101 alternatives to rice and pasta and how to cook them.

[Andy Hamilton]

With rice costing £2.10 a kilo I have started to look for alternatives. Today I am trying Millet (Bajri) so..

1. Millet - fry lightly in oil with some chopped onion and garlic. Then put 2 parts water or stock to every one part millet and simmer for ages and ages,well about 30 mins. Throw in some of your favorite vegetables.
Taste (out of 5) - 3. Cost - £1.08 a kilo.

[Green Aura]

2) Pearl barley can be used to make a risotto. Cook it the same as you would arborio.
3) Buckwheat groats are pretty yummy too.
Buckwheat Curry

Serves 4

4 oz / 125g buckwheat
1 onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic
your blend of curry spices or powder
1 medium potato, cubed (or other root vegetable)
4 oz / 125g garden peas
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp tomato paste
2 hard boiled eggs (optional)
2 tbsp yoghurt (optional)
water

Fry the onion and the garlic in the oil for a few minutes and add the curry powder or paste and the tomato paste.
Stir and fry for another minute. Add the buckwheat and stir so that the grains are coated with the spicy mixture
and fry for another 2-3 minutes. Add the potato and a generous pint/570 ml of water and bring to the boil. Bury
the eggs if you are using them in the sauce, cover the pan and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally
and add more water if it becomes too dry. Approximately 5-15 minutes before the end of cooking, add the peas,
depending on their age and tenderness.
Maggie

[ina]

Wheat grain, and even rye, can be cooked like rice. However, you need a very strong digestion to deal with the rye... Wheat is nice, though; also cold in salads. It takes longer than rice to cook. Soaking is recommended; pressure cooking helps.

Bulgur wheat is a quicker option, and the quickest is couscous.

I eat polenta a lot, too - quick to cook. I probably don't cook it the authentic Italian way; usually I use veggie bouillon, and often have onion or other veg in it (like risotto; meal in one pot).

[contadina]

Apparently pudding rice is a good substitute for risotto rice. Making your own pasta is a cheaper option, either with or without eggs.

Probably worth going to an Asian supermarket to pick up sacks if basmati. I buy a five kilo bag on my annual UK visit and it lasts all year.

[Vammadopper]

We use quinola grains as a rice alternative, can be made into a type of cous cous with herbs and spices - also add some buckwheat and over cook slightly to get a sticky consistentsy and drain an we use this as a gluten free alternative to stuffing great in marrows or lambs hearts

[Green Aura]

I usually use pudding rice, it makes really good risotto. And costs about 50p a big bag (OK, I've not bought any for a while).

I also like buckwheat groats as an alternative to rice. Really nice flavour, especially the roasted one's.

[LBR]

Potatoes? I like them sliced on the bottom of a pie pan for a "quiche crust", or escalloped, as well as baked, boiled, fried, etc.

Millet, quinoa, spelt, wild rice, barley, rye, wheat, oats, corn grits, buckwheat (whole or groats), can be substituted for rice in most recipes.

[Penny Lane]

Thanks for the tip about pudding rice in place of risotto rice, I shall have a go now!

Cous-cous is yummy with roasted veg and is really cheap if you buy it from healthfood shops.
There's loads of recipes out there for quinoa that I haven't tried yet, but it is extremely nutritious.

[hedgewitch]

I second buying Rice from Asian Supermarkets - almost half the price.
I'm not a huge Rice eater at all. If I'm making Curry then I make Naan bread instead of Rice.
If I'm making something with a Chinese style I always make egg free Noodles.

[Purdy Bear]

Quinoa is good and you can get it from most health food shops and Asda.

You boil one cup or mug of water until it boils, then add about 3/4 a cup of flaked Quinoa and stur it until it becomes like a thick porridge. (see packet for details or the Quinoa website for loads of recipes).

I think its Gluten Free, as I cant have wheat, but you would have to check on it.

You can have it with sweet or sour. Its very yummy with just sugar for breakfast.

[Odsox]

Quinoa is good and you can get it from most health food shops and Asda.

And it's dead easy to grow yourself

[snapdragon]

my standby is pancakes, whole like a naan or shredded as a pasta substitute, filled with whatever and baked or grilled over with a little cheese on the top (half a slice of ham and a tomato with some cheese feeds two-tested)
pancakes can be made from a variety of flours - am currently using a mixture of plain old plain, Ble Noir and fine milled oatmeal (for our hearts dontcha know ;) ) and water or beer instead of milk if you add an extra egg

[jim]

Take thick pancake batter and drip it through the holes of a colander into boiling water for a minute or two. It makes small, noodle shaped, dumplings. On which subject .... parsley dumplings cheer up any soup or stew or just bake dumpling mix in greased muffin/fairycake trays in a moderate oven for 15/ 20 mins as a real change. Somewhere in the vaults of ishness archives I left a recipe for soup scones with cheese and chilli ......

Love and Peace
Jim

[flyonthewall]

I'm a fan of polenta (maize meal). I cook it, (takes about 5 mins, soaks in hot water with a knob of butter in a similar way to couscous), add some salt and pepper, crushed garlic and herbs, then shape it into cakes and fry it. Or if it's left as a 'mush' and made a bit more runny, then it makes nice gluten free 'porridge' for breakfast - have it with some stewed fruit and sweetened with a little honey, delicious!

[Biscombe]

Cous cous for me.

add loads of herbs and lovely veg out or the garden, sultanas cumin and chili, really quick and easy