People Like to Eat Rice?
People around the world eat rice. While rice is more commonly associated with Asian cuisines, rice has found its way as a side in many dishes around the world. While it may feel as though wheat or maize would be the most commonly eaten grains throughout the world, rice, surprisingly, tops the list.
One reason people may enjoy eating rice is that rice tends to come in many different variations. Each of these variations have different tastes as well as nutritional values that we can incorporate into our diets. Rice also tends to be made to incorporate many different nutrients that help our bodies, such as iron and folic acid.
Another big reason that may cause people to enjoy rice is that rice is easy to digest. If you tend to suffer from chronic digestive issues, white rice can be something that you can eat that will not upset your digestive system. It may actually help your digestive system.
What Foods Pair Well with Rice?
Since rice has become such a popular side dish to go along with many different meals, it may be difficult to pick what dish is the best to go with rice. Below you will find six main dishes as well as six side dishes that you can pair with rice, so you can enjoy a delicious dish.
Main Dishes
Your main dish is what you will primarily focus on when it comes to cooking or eating a meal. With main dishes, rice is typically added as a side dish that can help improve the nutritional value of your meal as well as incorporate more flavors to the meal for you to enjoy.
Beef Steak
Beef steak is a common main dish that you can find is served around the world. Many different sides can be served with this dish, including white rice. When you combine white rice with beef steak for a meal, you will find that the meal is delicious as well as very nutritious for you to eat. You can enjoy this meal either at lunchtime or dinner time.
If you want to add more flavor to this dish, you can choose to add some sauce to the steak. It is highly likely that some of the sauce will spread to the rice, giving more flavor to both the beef steak and the white rice.
Stir Fry
Stir fry is another great dish that you can pair with white rice. This dish is great if you do not have much time to cook during the day since both the stir fry as well as the white rice will not take long for you to cook. While this meal may not take long to cook, you will still be able to enjoy a tasty and nutritious meal if you choose to pair stir fry with a bowl of white rice.
It is sometimes best to buy frozen stir fry mix from the store, so you do not have to worry about gathering all of the ingredients when you do not have a lot of time throughout the day.
Grilled Chicken
Grilled chicken is the best and most popular dish to be paired with white rice. Not only does it take just a few minutes to properly prepare grilled chicken, both whole and cut, but grilled chicken paired with white rice is a great dish for those who are watching their calories as the two dishes combined do not have many.
You can also incorporate some spices and flavors into the chicken that will help add more flavor to the dish. You want to make sure you do not burn or overcook the chicken as this will cause the dish to not taste as good.
Veggie Stew
Adding a bowl of white rice on the side of your veggie stew can help to add more carbohydrates to your meal. Despite there being many different forms of veggie stew, since you can incorporate whatever vegetables you wish to add to the stew, white rice tends to be a great side to all different types of veggie stew.
If your stew is thick enough, you can pour the stew on top of your white rice and eat them together as one dish.
Fish Fingers
Fish fingers are also a great dish that can go along with a bowl of white rice. The great part about this dish is that it does not matter which fish you choose to eat with your white rice. You just need to choose your favorite type of fish to eat, cut it into strips, and dip it into some egg and breading before cooking it.
This dish does not take long to cook. The fish can be fried, or you can bake the fish if you want a healthier option.
Chicken Wings
The final main dish on this list is chicken wings. This may already be a dish that you enjoy eating as a snack, but it can be paired with white rice to make a nice meal for around lunchtime or dinner time. You can flavor your white rice using some of the sauce that is covering your chicken wings. This can make the white rice taste much better and make it as if the white rice is meant to go alongside the chicken wings.
Side Dishes
Just like there are many main dishes that you can eat alongside a bowl of rice, there are many side dishes that you can prepare to go with your bowl of white rice. These side dishes add to the nutritional value you will receive by eating the white rice, and these dishes can make your rice taste more flavorful depending on how you prepare the side dishes.
It is important to note that some common side dishes, such as french fries, are not on this list. While these dishes are sides and you can eat them with a bowl of rice, they are not meant to be the best pairing with the white rice. Each of these sides can help to compliment the rice as another side dish along with any of the main dishes listed above.
Steamed Veggies
Steamed veggies are a healthy and delicious side that you can include with many different main dishes. Steamed veggies are very easy to make, and you can choose to incorporate the vegetables that you enjoy eating while not including the ones that you do not wish to eat.
When you eat steamed veggies alongside a bowl of rice, you are eating a dish that is very healthy for you. You can even include potatoes in your steamed veggies, although this may take longer to cook since potatoes tend to take longer to steam when compared to other vegetables.
You can choose to either eat the steamed veggies separate from your white rice, or you can combine the two to make one whole, healthy dish.
Spring Rolls
You can often find spring rolls as an appetizer or a side in many Asian dishes. Since spring rolls are already incorporated into Asian cuisine, it makes sense that this side can be eaten with a bowl of white rice, since both are typically found in Asian cuisine.
There are two main ways that you can use to prepare spring rolls. You can either make them yourself, or you can purchase them frozen and thaw and heat them when you are ready to eat them. To make your own spring rolls, you will need to fill some spring roll wrap with some veggies, such as carrots and cabbage, and cook the spring rolls.
Spinach
While spinach may not be your favorite vegetable, there are many health benefits that can come from eating spinach. For example, it has been discovered that spinach can help to lower blood pressure, boost your immune system, help prevent heart attacks, and help to prevent cancer.
If you do not like spinach, you can try eating it with a bowl of rice. When paired with rice, the spinach becomes a tastier side. The rice also aids in the benefits that you can get from eating spinach.
Sliced Bell Peppers
A medley of bell peppers can be a great addition to go alongside a serving of white rice. If you slice the peppers and cook them in an oiled pan until they are in a state that is crispy yet soft, sliced bell peppers can add a nice flavor that pairs perfectly with white rice.
Broccoli
Broccoli is another vegetable that you can pair with white rice. It is best if the broccoli is cooked, so the juice of the broccoli can be incorporated into the flavor of the white rice if the two are kept on the same plate or in the same bowl. This is another healthy option that can provide many health benefits. Broccoli tends to be packed with vitamins and minerals that help your body stay healthy, and broccoli is also known to help support a healthy heart.
Soft-Boiled Eggs
You can find many recipes online that combine white rice with soft-boiled eggs. Not only is this combination of side dishes delicious, but they are also healthy and nutritious for you.
Wrapping Up
Rice is a very popular dish that you can include alongside many main dishes and side dishes. Rice has its origins in Asian cuisine, but the popularity of rice has spread throughout the world. There are many main dishes that you can include a bowl of white rice with, and there are many side dishes that you can have alongside a bowl of white rice.
Some common main dishes that you can have with a bowl of white rice include grilled chicken, fish fingers, and stir fry. Some common side dishes that you can have alongside a bowl of white rice include sliced bell peppers, spring rolls, and steamed veggies. With so many combinations, it is easy to see how so many people have found ways to incorporate white rice into their diet.
