Thanks Nutrax, that was a really interesting story.I had no idea Rice-A-Roni had an Armenian influence.
Another good brand is Near East http://www.neareast.com A friend of mine who lived in Quebec would take it back with her, by the case, every time she came to visit.
Never seen anything like that in France either. There used to be a rice+spices mixture sold as Nasi Goreng here though.
Mr. Nutrax is quite fond of Near East. I often doctor it up with one or more of these: Add sautéed onions. Add some of that browned vermicelli (or orzo). Use my own chicken broth in place of part of the water (has to be homemade or otherwise salt-free as the seasoning is already rather slaty.) Add chopped toasted almonds. Finish with a couple of tablespoons of minced parsley.
Original Chicken Rice-A -Roni has 44% of daily sodium; "lower sodium" chicken has 28%
The Near East package says that a serving of Original Flavor has about 1/3 of your daily sodium allowance. I don't find it too salty in taste, but as I learned the hard way, you don't want to add extra salt. Never occurred to me to add extra rice, though.
The brown rice version is lower in sodium, but I can't get Mr. Nutrax to eat it. Maybe if I dilute it with white rice...
Typo in #14. I meant now that I've read #12, in which nutrax mentioned that Near East was salty.
I had Rice A Roni once. I went to a friend's house for Christmas and she made it. I ate a bit to be polite.
I like Near east I usually add a bit of extra seasoning to it also, but then I tend to add extra seasoning to everything.
A pilaf that includes broken-up vermicelli or cappellini, browned in the oil with minced onion before the rice and chicken or vegetable stock are added, is a good thing, by the way. Chickpeas, raisins or currants, and toasted almond slivers or pine nuts are all nice additions. The pasta makes the texture more interesting.