Rice
If variety is the spice of life there is no shortage as far as rice is concerned, there being more than 40,000 known world wide.
From a consumers point of view though there are essentially three main types of rice classified by the length of the grain - long, medium and short - each of which has its own cooking, flavor and texture characteristics.
Long Grain Rice
The most common and popular type of rice in the USA. These grains are 4 to 5 times as long as they are wide and after cooking are dry, fluffy and stay separate. A good choice for side dish, main dish or salad recipes.
Medium Grain Rice
These grains are 2 to 3 times as long as they are wide . When cooked, the grains are more moist and tender than long grain rice and are just a touch sticky. Popular with many Asian communities. Great as table rice and for casserole, risotto, stir-fry and dessert recipes.
Short Grain Rice
These grains are almost round, and tend to cling together when cooked, making them easy to eat with chopsticks. Also known as Oriental or Japanese rice, it is ideal for dishes like sushi.
Forms of Rice
All rice is white if the hull, bran and the germ is removed during the milling process, a process that also takes away a lot of the nutrients. White rice is the most popular form and quickest to cook, taking 15 to 20 minutes.
Brown, red, black, etc, rices are produced if the bran and germ is not removed. These generally have a slightly chewy texture and more complex flavors. They take longer to cook, 45 to 50 minutes, as the steam penetrates the bran coating.
Converted rice or parboiled rice. A compromise between nutritious brown rice and tender, fast-cooking white rice. The rice grains are steamed before they are milled, a process that causes the grains to absorb many of the nutrients from the husk.
Popular Varieties
Basmati, an aromatic long-grain rice grown in India and Pakistan. The cooked grains expand length wise and are dry and fluffy. Aged basmati rice is better, but more expensive.
Jasmine rice from Thailand is a long-grain rice that cooks more like a medium grain rice being moist, tender and slightly sticky. New jasmine rice has a subtle floral aroma which fades as it ages.
Arborio rice. This plump white rice can absorb lots of water without getting mushy, so it's perfect for making risotto.
Spanish rice This is a medium-grain rice that's perfectly suited to making paella.
Wild rice. Is in fact not a rice, but a grass seed. Richer in protein and other nutrients than rice it has a distinctive, nutty flavor.
Did You Know
As a general rule of thumb the further from the equator the rice is grown the shorter the grains become. The best long grain rice coming from Thailand, Southern US, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Medium and short grain rice from China, Italy, Japan, Korea, California, Philippines, Egypt, Spain and Portugal.
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