Rice is a versatile side dish, as it can be served with fish, meat, mushrooms, vegetables and seafood. It perfectly absorbs the aroma of any spices, but not all seasonings are combined with it. To prevent a rice dish from turning into a simple porridge, you need to know not only the cooking rules, but also add curry, saffron, ginger, etc. to it.
You can buy ready-made rice seasoning mix in almost any store. It has two advantages: low cost and the right ratio of spices that cannot overpower each other's flavor. But there is also an important drawback: there is too much salt in it, and their aroma and taste does not differ in variety. To cook unique rice dishes, it's best to experiment and make your own set of spices.
The most common spices are turmeric and curry. Thanks to turmeric, rice will acquire an appetizing golden color, and this spice can be used for all varieties, as well as for cooking pilaf. Curry is not a single spice, but a whole mixture of turmeric, red pepper, coriander, and cloves. In European cuisine, ginger root and cayenne pepper are added to these seasonings, in Middle Eastern - allspice, asafoetida, cardamom and cinnamon, and in South Asian it is composed of 16 spices, including mint, galgantha root and fennel.
In order for the rice to acquire a pleasant sourness, a little barberry is put in it. Together with them, you can use coriander and cumin, especially if there is meat in the dish. It is important to remember that cumin should be put at the very beginning of cooking: grind in the palms of your hands, and then fry in a pan. Traditionally, rice can be supplemented with ground black pepper.
If turmeric is more suitable for pilaf, then in dishes with chicken and vegetables it is better to replace it with saffron. By the way, you can experiment with the pilaf recipe and add ginger to it. Rice is served with fresh basil, cilantro or parsley.
