Garnish - 10 simple and delicious recipes

A side dish is an important addition to the main dish, giving it an additional and contrasting taste. Porridge, pasta and vegetables are considered side dishes. Their recipes are chosen with the aim of making the dish more filling or less caloric. In this topic, you are presented with a selection of simple homemade side dish recipes based on various grains.

Crispy rice in a saucepan as a side dish

Crispy rice is an ideal side dish for any homemade hot dish of meat, fish or vegetables. There are different varieties of rice, and long-grain rice is better suited for a crumbly side dish, as it is less starchy. Regardless of the variety, rice is thoroughly washed before cooking. In this recipe, we cook rice in a saucepan in a certain sequence.

1. 
   Pour long grain rice, according to the recipe and the number of servings you need, into any bowl and rinse with cold water until it is clean. This can be clearly seen if you compare the first and last water after washing.
2. 
   In a rice cooking pot, bring 2 cups of clean water to a boil. Pour the washed rice into boiling water, add salt, mix everything and cook it over low heat for 15-17 minutes from the start of boiling. Test the rice for doneness and cook for another 5 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Place the boiled rice in a colander and rinse with boiling water.
3. 
   Then pour the boiled rice into the same pan.
4. 
   Add a little butter to the rice to your liking, stir and let the side dish steep for 15 minutes. After this time, cooked fluffy rice can be served as a side dish for any dish. Bon appetit!

Delicious bulgur as a side dish

Bulgur, as the healthiest wheat grain, can be a delicious side dish for any dish. A simple option for preparing it would be to cook it in a saucepan in a certain ratio of cereal to water. This recipe invites you to prepare delicious bulgur with the addition of lime, herbs and fresh cucumber.

Cooking time: 40 minutes.

Cooking time: 15 minutes.

Servings: 4.

Ingredients:

• Bulgur – 200 gr.
• Water – 400 ml.
• Vegetable oil – 4 tbsp.
• Lime/lemon – 1 pc.
• Mint – 3 sprigs.
• Parsley/cilantro – 3 sprigs.
• Fresh cucumber – 180 gr.
• Salt – 1 tsp.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Immediately prepare, according to the recipe, all ingredients for the side dish. It is permissible to replace lime with lemon, but the flavor of the side dish will be different.

Step 2. Rinse the bulgur several times with cold water until it becomes transparent.

Step 3. Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Pour the bulgur into the oil and fry the cereal a little over medium heat while stirring.

Step 4.Then pour 400 ml of clean water over the fried bulgur, add salt and cook for 15 minutes from the start of boiling under a covered lid and over low heat. After the water has completely evaporated, turn off the heat and leave the bulgur for 5 minutes.

Step 5: Rinse the lime. Carefully remove the zest and squeeze out the juice.

Step 6. Wash the greens, dry with a napkin, remove dense stems, and finely chop the leaves. It is acceptable to replace parsley with cilantro.

Step 7. Cut the washed and dried cucumber into small cubes.

Step 8. Place the cooked bulgur in a separate bowl, pour two more tablespoons of vegetable oil with lime juice, add lime zest and mix well to make the bulgur crumbly.

Step 9. Then add chopped cucumber and herbs to the bulgur and mix again. The prepared delicious bulgur can be served immediately with a meat or fish dish.

Step 10. This side dish, especially on hot days or for a fast meal, can be served as a separate dish. Bon appetit!

Barley as a side dish without soaking

Barley as a side dish without soaking has different express cooking options. Kitchen gadgets are often used for this, but the simplest recipe is to treat the cereal with boiling water before the main cooking. You will have this pearl barley ready in 30 minutes, but this time depends on the quality of the cereal and its shelf life. For a crumbly side dish, the proportion of water and cereal specified in the recipe is important.

Cooking time: 1 hour 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 15 minutes.

Servings: 4.

Ingredients:

• Pearl barley – 180 gr.
• Water – 900 ml.
• Salt - to taste.
• Ground black pepper - to taste.
• Vegetable oil – 1 tbsp.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Immediately measure the amount of ingredients indicated in the recipe.

