Rice dishes are versatile performers at University of New Hampshire, satisfying the large contingent of diet-conscious students as well as the many for whom taste is paramount, reports Ralph Coughenour, Director of Culinary Services for the 14,000-student campus, located in Durham, N.H.
“We do quite a bit with rice here, both as sides and entrees,” says Coughenour. Among the most popular options is a build-your-own stir-fry that lets students choose a protein, assorted vegetables, sauce and either U.S. white or parboiled brown rice. A cook quickly sautés all the ingredients together.
One of the favorite rice-based entrees is vegetarian and vegan jambalaya, which combines parboiled brown rice with edamame, tempeh, garlic, green peppers, onions, cilantro and “all the spices you’d expect of New Orleans,” Coughenour declares, including cayenne pepper and file gumbo.
Coughenour also leverages the chewy texture and nutty flavor of parboiled brown rice in a tasty side item, brown rice croquettes. He cooks the rice with vegetable stock, rolls it into logs, coats it with chopped, toasted almonds and browns the logs on the griddle. “The almonds give it crunch and healthy fats,” he notes.
