There might be no other ingredient on earth that works harder than rice. It feeds roughly half the world’s population and is the backbone of many cuisines across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. And though we’re lucky enough to experience the diversity of rice’s many iterations here in Australia, our local production only accounts for less than one per cent of India and China’s combined, which is more than 300 million tonnes annually. 

When you boil it all down, rice is the powerhouse of the world’s pantry – and we’ve got recipes from top chefs proving how versatile the grain can be. From restorative bowls of congee to crispy-bottomed tahdig and one-pot pilafs, here are 19 ways to stretch that bag into a stellar breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. 

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Victor Liong’s congee

Congee is one of the world’s essential rice dishes, with the earliest recorded versions dating back to China’s Zhou dynasty around 3000 years ago. The dish is traditionally cooked plain with little to no seasoning and served with an array of accompaniments. Consider Liong’s version your go-to recipe. 

Eggplant onigiri

The seared eggplant filling in these Japanese rice balls is inspired by the country’s beloved unagi (eel) basted in a sweet sauce. If you don’t have any eggplant lying around, you can swap it for other veggies you might have lurking in your fridge. 

Raph Rashid’s nasi goreng

The Snacc Boss loves to freestyle in the kitchen, and this quick, satisfying Indo-style fried rice can be whipped up using whatever add-ons and condiments you have on hand. Try it with a combination of hot sauce, pickled ginger, fried eggs, lemon wedges or crispy fried shallots. 

O Tama Carey’s risotto cakes

Inspired by the crunch of fried rice, the Lankan Filling Station founder’s risotto cakes are perfumed with aromatic herbs and have just the right amount of cheesy richness. Like all Carey’s dishes, this one has serious flair – but it’s ready in an hour or less.

Billy Law’s kimchi fried rice

The Masterchef contestant’s weeknight saviour sees gochujang and kimchi bringing heat, tang and depth. Meanwhile, a runny fried egg on top zhooshes things up. And if you want to dress it up even more, Law suggests adding pork belly, bacon or Spam.

Vincent Lim’s Din Thai Fung fried rice

Lim is a social-media star with a knack for re-creating popular dishes from international chains. This recipe is inspired by Taiwanese dumpling giant Din Thai Fung, which ceased its Australian operations in 2025. It’s as close as you’ll get to the real thing without jumping on a flight to Taipei.

Adam Liaw’s carbonara fried rice 

Adam Liaw is just like us: all he wants is a meal that tastes good but requires little effort to nail. Enter his “carbonara” fried rice – it’s exactly what it says on the tin, a melange of ham, eggs, rice and cheese, all brought together in one frypan. 

Ping Coombes’s kedgeree fried rice

When oats won’t cut it for breakfast, make kedgeree fried rice. The Masterchef UK winner shares her recipe for the Anglo-Indian dish, which calls for just a handful of staples (canned fish, frozen peas, basmati rice, naturally) and the runniest egg yolk you can handle. 

Singapore-style Hainanese chicken rice 

Shu Han Lee’s take on Hainanese chicken rice is one of Broadsheet’s most popular recipes of all time. The London-based cook and author’s version uses pandan leaves and lemongrass for extra fragrance (as well as a punchy chilli sauce) like you’d find in Singapore.

Nat Thaipun’s khao man gai

Khao man gai, or Thailand’s answer to Hainanese chicken rice, follows a similar method to the Singaporean version above. As Masterchef winner Natty Wolf demonstrates, the key difference is in the dipping sauce, which combines fermented soybeans, vinegar, ginger, sugar, dark soy sauce and green chillies. 

Junda Khoo’s “popcorn rice”

Your rice cooker does the hard yards in this recipe: apart from frying an egg, all you need to do is cook up a batch of jasmine rice then swirl the rest of the ingredients through. It’s low-touch and yields a salty and soy-ish rice dish made even better by the egg yolk swished around its grains.

Farah Celjo’s Persian saffron rice

The best bit of the Persian classic tahdig is the buttery, saffron-infused layer of scorched rice found at the bottom of the pot. For Iranian-born cook and author Farah Celjo, this recipe is a fast track to joy and is perfect for feasts with family and friends. 

A one-tray rice, potato and chorizo pilaf

Next time you’re asked to bring a plate, whip up this easy-make pilaf. It leans heavily on pantry staples, making it wallet-friendly, and can be tweaked with the seasons or to use up whatever you have in the fridge.

Parwana’s kabuli palaw

This beautiful and balanced number is regarded as Afghanistan’s national dish, and can be made vegetarian by omitting the meat and using vegetable stock instead. If you do opt for meat, Parawana’s Durkhanai Ayubi recommends using a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time.

Clare Scrine’s one-pot rice and bean bake

This vegetarian dinner is truly a one-pot affair: simply rinse the rice, toss the ingredients into a baking dish and let the oven do the heavy lifting while you whiz up a salsa verde. Scrine says you can even skip the salsa and drizzle the bake with your favourite hot sauce instead.

Sarah Shaweesh’s eggplant makloubeh

There’s an art to getting this Palestinian recipe right: it’s all about perfecting the ratios of stock to vegetables and rice, so that when you flip the dish at the table there’s nothing left in the pot. The reward is a beautiful combination of fluffy, savoury rice and tender vegetables.

Danielle Alvarez’s crispy spring rice salad

Alvarez sneaks rice onto the salad train with this crispy rice number. In spring, when it’s peak season for peas, broad beans and fennel, there’s really no excuse not to make this dish again and again. It calls for day-old rice, but if you don’t have any, simply dry out a fresh batch in a low oven. 

Zaatar’s Lebanese rice pudding

Pistachio, cinnamon, honey and dates are the foundation of many great Persian sweets. Here, George Choueiri of Zaatar in Melbourne shows us how to use them for a creamy dessert he never gets sick of.

Coconut rice pudding with brown sugar pineapples

Masterchef UK winner Ping Coombes was never a fan of rice pudding – until she tried this recipe during a restaurant stage. She later adapted it for her popular supper club, and once you've tried this version, you’ll never think of rice pudding as a hospital dessert again.