Step 2. Carefully sort the selected pearl barley, removing small debris and damaged grains, rinse well with cold water and leave in a colander to drain excess liquid.

Step 3. Then transfer the pearl barley into a cooking pan, pour in 600 ml of clean water, bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 5-6 minutes.

Step 4. Place the cereal in a colander to remove any remaining water.

Step 5. Rinse the same pan and pour 300 ml of clean water. Place semi-boiled pearl barley into boiling water, add salt with a spoonful of vegetable oil and cook for 20-30 minutes until fully cooked. Do not cover the pan; stir the cereal periodically.

Step 6. During this time, the pearl barley will completely absorb all the water and turn out crumbly. Add a little of any oil to the cooked pearl barley, stir and leave for 10-15 minutes to infuse, wrapped in a terry towel. Barley, prepared without soaking, can be immediately served as a side dish for any dish. It can still be stored well in the freezer and used for other dishes. Bon appetit!

Red lentils as a side dish

Red lentils, as one of the varieties of these legumes, are rarely on our table, but you can quickly and easily prepare a tasty and healthy side dish from them, especially for meat dishes. The ratio of lentils to water is 1:2, it is cooked for no more than 20 minutes so that the beans retain their shape and do not become porridge. In this recipe, we will complement the taste of the side dish with fried onions and garlic.

Cooking time: 25 minutes.

Cooking time: 10 minutes.

Servings: 2.

Ingredients:

• Red lentils – 1 tbsp.
• Water – 2 tbsp.
• Onion – 1 pc.
• Garlic – 2 cloves.
• Salt - to taste.
• Ground black pepper - to taste.
• Olive oil – 4 tbsp.

Cooking process:

Step 1. First of all, prepare the ingredients for this side dish according to the recipe and the number of servings you need.

Step 2. Sort the lentils and rinse well. Boil the required amount of clean water in a saucepan, add the lentils and cook for 15-20 minutes from the start of boiling, over low heat and covered. Do not add salt when cooking.

Step 3. While the lentils are cooking, chop the onion into small cubes.

Step 4. Cut the garlic cloves into slices.

Step 5: Heat olive oil in a frying pan and fry the chopped onion until light golden brown.

Step 6. Add garlic slices to the onion and fry for another 1 minute.

Step 7. During cooking under a closed lid, the lentils will completely absorb the water.

Step 8. Sprinkle the cooked lentils with salt and black pepper to your taste.

Step 9. Add the roast to the lentils and mix everything carefully.

Step 10. Taste the dish and place it on serving plates.

Step 11. The prepared side dish of red lentils can be served with any meat dish, and during Lent, with fish dish. Bon appetit!

Delicious crumbly buckwheat cooked in a pan

To prepare crumbly, delicious buckwheat cooked in a saucepan, two points are important: the correct proportion of water and cereal, frying the cereal over high heat before cooking, which prevents the grains from boiling and their aroma is better revealed. Buckwheat is cooked quickly and the Yadritsa variety is chosen for the side dish.

Cooking time: 25 minutes.

Cooking time: 10 minutes.

Servings: 2.

Ingredients:

• Buckwheat – 1 tbsp.
• Water – 2 tbsp.
• Butter – 20 gr.
• Salt - to taste.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Immediately prepare the ingredients according to the recipe and the number of servings you need.

Step 2.Sort the buckwheat and remove all small debris, although recently the grain has been sold quite clean.

Step 3. Heat a dry frying pan, pour buckwheat into it and fry the cereal over medium heat while stirring for 5 minutes.

Step 4. Rinse the fried buckwheat thoroughly in a colander under running water.

Step 5. Pour the prepared buckwheat into a saucepan with a thick bottom, add the calculated amount of clean water and bring to a boil over high heat.

Step 6. Cook buckwheat for 15 minutes over low heat and with the lid closed.

Step 7. In the middle of cooking, add a piece of butter to the buckwheat.

Step 8. In a quarter of an hour, buckwheat will completely absorb water. Sprinkle it with salt to your taste, stir and turn off the heat. Cover the pan with a terry towel for 5-10 minutes, which will make the buckwheat very crumbly.

