Rice with vegetables

Use the water amount for your rice, and cook watery vegetables such as courgette separately before folding them in. For a simple pilaf, soften onion and firmer vegetables in a little oil, stir in the rice, add hot stock, cover and simmer gently until the rice is just tender.

Yes. Add small frozen peas or sweetcorn for the final few minutes of cooking; add larger frozen pieces earlier so they heat through. Avoid thawing them first, which can release extra water into the rice.

Peas, carrots, sweetcorn and green beans make a familiar mix; peppers, aubergine or broccoli work well too. Cut the vegetables to similar sizes and cook firmer ones first, adding quick-cooking greens near the end.

Cool it quickly, ideally within an hour, then refrigerate in a covered container and eat within a day. Reheat it only once, until steaming hot throughout; don’t leave cooked rice sitting at room temperature.

Yes. Add a splash of water, cover the pan and heat over a medium-low hob, stirring once or twice until steaming hot throughout. Reheat only rice that was cooled promptly and kept refrigerated.

Serve it alongside grilled tofu, eggs, fish or chicken, or turn it into a meal with beans and a fried egg. For a quick fried-rice dish, use rice that has been cooled and chilled, and fry it in a hot pan until steaming.

Vegetable risotto has 138 kcal and 7.31 g fat per 100 g, compared with 118 kcal and 2.5 g fat in rice with vegetables. Risotto is stirred gradually with stock to make it creamy; ordinary rice with vegetables is usually cooked more loosely.