If you ask the question "what do you cook for a side dish", then the majority will probably answer "vegetables, cereals or pasta." However, the lack of variety will surely get bored sooner or later. Nevertheless, ordinary, familiar side dishes can be turned into an original, interesting dish, without even spending too much time on it. You just need to connect your imagination! And here are 5 ideas for how you can prepare a familiar side dish in a new way.
Garnish of a mixture of cereals with vegetables
The cereals selected for this side dish have approximately the same cooking time. It turns out to be crumbly, but at the same time soft and juicy.
You will need:
- rice "Jasmine" - 100 g;
- barley groats - 85 g;
- wheat groats - 85 g;
- onions - 150 g;
- carrots - 100 g;
- bulgarian pepper - 150 g;
- vegetable oil - 20 g;
- oregano - 1 tsp;
- salt
So, take a saucepan with a thick bottom and pour the oil into it. Cut the onions into thin quarter rings and sauté until soft. Then we add other vegetables to the onion, in our case it is sweet pepper, cut into small cubes, and carrots grated on a coarse grater. However, the list of vegetables for this side dish is limited only by your preferences. Simmer vegetables over low heat for a couple of minutes, and then add oregano to them. Now we divide the stewed vegetables into 3 approximately equal parts, 2 of which we are taking out of the pan for now.
Spread the remaining vegetables over the bottom in an even layer. Mix the cereals with each other and rinse well. Divide the cereal mixture into approximately 2 parts and put the first part in a saucepan on top of the vegetables. Then again we lay out the layer of vegetables, then the second layer of cereals, and on it - the remaining vegetables. Salt the resulting dish and carefully fill it with water to the top layer of vegetables.
We close the porridge with a lid and after boiling water, cook for 15 minutes. Then let stand under the lid for another 5 minutes. The resulting porridge can be either a side dish or a completely independent dish.
Rice with buckwheat and cabbage
Another interesting combination of cereals is rice and buckwheat, taken in equal proportions.
You will need:
- rice - 100 g;
- buckwheat - 100 g;
- white cabbage - 400 g;
- carrots - 60 g;
- onions - 70 g;
- ghee - 10 g;
- salt
Rice and buckwheat are well washed, put into a saucepan and cook until tender with the addition of salt. While the cereals are boiling, we prepare the vegetables. Put a small piece of ghee in a frying pan and fry finely chopped onions on it until soft. Then put finely grated carrots on the onion, and finely chopped cabbage on it. Salt the vegetables, add a couple of tablespoons of water to them. Cover with a lid and simmer vegetables over the lowest heat for about 10-15 minutes. When the vegetables are ready, you can stir them. When stewed in layers, all vegetables (for example, carrots) retain their bright color, while cabbage remains light and does not darken.
Buckwheat-rice porridge should also be ready by this time. Put the porridge in a frying pan and mix it well with vegetables. Then we cover the dish with a lid and let it stand for a few minutes on the lowest heat, and then another 10 minutes without additional heating, but under the lid. It turned out to be a very tasty and satisfying side dish.
Hot vinaigrette
A very interesting version of the side dish, which got its name after the well-known salad.
You will need:
- beets - 300 g;
- carrots - 200 g;
- pumpkin - 250 g;
- onions - 100 g;
- salted barrel cucumbers - 100 g;
- vegetable oil - 15 g;
- dill - 20 g;
- crushed pepper mixture;
- salt;
- lemon juice (optional)
On the bottom of a heat-resistant form that can be put in the oven, spread the onion cut into thin rings. Put raw beets cut into thin strips on top of the onion, salt and pepper a little, pour with vegetable oil. Put carrots on top of the beets, also cut into strips. Instead of the usual potatoes for vinaigrette, we use pumpkin. Cut it into small cubes and put it on top of the carrots. Salt vegetables, cover them with a lid or foil and send them to an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Then cover the finished vegetables with a large dish and turn over so that the bottom layer is at the top.
Sprinkle the vinaigrette with chopped cucumbers and dill on top. You can put such a side dish on a plate like a piece of cake, while maintaining the layers.
Pasta with carrot sauce
Those who simply cannot imagine their life and meal without pasta will surely like the following side dish.
You will need:
- pasta - 180 g;
- carrots 250 g;
- olive oil - 15 g;
- herbs of Italian cuisine - 1 tsp;
- turmeric - 1/2 tsp;
- salt
Pour olive or other vegetable oil into a saucepan. We spread grated carrots in it and sauté over low heat until soft. Then pour water into a saucepan and simmer the carrots for 10 minutes after boiling. For flavor, add a mixture of Italian herbs to the carrot sauce, and a little turmeric for brightness.
Pour your favorite pasta into the sauce, it is desirable that they are not very large. Close the pan with a lid and cook the pasta for about 10 minutes over low heat. A bright, hearty, aromatic and delicious side dish is ready.
Rice with vegetables
And this garnish will probably remind many of pilaf a little.
You will need:
- red rice Samarkand (any rice) - 350 g;
- onions - 150 g;
- carrots - 200 g;
- garlic - 3-4 cloves;
- vegetable oil - 20 g;
- salt
For this garnish, in a deep saucepan with the addition of oil, sauté finely chopped onions and chopped garlic until soft. Then we put the well-washed rice in a saucepan, level it and salt it. In our case, it is red rice, which is often used for pilaf. Lay a thick layer of finely grated carrots on top of the rice. Fill the dish with hot water about the same level as the carrots.
Cook the rice over low heat, covered with a lid, for about 20 minutes. Gently mix the rice with all the vegetables and let it brew for another 10 minutes under the lid, so it can be saturated with aromas. Such a side dish is perfect, for example, with a turkey or any other poultry.
And in the video below, you can see how to cook all these side dishes, as well as learn simple but delicious recipes for making pollock, turkey and cutlets.