Step 9. Serve delicious crumbly buckwheat cooked in a saucepan as a side dish for a meat or fish dish. Bon appetit!

How to deliciously cook red beans as a side dish

The side dish of red beans has a good rich taste, but it is rarely prepared, since these legumes require time to soak and cook. Of all types of beans, red beans cook faster and are more tender. Salt is added to the beans only at the end of cooking, otherwise the beans will not boil. In this recipe, we cook the beans in a saucepan on the stove.

Cooking time: 8 hours.

Cooking time: 5 minutes.

Servings: 2.

Ingredients:

• Red beans – 1 tbsp.
• Salt – 1 tsp.
• Water for soaking - 2 tbsp.
• Water for cooking – 3 tbsp.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Immediately measure the red beans, calculating the required number of servings.

Step 2. Sort the beans, removing small debris and damaged beans.Then rinse in a colander or sieve with running water.Step 3. In a separate bowl, pour two glasses of cold water over the beans for 6 hours.

Step 4. Change the water every 2 hours to prevent the beans from fermenting.

Step 5. After this time, rinse the beans again under running water and transfer them to a large cooking pot, taking into account that the beans will increase in volume by 2-3 times. Pour 3 cups of clean water over the beans and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook the beans for 2 hours over low heat, covering slightly with a lid to prevent the beans from turning dark.

Step 6. Towards the end of cooking, add salt to the beans and stir. Test a few beans to see if they are cooked; they should be soft. If any beans remain hard, continue cooking. Place the cooked red beans in a colander and can be used as a side dish for any dish. Bon appetit!

Couscous garnish

A side dish made from couscous, as a kind of semi-finished product based on crushed durum wheat, barley or rice, is called couscous and its preparation is the simplest and fastest of all types of side dishes: couscous is poured with hot water and simply infused. This side dish has a pleasant taste and many useful substances. You can not add salt to the couscous, but season it with oil and add, if desired, various spices.

Cooking time: 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 2 minutes.

Servings: 2.

Ingredients:

• Couscous – 180 gr.
• Boiling water – 200 ml.
• Butter – 40 gr.
• Salt - to taste.
• Spices - to taste.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Immediately measure out the ingredients for the side dish, according to the recipe proportions and the number of servings you need. Boil water.

Step 2.Couscous, but there is no need to sort it out and rinse it, pour it into a saucepan and add a little salt if desired.

Step 3. Pour boiling water over the couscous in a 1:1 ratio with water to make the side dish crumbly.

Step 4. Cover the pan tightly with a lid and leave the couscous to steep for 10 minutes. It is similar to instant noodles.

Step 5. After this time, add butter and spices to the couscous as desired. Then mix everything with a spoon and take a sample.

Step 6. A simple and quick side dish, couscous can be served immediately with the main dish. Bon appetit!

Powdered millet cooked in water

Millet, as a cereal with good taste and a large range of useful substances, is most often used in baby food for porridge, but it makes a wonderful side dish for meat and fish dishes. To prevent the cereal from becoming bitter and crumbly, it has some peculiarities when cooking, which is indicated in the recipe. For a side dish in this recipe, add millet with fried onions.

Cooking time: 30 minutes.

Cooking time: 10 minutes.

Servings: 2.

Ingredients:

• Millet – 1 tbsp.
• Water – 3 tbsp.
• Onion – 1 pc.
• Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp.
• Salt - to taste.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Inspect the millet for garnish and remove any visible small debris.

Step 2. Pour it into a pan for cooking porridge and fill it with a glass of water.

Step 3. Bring everything to a boil, no need to cook yet. This will rid the millet of bitterness and small impurities.

Step 4. Drain the hot water and transfer the millet to another bowl.

Step 5: Then rinse with cold water several times until it runs clear.

Step 6. Place the washed millet in a saucepan, add two glasses of clean water, add a little salt and place on low heat. Do not cover the pan with a lid.

