Rice Dishes

🇮🇳India

Tahiri

ताहिरी

A vegetarian rice dish from Uttar Pradesh similar to biryani but made with vegetables and spices. It is a home-style pulao.

🇦🇪United Arab Emirates

Tahta Maleh

تحت مالح

Tahta maleh layers preserved fish beneath spiced rice; the fish is soaked to moderate its salt and the rice carries Emirati seasoning.

🇯🇵Japan

Tai-meshi

鯛めし

Tai-meshi, sea bream cooked whole over rice in a clay pot (or, in Uwajima, served raw over rice in a dashi-egg sauce), is a named Setouchi regional dish.

🇯🇵Japan

Takikomi Gohan

炊き込みご飯

Rice cooked together with seasonal ingredients like mushrooms, chestnuts, or bamboo shoots.

🇯🇵Okinawa, Japan

Takoraisu

タコライス

Taco rice, seasoned mince and salsa over rice, invented near the Okinawan US bases, is a named local dish with a documented origin.

🇧🇩Dhaka, Bangladesh

Tehari

তেহারি

Small-grain rice fried with cubed beef, green chilli and mustard oil until yellow and fragrant — the everyday street cousin of kacchi.

🇯🇵Japan

Tekkadon

鉄火丼

A rice bowl topped with slices of raw tuna sashimi, often marinated briefly in soy.

🇯🇵Japan

Tendon

天丼

A rice bowl topped with assorted tempura (shrimp, vegetables, fish) drizzled with sweet tentsuyu.

🇳🇵Gandaki, Nepal

Thakali Set

थकाली सेट

The Thakali thali: a full set of rice, dal, curry, greens, pickle and achar on one plate.

🇮🇳Kerala, India

Thalassery Biryani

തലശ്ശേരി ബിരിയാണി

A famous Kerala biryani from Thalassery, made with Kaima rice, chicken or mutton, and a unique blend of spices.

🇲🇷Nouakchott, Mauritania

Thieboudienne

Ceebu jën

Broken rice cooked in a tomato and fish stock with a whole fish stuffed with parsley, garlic and chilli, plus cassava, carrot, cabbage and aubergine.

🇸🇳Senegal

Thiébou Guinar

Ceebu ginaar

Broken rice cooked in a tomato stock with fried chicken, carrot and green olives.

🇸🇳Senegal

Thiébou Yapp

Ceebu yapp

Broken rice cooked in a dark onion and tomato stock with fried lamb or beef, mustard and chilli.

🇪🇨Guayaquil, Ecuador

Tonga

An Ecuadorian coastal dish of rice, meat, and plantains wrapped in banana leaves, a Guayaquil and festive classic.

🇹🇼Taiwan

Turkey Rice

火雞肉飯

A Chiayi specialty of rice topped with shredded turkey meat, drizzled with a savory gravy made from turkey drippings and soy sauce, served with pickled radish.

🇹🇲Turkmenistan

Turkmen Plov

Aş

Turkmenistan's version of pilaf, known locally as ash; long-grain rice cooked with lamb, sautéed onions and carrots in a kazan over open flame; distinguished from Uzbek plov by sweeter carrots, less mixing, and rice layered on top; sometimes with chickpeas, raisins, or quail eggs; served at weddings and celebrations with green tea.

🇳🇪Kano, Niger

Tuwo Shinkafa

Soft rice pounded into a smooth, slightly sticky mound, served with miyan kuka or miyan taushe in the north.

🇯🇵Japan

Unadon

うな丼

Grilled eel (kabayaki) glazed with sweet soy over rice, a prized and expensive donburi.

🇨🇳Xinjiang, China

Uyghur Pilaf

抓饭

Rice steamed over lamb, carrot and onion in mutton fat, sometimes with raisins or chickpeas, traditionally eaten with the hand.

🇪🇸Valencian Community, Spain

Valencian Baked Rice

Arròs al forn

A Valencian oven-baked rice with pork ribs, chickpeas, morcilla, potatoes, tomatoes, saffron, and smoked paprika, traditionally made in a clay cassola.

🇮🇳Karnataka, India

Vangi Bath

ವಂಗಿ ಬಾತ್

A Karnataka rice dish flavored with eggplant and vangibath powder. It is tangy, spicy, and aromatic.

🇮🇳Maharashtra, India

Varan Bhaat

वरण भात

A simple Maharashtrian meal of plain toor dal and rice. It is comfort food, often served with ghee and lemon.

🇲🇬Madagascar

Vary Amin'anana

Rice cooked loose with chopped greens and pieces of beef or pork into a thick, soupy one-pot eaten at any meal.

🇮🇩Indonesia

Village Fried Rice

Nasi Goreng Kampung

Rustic village-style fried rice with simple ingredients, emphasizing authentic home-cooked flavors.

🇻🇨Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Vincentian Pelau

Pelau

One-pot mixed rice dish; besides rice it contains pigeon peas, vegetables, meat, and brown sugar; the meat, usually chicken, is browned using deeply caramelized brown sugar; stewed with coconut milk and other herbs and spices; the pelau of Saint Vincent; a hearty, sweet and savoury one-pot meal; a Caribbean classic.

🇻🇨Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Vincentian Rice and Peas

Rice and Peas

Rice cooked with pigeon peas, coconut milk, and local seasonings; cooked in coconut milk and appears at nearly every meal; a standard side dish in Saint Vincent; served with grilled fish, stewed meats, or lobster; the rice and peas of Saint Vincent; a Caribbean comfort food; a versatile accompaniment.

🇹🇼Tainan, Taiwan

Wa Gui

碗粿

Savoury rice pudding steamed in a bowl with pork, dried shrimp and mushroom pressed into the middle, eaten with a spoon and soy paste.

🇬🇭Ghana

Waakye

Ayimolou

Rice and cowpeas boiled together with dried sorghum leaves, which stain the whole pot reddish-brown, served with a spread of sides.

🇳🇵Koshi and Eastern Nepal, Nepal

Wachipa

वाचिपा

Kirat rice is cooked with chicken and a bitter powder made from burnt chicken feathers, giving the dish its distinctive finish.

🇹🇿Tanzania

Wali na Maharage

Plain or coconut rice served with coconut-stewed beans — the cheap plate of the whole country.

🇰🇪Kenya

Wali wa Kukaanga

Kenyan fried rice tossed with egg, vegetables and seasoning for an urban home meal.

🇧🇳Brunei

Woven Rice Cake

Ketupat

Rice compressed in woven palm leaf pouches and boiled, rice cake for Eid celebrations

🇻🇳Vietnam

Xoi Xeo

Xôi xéo

Sticky rice topped with mung bean paste, crispy fried shallots, and drizzled with chicken fat, a popular Vietnamese breakfast.

🇻🇳Vietnam

Xôi gấc

Xoi gac, sticky rice stained deep red by gac fruit and served at weddings and Tet, is a named ceremonial dish whose colour carries the meaning.

🇻🇳Northwest Vietnam, Vietnam

Xôi ngũ sắc

Xoi ngu sac, five-colour sticky rice dyed with forest plants for Tay, Nung and Thai festivals, is a named ethnic dish and a striking collectible.

🇮🇳Jammu and Kashmir, India

Yakhni pulao

یخنی پلاؤ

A Kashmiri rice pilaf cooked in a spiced meat broth with whole spices.