Expand Your Palate With the Simple Art of Rice
Welcome to Cookbook of the Week. In this series, I highlight cookbooks that are unique, easy to use, or just special to me. While searching for a specific recipe online serves a quick purpose, flipping through a truly excellent cookbook has its own magic.
When I’m looking for cookbooks for this column, I like to go to an actual bookstore. I like to flip through a book and see what its purpose is, whether it’s easy to use or complex, and whether it will be useful to all of you – that takes some browsing. But there is a rare cookbook that I almost immediately tuck under my arm because I know in my bones that it will go home with me.
This week’s cookbook is The Simple Art of Cooking Rice . It only took me a few page turns to think fondly of my home and family, and a few more to satisfy my hunger. A cookbook that values this grain as much as I do needs to be in my kitchen, and maybe yours too.
A little about the book
The Simple Art of Rice , written by chef JJ Johnson and graphic novelist Danika Novgorodoff, was published in 2023. The cookbook begins with a little history and homekeeping—basic methods for preparing rice, ways to store rice, and information about common types of rice—before diving into nearly 100 rice recipes, complete with beautiful illustrations.
The cover of the cookbook says, “Recipes from around the world for the heart of your table,” and that intention is easy to see in every section of this cookbook. Each chapter features a variety of rice dishes from different countries and cultures, such as Filipino Sinangag Garlic Rice, Ghanaian Waakye, or Cuban Black Beans and Rice, and often a dish named after a favorite family member who clearly does that soulful dish better than anyone else, such as Great Aunt Lane’s Curry Rice.
This is more than a collection of rice recipes. This is a thoughtful and loving ode to rice and its role in nourishing communities throughout human history. In addition, this is a personal account where rice is a conduit of love and care.
An excellent cookbook for a wide range of tastes.
Sometimes I have a hard time not being obvious, so I had to stop before writing “a good cookbook for rice lovers.” I do think it’s important that this book gets into the hands of rice lovers, however, if that person doesn’t like the wide variety of flavors, they can just skip to the “Cooking Easy Rice in a Instant Pot” section and the historical parts. (These are really great sections too.)
JJ Johnson suggests you cook the rice with coconut milk, lime juice, tomatoes, crab, chicken livers and raisins, so that’ll certainly do the trick if you’re welcoming new flavor combinations. I will keep coming back to this cookbook because there are so many foods from other cultures that I am not familiar with that I would love to try. While I have a pretty good idea of what Johnson has in mind for Thai Jasmine Rice Curry, there are a number of rice dishes I’ve never tried, such as those from the Gullah Geechee, Persian, and Israeli cultures. Get this book for the person who would be just as excited to make Lebanese Basmati Rice as she is to make Nutella Rice Pancakes.
Recipes You Can Expect
While the wide range of flavors may seem intimidating, these recipes don’t require any special skills to make. Johnson has managed to make the recipes simple enough and the ingredient lists accessible enough that I think the average home cook can successfully prepare meal after meal. Of course, rice is often your main ingredient, so if you have it, you’re on to a winner.
In fact, some recipes are one-pot wonders, or can be made entirely in the rice cooker—like throwing all the ingredients in the rice cooker and pressing start, like Gilry’s recipe. As a reader, I love this because if one recipe is beyond my skill set, taste preferences, or attention span, I know there are other recipes in the book that might work for me.
The dish I cooked this week
I’ve been craving herbal blends this week. I blame the cloudy weather for making me miss the greenery of summer. Herbed Shrimp and Cilantro Lime Rice seemed like the perfect cure for my winter woes. At first I was put off by the long list of ingredients, but I soon realized that the ingredients were repetitive. The first section was all about the shrimp marinade, and the cilantro lime rice just captures that flavor. (Lesson: Always read the full recipe before giving up or going full steam ahead.)
Johnson modeled this recipe after the boxed cilantro lime rice his mom used to make for him. Although I’ve never had boxed rice like this, I’d take this version any day. The shrimp marinade was a simple mixture of chopped herbs, olive oil, lime zest and juice, and the rice was lightly toasted in butter before adding the cooking water. After 20 minutes the rice was ready and I fried the shrimp for just a minute before serving. I thought this was a pretty glamorous lunch considering how quick and easy it is to make, and I’m looking forward to more recipes like this one.
How to buy
The hardcover book The Simple Art of Rice is available online, but if you’re like me, head to a good old fashioned bookstore. If your local bookstore doesn’t have it on their shelves, see if they can order it to your home. I’m sure they’ll be happy to help.