Step 7Cook the millet until the water has almost completely evaporated and do not stir while cooking. Then turn off the fire. Cover the pan tightly with a lid and leave the millet for 15 minutes.

Step 8. Peel the onion and chop into thin quarter rings.

Step 9. Fry the chopped onion in hot vegetable oil until golden brown.

Step 10. After 15 minutes of infusion, the millet will absorb the remaining water and turn out crumbly and tender.

Step 11. Place the prepared millet side dish on portioned plates for the main course, add fried onions and serve. Bon appetit!

How to cook delicious quinoa as a side dish

A side dish of quinoa, a cereal called a superfood due to the amount of nutrients, will be an alternative to side dishes made from buckwheat and rice. The taste of quinoa is somewhat herbaceous with hints of nuts, so for garnishing it is supplemented with vegetables, mushrooms and other ingredients, and choose red or white quinoa, which is not bitter. In this recipe, we prepare the quinoa side dish immediately with mushroom sauce, which is convenient for the main meat dish. The proportion of cereal and water is 1:2.

Cooking time: 30 minutes.

Cooking time: 10 minutes.

Servings: 6.

Ingredients:

• Quinoa – 200 gr.
• Water – 400 ml.
• Onion – 2 pcs.
• Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp.
• Mushrooms – 400 gr.
• Flour – 1.5 tbsp.
• Ground nutmeg – 0.5 tsp.
• Cream 20% – 175 ml.
• Greens - to taste.
• Salt - to taste.
• Ground black pepper - to taste.

Cooking process:

Step 1: Immediately prepare all the ingredients for the mushroom sauce side dish. Rinse the quinoa in a colander under running water. Peel the onions and champignons.

Step 2. Place the washed quinoa in a pan for cooking porridge, add 400 ml of clean water, add salt and bring to a boil over medium heat.Then cover the pan with a lid and cook the quinoa over low heat for 15 minutes. During this time, the cereal will completely absorb all the liquid. Turn off the fire. Stir the quinoa with a fork and leave to steep for 5 minutes.

Step 3. Chop the onion into thin half rings and fry in a saucepan until transparent.

Step 4. Cut the mushrooms into small slices, place them in a frying pan and fry until the mushroom juice has completely evaporated.

Step 5. Add flour, salt, nutmeg and black pepper to the fried mushrooms, pour in the cream, mix well, bring to a boil and turn on the heat.

Step 6. Place the prepared quinoa on portioned plates, pour over the creamy mushroom sauce, add finely chopped herbs and serve as a side dish for main meat or fish dishes. Bon appetit!

Cauliflower as a side dish

The taste of cauliflower is different from the taste of regular cabbage, and the texture is different, so it makes delicious side dishes for meat and fish dishes. Cauliflower as a side dish can be prepared in different ways, but in this recipe we will puree it. This tender and tasty side dish goes well with chicken or fish dishes.

Cooking time: 25 minutes.

Cooking time: 15 minutes.

Servings: 3.

Ingredients:

• Cut cauliflower inflorescences – 700-800 gr.
• Butter – 20 gr.
• Breadcrumbs – 1 tsp.
• Semi-hard cheese – 60 gr.
• Thyme/parsley - to taste.
• Salt - to taste.

Cooking process:

Step 1. Prepare the ingredients for the side dish according to the recipe and the number of servings you need.

Step 2. Disassemble the head of cauliflower into separate small inflorescences, rinse and place in a cooking pot, cover with clean water and cook for 10 minutes from the start of the boil over medium heat.

Step 3.Drain the boiled cabbage completely. After boiling water, take away a few inflorescences for crumbs.

Step 4. While the cabbage is cooking, chop the removed inflorescences into small crumbs.

Step 5. Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the cabbage crumbs into it, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and fry everything until golden brown.

Step 6. Grind the semi-hard cheese on a fine grater so that it melts into puree quickly.

Step 7. Add chopped cheese to the boiled cabbage and puree these ingredients with a potato masher.

Step 8. Place the cauliflower puree prepared as a side dish onto portioned plates for the main meat dish, add frying and serve. Bon appetit!