I think we can write a book about rice!
In China, there is a famous saying: Man is Iron, Rice is Steel, You don’t want to miss a meal. @PaulPavlinovich
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@Bobiisha stuffed peppers and stuffed tomatoes are awesome - we have them quite often. Chicken rice is another whole new stream - I can think of more than 10 different chicken and rice combinations - so popular! In the post just before yours I shared the Rizogala Chris made for me as a treat :).
Ah yes Risotto - so magnificent and so many different versions. You could go a lifetime eating Risotto every day and not repeat. Arancini balls are popular here too @Giu_DiB and those ones look really nice.
So many grand dishes listed there @Theenan I visited Chennai and Puducherry not so far from you in 2006.
Thanks @Nosaint2_Rafael_Fe lovely selection of dishes there - you and the other contributors here have made me very hungry 
It is amazingly versatile and means much to many @AnithaM one of the great foods of the earth.
I think collectively we’ve just written several chapters in this post @OliverKIWI its a good saying.
Paul
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They all look yummy @Nosaint2_Rafael_Fe
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Hi @PaulPavlinovich ,
I didn’t know arancini were popular in Australia as well! I guess you can find some Sicilian eatery there. If you ever visit one and have the chance to speak to the owner, you can show your appreciation for the food by saying “mìzzica” (pronunciation: mee-tsee-ka, with the stress on the first syllable). That’s a Sicilian word that expresses amazement and surprise, a sort of equivalent of “wow”. You’ll make them smile.
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So happy.
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I used to have a colleague who was European. She only ate rice for lunch - never saw her eating a sandwich, pasta, or roll. The rice she ate was basmati rice. I asked her once about it. She said she was a clean freak. She ate rice because she could cook it at home from scratch. While other food, like bread or pasta, there might be some unwanted chemicals in it. An interesting theory to eat rice @PaulPavlinovich Most rice we eat at home is Sun RIce from Australia. Some imported rice was reported to have used nasty pesticides.
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Hi! @PaulPavlinovich
Thanks for a very nice story.
It is one of the most indispensable things for Japanese people.
Unfortunately, the consumption of this product is decreasing due to COVID-19.
When many foreigners think of Japan, sushi is probably what comes to mind.
Instead of the usual ones, I will introduce some of the popular ones in Japan and the ones that are absolutely popular in Fukuoka City where I live.
Sansai okowa" (steamed rice with wild vegetables and glutinous rice) and sekihan (steamed rice with red beans and glutinous rice) are very popular in Japan.
They are even sold in convenience stores.
Fukuoka citizens love the combination of udon and kashiwa rice balls.
KASHIWA rice ball is made of chicken and vegetables cooked with soup stock.
I love them both!
I’m sure there’s a lot more to Japan than this!
Japanese people love rice.
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Australia has people from literally everywhere @Giu_DiB and the Sicilians are well represented. Each culture that has enough of a following tends to establish their own local food tastes in restaurants and the stuff others appreciate tends to spread to other food purveyors. I will try and remember that word :).
@OliverKIWI your friend obviously had no idea what they do to rice to make it pure white then! I doubt she’d like to know its bleached. I would suggest all rice has pesticides unless its certified organic.
@yamamo_cchi Sansai okowa and sekihan look delicious. I love the sweetness of red bean. The Kashiwa rice ball is remarkably like the arancini that @Giu_DiB mentioned without one step in the process. It is amazing how our cultures have similarities. Oh and udon in broth - yum. I’m sad to say I’ve never done a proper Japan visit although I would like to. I spent about 20 hours in Osaka once on a flight stop over and while I was allowed out of the airport I did not stray far not being confident in finding my way back.
Paul
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Mmm never knew the rice was bleached…Had a search, it’s not a common practice though…
Pesticides - will need to wash the rice thoroughly, there is arsenic found in rice as well. @PaulPavlinovich
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Yeah I have no idea how common it is @OliverKIWI
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