Help me use up some stuff in my cupboard please.

Cafe Society
1

Going through my cupboard has produced four ingredients I’ve been saving, and would like to use up. I don’t want to just cook 'em & eat 'em. They’re kinda neat ingredients, so I’ve been saving them until I came up with an interesting, tasty recipe idea that would show them off a bit. Well, I haven’t come up with anything, so here they are:

One 8 oz package of Himalayan Red Rice. It’s a nice, long-grain rice with an unmilled, rusty-red bran.

One 8 oz package of Purple Thai Rice. This rice, “imparts a beautiful shiny indigo color when cooked. Traditionally used in dessert recipes or other ‘sweet flavor profile’ dishes, but now also used in savory dishes.” I don’t like sweet dishes.

One 8 oz package Israeli Couscous. Nice even-sized pearls. I guess you saute it with onions until it’s nice & toasted. But then what?

One 8 oz package “Cornstarch Sticks.” I’m not sure why they call it that, it’s a product of the Philippines and looks like that thin, angel-hair “glass” pasta you’d get at a Thai restaurant. The package doesn’t come with cooking instructions, but I’m guessing you boil it for two or three minutes then rinse in cold water. Then what?

Any interesting recipe ideas for any of these, hopefully not requiring too much in the way of exotic, hard-to-find ingredients?

2

I’ll bet the “Cornstarch Sticks” are fried in oil. I like to use unique items for presetation dishes. I had some white tomatos one year, so I made a pizza sauce with them, and made an all white pizza for a small group of friends.

3

I found the product, more or less: Bihon Cornstarch Sticks. Same thing, just a different brand. It’s kind of amusing they list water as an ingredient, since it’s a dry product.

4

I’ve used the giant-sized couscous to make a “pasta”-like salad. Went over big.

I made it with French lentils, cooked al dente, and sweet onions, bell peppers, cilantro, oil and vinegar, etc. Purty good.

I’ve used the red rice a lot too, although mostly as you would brown rice. Don’t have a specific suggestion for that. Lentils come to mind again . . .