The 20 Best Rice Dishes in the World
Half the planet eats rice every day, and every rice culture has one dish it would defend to the last. Spain guards its socarrat, West Africa fights the jollof wars, Iran turns the crust from the bottom of the pot into the best part of dinner. These are the 20 best rice dishes in the world, each with an authentic recipe.
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Paella Valenciana
SpainRabbit, chicken and beans, cooked flat and wide. The crust on the base is called socarrat.
Sun-warmed terraces, the clatter of wide pans over an open flame and a deep golden rice studded with chicken and vegetables. This is Paella Valenciana, the most iconic of all Spanish dishes. Born in the orchards and rice fields …
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Biryani
IndiaRice and marinated meat layered raw and sealed, so each cooks in the other's steam.
Discover Biryani, one of India's most celebrated dishes and a favourite enjoyed the world over. This hearty rice dish layers fragrant basmati rice with a fragrant blend of spices, herbs and tender aromatics. Warm with the scent of …
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Jollof Rice
NigeriaRice cooked in a tomato and pepper base until the pot catches slightly at the bottom.
Jollof Rice is the subject of an argument that has run for decades and shows no sign of ending. Ghana claims it, Nigeria claims it, Senegal invented the ancestor. The Nigerian version is redder, smokier and generally hotter, and …
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Plov
UzbekistanRice steamed over lamb, onion and carrot batons in a heavy pot, never stirred.
Plov is the centre of Uzbek life. It is cooked for weddings in cauldrons holding hundreds of portions, always by men, and the person who cooks it, the oshpaz, has a recognised standing. UNESCO listed the tradition in 2016.
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Tahdig
IranThe crust from the bottom of the rice pot. It is turned out whole and fought over.
Discover the authentic recipe for Tahdig, the crowning glory of Iranian cooking, where humble rice is transformed into a golden, very crisp crust. The name means "bottom of the pot", and that is exactly where the magic happens, a …
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Bibimbap
South KoreaRice under arranged vegetables, egg and gochujang, mixed hard before eating.
Say hello to Bibimbap, one of South Korea's most iconic dishes and a true feast for both the eyes and the palate. This bright rice bowl brings together a colourful array of fresh vegetables, marinated beef and a perfectly fried …
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Nasi Lemak
MalaysiaRice cooked in coconut milk with pandan, served with sambal, anchovies, peanuts and egg.
Nasi Lemak is rice steamed in coconut milk with a knotted pandan leaf, and everything else on the plate is an accompaniment: sambal, fried anchovies, peanuts, cucumber, boiled egg. Malaysians eat it for breakfast, wrapped in …
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Nasi Goreng
IndonesiaDay-old rice fried with kecap manis and shallots, topped with a fried egg.
Nasi Goreng needs day-old rice and a pan hotter than feels sensible. Fresh rice steams and clumps. The seasoning is kecap manis, the thick sweet soy sauce, plus sambal, and a fried egg goes on top with the yolk left runny.
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Jambalaya
USARice cooked in with the meat and the trinity of onion, celery and pepper.
Discover Jambalaya, one of the great icons of the American South. This soulful one-pot dish brings together fluffy rice, tender meat and plump seafood, all simmered in a richly spiced tomato base. With its smoky chorizo, sweet …
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Kabsa
Saudi ArabiaLong-grain rice with lamb, dried lime and baharat, cooked in one pot for a crowd.
Kabsa is spiced rice with meat, and it is what appears on the communal platter at almost every Saudi meal. The spice mix, also called kabsa, runs on black lime, cardamom, cinnamon and clove, and the rice cooks in the meat broth.
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Thieboudienne
SenegalBroken rice cooked in fish stock with stuffed fish and vegetables. Senegal's national dish.
Thieboudienne is Senegal's national dish and the ancestor of every one-pot rice dish in West Africa. Fish stuffed with a herb paste, vegetables, tomato and broken rice cooked in the resulting broth. UNESCO listed it in 2021.
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Sushi
JapanThe rice is the dish. Seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt, and cooled to body temperature.
Sushi is the rice. That is the part people outside Japan consistently miss. Su-meshi is short-grain rice seasoned with vinegar, sugar and salt, cooled to body temperature and fanned as it is mixed. The fish on top is important; …
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Kushari
EgyptRice, lentils, pasta and chickpeas under tomato sauce and fried onions. Cairo's cheapest full meal.
Koshari is rice, lentils and pasta in one bowl, layered rather than mixed, under tomato sauce, crisp fried onions and a garlic-vinegar sauce that most recipes leave out and should not. It costs almost nothing and it is the best …
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Mansaf
JordanLamb cooked in fermented dried yoghurt, served over rice and flatbread and eaten by hand.
Mansaf is lamb cooked in jameed, a hard dried yoghurt that is reconstituted into a sharp, salty sauce unlike anything else. It is poured over rice and flatbread and eaten communally, standing, with the right hand, from a single …
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Gallo Pinto
Costa RicaRice and beans fried together with Salsa Lizano. Costa Rica eats it for breakfast.
Gallo Pinto is yesterday's rice and beans fried together this morning. The beans stain the rice, which is where the name comes from: spotted rooster. Costa Ricans eat it for breakfast with eggs, and the argument with Nicaragua …
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Arroz con Pollo
PeruRice turned green with coriander and beer, cooked with chicken.
Say hello to Arroz con Pollo, one of Peru's most comforting family favourites. Tender chicken and fluffy rice are folded through a bright green sauce built on fresh coriander, giving the dish its signature colour and its …
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Risotto
ItalyStock added slowly and stirred, so the starch comes out of the grain and makes the sauce.
Discover Risotto, one of Italy's most cherished national dishes and a true icon of comfort cooking the world over. Built around plump, starchy risotto rice simmered gently in stock until silky and tender, it strikes a perfect …
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Yangzhou Fried Rice
ChinaCold rice, egg, prawn and char siu. Every grain separate, which is the whole test.
Discover Yangzhou Fried Rice, one of China's most celebrated dishes. This comforting plateful brings together fluffy rice, fresh vegetables and fragrant aromatics for a meal that appeals to the senses. With its tender prawns, …
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Azerbaijani Plov
AzerbaijanRice steamed separately from the meat and served under a saffron crust of dough.
Plov in Azerbaijan is built differently from its Central Asian cousins. The rice is parboiled, drained, and steamed separately from the meat, then the two meet on the plate. Underneath sits qazmaq, a crisp golden layer of dough or …
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Ghanaian Jollof
GhanaMade with aromatic long-grain rice and less pepper than the Nigerian version. The argument continues.
Discover Jollof Rice, the bright, tomato-rich pride of Ghana and much of West Africa. This one-pot classic simmers fragrant rice with ripe tomatoes, onions and a warm blend of spices until every grain is coated in flavour. It is a …
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