Rice is so much more than plain, bland, white grains. From wild rice to basmati, every variety lends a unique flavour to your favourite dishes. Get to know gourmet rice and you'll be well on your way to making rice recipes that yield meals that are full of flavour, ready for any occasion.

Add the following fibre-rich rice dishes to your cooking repertoire.

Rice recipes: Perfect pilaf

Leek, Mushroom and Wild and White Rice Pilaf
Pressed for time? Make this woodsy side dish ahead of time and reheat it in the microwave just before serving.

Spiced Brown Rice Pilau with Eggplant
Indian spiced rice dishes make wonderfully appetizing vegetarian main courses. Unlike most other Indian dishes, rice preparations often use whole spices. Serve with Spinach Raita, a refreshing palate cleanser that adds additional protein, calcium and vegetable nutrients to the meal.

Steamed Fish with Saffron Pilaf
This convenient dish combines a main and side dish in the same pot. Serve with peas.

Rice recipes: Ethnic variations

Arroz Verde (Green Rice)
This classic and attractive Mexican-style rice is a wonderful accompaniment to meat, poultry or fish. It's sure to become a favourite side dish – and not only for Mexican meals.

Brown Rice Biryani
This delicious Indian dish is usually laden with ghee (clarified butter), but this version uses low-glycemic brown basmati rice and contains much less of a healthier fat, but it still has the rich flavour of the original. Don't be scared off by the number of ingredients – it's easy to make and the intoxicating cooking smells will keep you inspired.

Cool Wild Rice and Mushrooms
Canada's central northern lakes and marshes provide us with the finest fragrant long-grain wild rice.

Lentil and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Basmati rice has a lower glycemic index than regular long-grain white rice, and it also has a distinct, delicious flavour. Serve these peppers with a simple green salad for a lovely meatless supper. We like to use Greek oregano to flavour the rice mixture; it's a fragrant variety with a flavour slightly sweeter than Italian oregano. The dried flower tops sold on the stems at Greek grocers are especially good.

Mexicali Rice and Black Bean Salad
This colourful salad will please the whole crowd and it can stand as a main course for any vegetarians who come to your cookout.

Baked Autumn Vegetables with Barley and Wild Rice
Vegetables and grains cook conveniently together in this big savoury casserole. You can use any combination of your preferred vegetables as long as the total amount equals about 8 cups (2 L).

Filipino Coconut Sticky Rice
Cooked this way, sticky (glutinous) rice produces a soft, almost chewy pudding that can be cut into squares. Serve this dessert topped with fresh ripe mango or bananas, or simply on its own with tea or coffee.

Rice recipes: Crowd-pleasing rice puddings

Vanilla Rice Pudding with Strawberries
Strawberries Condé is a classic French dessert of macerated strawberries, a rice ring mould and strawberry sauce. I've made it easier and more contemporary by replacing the fussy ring mould with a rich, baked vanilla rice pudding. Arborio rice is especially good in this pudding because its fat short grains withstand long cooking without falling apart, lending the pudding an exceptional texture.

Chocolate Almond Brown Rice Pudding
Current scientific research on cocoa is making chocolate lovers very happy indeed. And it's the type of chocolate contained in this dessert that's getting all the accolades. Add the heart-healthy perks of almonds and whole grain rice and you'll have a dessert that will make both your taste buds and your heart happy.

Toasted Coconut Sticky Rice Pudding
This Asian twist on an old favourite is both comforting and exciting.