Pimp My Rice: Over 100 inspirational rice recipes from around the world

This author is excited about her rice recipes. I've never seen such exuberance come across so well in a cookbook before. And this woman writes with style and verve. The book is not only fun to cook from. It's fun to read, too.Nisha Katona wants to spread the word that rice--all kinds of rice, all kinds of dishes, for any time of day--is more than nice. She wants to share (and spread) her belief that rice is a super great food resource. And it is easy to make--several different ways. If you shy away from rice at the moment, and would like to change that, this is definitely the book for you!I've been making a variety of rice dishes for four decades now, and Katona even has me getting excited and learning new ways and trying out interesting recipes with rice. Her youthful exuberance (there is that word again, but it really fits the feel of this book) is fresh and rousing.Even in the breakfast chapter, the reader is exposed, again and again, to great ideas and mouthwatering recipes. This is not a "gourmet" cookbook that provides us with never before heard of flavor combinations. Nor does it use exotic ingredients. It is not a "technically complex" book, (Katona's words, not mine). It is a fun cookbook. These are recipes for wholesome eating, for families, for busy people on the go, appealing to both children and adults. (But there are some hot, hot peppers for your enjoyment, if you want to add them!)There are recipes for both vegetarians and meat eaters. There are mouth-watering pictures of most dishes. Page layout and ingredient lists are easy to follow. Instructions are logical and understandable. There is no guesswork in these recipes, but plenty of leeway to experiment and create.Personally, I think the book would greatly benefit from a "Look Inside" feature. It surely has nothing to hide. I also think the few recipes that are pictured on the product page do the book bit of a disservice. You may look at that recipe for rice cereal as a chicken coating and think it a bit shallow. Then, maybe not. I don't think the very few recipes using crispy rice cereals is representative of what all is in the book. And I personally think that particular recipe is one of the weaker recipes in the book. (But, hey, I know kids think highly of rice cereal coatings. So there is that.) I am just trying to convey that these recipes are not all about immure palettes. For instance the Ginger Beer and Rhubarb Rice is a good example of how sophisticated these recipes can be.Not just rice, but rice noodles and rice flour and more. There are porridges, risottos, left-over rice dishes, rice as a filler in meatloaf, traditional dishes (like bibimbap, nasi goring, avgolemono soup, kedgeree, and more), sushi, noodle soups. There is a fabulous (and easy) wild rice salad with ribbons of cucumber, that I will make for our Thanksgiving dinner if I can find some fresh dill when the time comes. There is also a "Black and Red Rice Boudoir Salad" that could crown a Holiday table, too.There is a chapter of luscious snacks (that might take a little more time than you are willing to give). Main dishes take on the flavors from all around the world: A Japanese clay pot dish with beer, a pepper and paprika chicken and rice dish that moves from stove top to oven, Cajun dirty rice, pork and rice meatballs There is a super Hungarian dish, "Layered Leaf Lasagna", which uses rice and cabbage leaves in layers. There is Lebanese Rose Petal Rice that is wonderful, too. And the Gin and Tonic Salmon is a real revelation--even though the rice is added, already cooked and plain, at the end.While there are many familiar recipes: Jambalaya, gumbo, paella, besides some I already mentioned, plus more, I think there are some twists and turns in these well-known recipes to make them a bit unique.Then there are the flavored rice dishes: Lemon, olive and thyme; coconut and onion; ginger, clove and cardamom; cilantro, mustard, cumin and garlic; lime and lemongrass; carrot, cumin, coriander and nutmeg; cheese, onion and allspice; plus many, many more.Of course there is a final chapter of sweet rice dishes. How does "Scotch Bonnet Chocolate Button Risotto" sound? My favorite, though, is the "Mulled Pineapple and Rum Rice Pudding". There are loads of sweet rice recipes to choose from--kind of overwhelming!*I received a temporary download of this cookbook from the publisher. I have purchased my own copy--I enjoyed my (several months) preview so much!

was at your restaurant Mowgli in Liverpool-twice-loved it!-got your cookbook but was dissappointed-no Filipino rice dishes? Pinoys invented rice!-maybe on your new edition you get some adobo rice in there-otherwise keep pimpin' it Nisha!

I love this book. I've made a few of the recipes and they have been easy and clear. I've read them all though and some sound a bit exotic, but actually are really easy to prepare and most items can be easily substituted if not available. I am also looking forward to using new types of rice such as red rice. I've used most before, but not all, & unlike other ingredients, if I buy a bag of red rice, it's not going to go off any time soon, so I don't have to use it all up in a week.My only gripe about this book is that it could do with some ribbon place markers so that I don't have to scrabble around for bits of paper that then fall out, as I tend to make 2 or 3 recipes in one go... but that's just me!

Some really good recipes in this book which I have tried and cant fault them. It also has a wide variety of recipes, Indian, Chinese, Jamaican etc so you do need a lot of different spices to hand. Glad I bought the book as its handy if you want a quick recipe and one that isn't in the usual cook books. Lovey

for some reason i thought book would be about Indian rice dishes,i found it confusing jumping from one continent to the next.loads of different countries how am i going to thread them in.if you want rice dishes from all around the world this book is for you.