Rice

This spin on onigiri, Japanese sticky white rice balls, combines the earthiness of brown rice and mushrooms with the crunch of a sesame seed crust. The key is cooking the rice until it releases all of its starch, then chilling it in the fridge so you can easily roll it into balls before baking. If you have any sheets of nori (seaweed) lying around, you can cut them into strips and wrap them around the rice balls before or after baking.

In this luxurious risotto, leeks take the place of the chopped onions that are traditionally used in the beloved Italian rice dish.

The technique: Who says stuffing has to be made with bread? Rice-based dressings are a good way to mix up the Thanksgiving lineup. Keep in mind that wild rice from different sources cooks at different rates. Check the package to get an idea of how long the wild rice should cook. The goal is tender rice that still retains its structure.
The payoff: The nutty, hearty texture of wild rice is fantastic with the turkey and all the trimmings. Plus, it's an indigenous American ingredient. A mix of wild rice and white rice is amped up with Middle Eastern flavors in this satisfying stuffing.

Pilafs may be served at everyday meals but are grand enough for entertaining as well. If you like, you could add a generous pinch of saffron threads to the rice just before you cover it and let it simmer. You could also use chicken stock instead of the 22 cup water.

Happy Noodle Restaurant uses local farmraised hybrid striped bass, rated a "Best Choice" by Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch guide, for this Thai-inspired dish.

This terrific dish is made in one large deep skillet. A sweet-spicy broth infuses the meat and the veggies with rich flavor. Ask your butcher to cut the ribs for you.

Cotton Row is full of local flavor. The restaurant, which is located on the city's courthouse square, is housed in a three-story brick building dating back to 1821. And chef James Boyce's menu keeps the local flavor coming, with dishes like this risotto made with butter beans, a southern staple. Crispy fried okra makes a fitting (and tasty) garnish.

THIS SABBATH RICE DISH, typical of Provence, reveals the history both of pilau or pilaf, as it is called in French, and of Persian Jews who settled in the area near the Camargue, the rice-growing area of southwestern Provence located on the triangle of land between the two major tributaries of the Rhône River. Jews, first by barge and later by boat, used the river to bring goods here from the Mediterranean. The word and the dish pilau come from Persia, taking various forms as the dish traveled around the world. In India, it became pulao; in modern-day Iran, it is called polo; and in Provence, pelau or pilaf. Rice, and therefore pilaf, traveled with the Jews to Provence, where many Persian Jewish merchants and scholars settled and lived until the end of the fourteenth century or even later. These Jews, who traded rice, cooked it for the Sabbath with fragrant spices like nutmeg, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and saffron. Some scholars believe that Jews brought saffron to Europe from Asia Minor for their Sabbath rice. The late Karen Hess, author of The Carolina Rice Kitchen, repeatedly told me that Jews first brought rice to the Camargue. In their Inventory of the Culinary Patrimony of France, Philip and Mary Hyman relate that emigrants from the Piedmont paid a dîme of rice to noblemen in the year 1497. And although pilau and riz au safran are no longer particularly Jewish dishes in Provence, they are clearly rooted in the Sabbath tradition. This simple recipe is typically eaten on Rosh Hashanah, alongside a symbolic whole roasted fish with a Sephardic sweet-and-sour greengage-plum sauce.

Asian sesame oil, which is made from toasted sesame seeds, has a deep amber color and rich flavor. You'll find it in the Asian foods section of the supermarket and at Asian markets.

Sweet crabmeat and sweet peas make a great match in this springlike risotto.

The beloved ginger root, that ubiquitous Asian ingredient, is paired with Italian Arborio rice in this super-simple risotto. The most important thing to remember when making a risotto is to never let it rest while on the burner: stir, stir, stir! In Italy a risotto is usually served as a primo piatto, after the starter and before the main dish. I've included this recipe with the main courses because I think that risotto can hold its own as an entrée, rather than a starter. And it is a great main course option for vegetarians if you substitute vegetable broth for the chicken stock.

The rice needs to stir-fry in a generous amount of oil. (It's fried rice, after all.) If you don't use enough oil, the dish starts to taste more like a rice casserole. Note that except for the 2 eggs, 1 onion, and 1 garlic clove, all the other ingredients begin with 4.

This streamlined version of the classic Spanish dish comes together in about an hour—and doesn't require a special paella pan. Sugar snap peas add fresh flavor and nice crunch.

This recipe is a take on bibimbap, a Korean dish often made up of rice topped with vegetables, sliced meat, a fried egg, and hot sauce. Serve with ice-cold beer.

One advantage to being married to a Lebanese man is that the food of his people is fantastic. I've never been able to perfectly replicate a single dish my mother–in–law makes until now: mahshi batinjaan, which my husband despises due to a lifelong aversion to eggplant. But ask yourself: How could he possibly resist this dish's charm? Once you slice through the silky flesh to reveal a fragrantly seasoned lamb and rice stuffing, this deceptively simple one–dish dinner is absolutely luscious and satisfying. (Editors' note: This recipe is solely the creation of Melissa Roberts and has not been formally tested by the test kitchen.)

It's easy to transform the leftover rice from our Chinese Black Rice recipe into this beautiful and satisfying salad—just add crunchy celery, radishes, and a fresh basil dressing. In supermarkets, black rice (often labeled "Forbidden Rice") is usually found in 15–ounce packages; Asian markets often sell it in larger quantities.

If you think brown rice isn't for you, think again. In particular, think about brown basmati rice, whose slender grains offer an inviting combination of elegance and earthy chew. Now add in some chunks of zucchini, toasted pecans, lots of fresh herbs, and the mellowness of coriander (left over from Lamb Spice Rub ) and cumin, and you have a salad that's practically a meal.