From Dosas to Cabbage Rolls: Redditors Share Their Favorite Unusual Rice Recipes

It’s not uncommon to find yourself with a ton of rice on your hands; maybe it’s on sale, or maybe somebody gifted you 22 pounds of rice. When one Redditor found themself in that very highly specific instance, which sounds a lot more like a curse than a gift, they needed some advice.

Explaining that they were sick of all the usual suspects when it comes to rice dishes, other Redditors had a lot to say about unusual rice recipes. Perhaps you yourself are sick of chicken and rice. We get it. Here are 12 fun and unusual rice recipes.

Rice patties are easy to make, and once they’re done, they’re incredibly versatile. Though rice patties are a perfect snack on their own, they can scale up as high as you need. Spicy tuna and avocado are a tried-and-true classic.

Recipe: Allrecipes

Homey and humble, cabbage rolls are always delicious. “Rice works as a fantastic binder,” says one user. Boil some cabbage, roll up some wraps, and bake.

Recipe: Spend With Pennies

These rice balls are common in Hawaii and Japan and can be the perfect snack. Or, toss a bunch of them onto a plate and call it lunch. 

Recipe: Just One Cookbook

Rice meatballs, often called “porcupines” are a solid way to turn excess rice into crowd-pleasing apps. Do ‘em on the stove with Italian-style sauce, or slow cook ‘em in the crockpot in BBQ sauce. Hell, hit ‘em with the Ikea treatment if you’re so inclined. The choice is yours. 

Recipe: The Spruce Eats

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The South Indian crepe-like treat is definitely a fun way to use up some rice. One user mentions some tactics for making your own dough: “You can skip the fermentation stage by putting the thin batter in a sauce bottle and shaking it.”

Recipe: Padma Lakshmi

Related: 20 Rice Bowls for Quick and Delicious Meals

Talk about creativity. This process basically involves baking a large, pizza-like rice patty and using it like a pizza base. Brown rice is better for this than white rice, thanks to its slightly chewier texture.

Recipe: A Day in the Kitchen

Related: Easy and Delicious Rice and Bean Recipes From Around the World

Breakfast isn’t out of the question. Though it works best with leftover rice, you can easily cook and cool down some fresh rice for this. This recipe is for pancakes, but as long as you’ve got a waffle maker, you can do whatever you want with the batter. Make sure you’ve got butter and syrup on hand, obviously.

Recipe: Budget Bytes

Finding vine leaves might not be the easiest task in the world, but that’s where the difficulty stops. Cook your rice filling in a single pan and you’ll be ready to (forgive me) roll.

Recipe: My Greek Dish

There’s rice soup, and then there’s gumbo. A Creole/Cajun staple, this is the official state dish of Louisiana. You’ll need a trinity of proteins for this one (traditionally chicken, shrimp, and sausage) alongside veggies and your best roux-making skills.

Recipe: Emeril Lagasse

“I could eat it every day,” says user r/latenightloopi of the Iraqi dish. Mujadara is simple, consisting generally of lentils, rice, and sautéed onions. Eat it as a side dish or a main course; no wrong answers here.

Recipe: Feel Good Foodie

This classic Venetian dish is a springtime winner, and the only main ingredients you need are rice and peas. One user mentioned they serve it chilled, “dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and zest, and chopped fresh herbs.”

Recipe: Recipes from Italy

There are a lot of things to love about Indonesian food, but nasi goreng (or, fried rice) is right up there near the top of the list. This recipe calls for ingredients that are pretty easy to find, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble making it.

Recipe: Recipe Tin Eats