Rice is a must-have in any kitchen, and there are numerous varieties that makes it suitable for a variety of recipes. However, think hard before using the same sort of rice in every recipe you make. A recipe’s outcome can be changed drastically by substituting one type for another. Every kind of rice has its own texture, flavor, and qualities that complement a variety of cooking methods.
So, how can you know which type of rice is the greatest to use?
This article looks at what makes rice different, from nutty basmati to fragrant jasmine and more!
Almost every kind of rice is available in two forms: brown rice, primarily unprocessed, and polished rice. Because of the extra layer of bran, brown rice takes longer to cook and requires more water. You can also buy “converted” rice, which has been parboiled with the husk still on before being dried and processed. Rice that has been converted has a higher nutritional content and a longer shelf life.
When you go to the supermarket these days, you’ll probably see a variety of rice alternatives, ranging from “sushi” rice (short- to medium-grained rice that cooks up sticky) to medium-grained aromatic jasmine rice and long-grained basmati kinds.
Categories of Rice
Based on Length and Shape
Long grain, medium grain, and short grain rice are the three most common types of rice. The length and form of the grain are described in these variants. On the other hand, long grain rice has a longer cylindrical shape, but short grain rice is shorter and wider.
Based on Texture
When making rice meals, keep in mind the texture you want the rice to have. The amount of starch in each type of rice varies. Whether the rice is sticky or light and fluffy will be determined by this factor. Sticky rice, also known as sweet rice, is a staple in many traditional Asian cuisines, desserts, and sweets. It is farmed primarily in Southeast and East Asia.
Sticky rice is extremely sticky when cooked, and it is frequently processed into rice flour. Rough rice that has gone through a steam-pressure process to gelatinize the starch in the grain before milling is known as parboiled rice. When the grain is cooked, it becomes separated and light and fluffy due to this process. Converted rice is a sort of parboiled rice that has been further pre-cooked, allowing you to prepare rice dishes even more quickly.
Based on Color
Rice is normally dark after harvesting, but it turns white once the nutrient-rich outer layer of bran is removed. The bran of red rice, black rice, and purple rice all has different color. The bran layer is frequently left on these colorful rice cultivars for enhanced visual appeal and nutritional value.
Indica Rice Varieties
The Indica rice, which is often long-grained and aromatic, is significantly more extensively consumed than the japonica variety, typically short- to medium-grained.
Rice Basmati
Basmati rice is a long-grained, aromatic rice variety popular throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its grains are light, fluffy, and unique, and the aroma is similar to that of pandan leaves; both plants contain the same aromatic chemical. Basmati rice is the kind found in pilafs and biryanis and in thalis and accompanying plates of chicken tikka masala. The Texmati strain of basmati is farmed in the United States. Basmati rice comes in two varieties: brown rice and polished white rice.
Jasmine Rice
Jasmine rice is a type of Indica rice that is mostly farmed in Thailand.
The grains are slightly shorter and plumper than basmati grains, and the aroma is similar to basmati but much stronger, especially while the rice is still reasonably new. Because it loses a lot of its aroma after a long period of storage, “new-crop,” or just harvested, jasmine rice commands a higher price. When opposed to basmati rice, jasmine rice has a harsher bite when cooked.
Obviously, whether you’re making phat phrik khing with tofu and long beans or a wet curry like this chicken massaman curry, you’ll serve jasmine rice alongside many Thai dishes. You’ll also want to use jasmine rice for Thai-style fried rice.
Jasmine rice is available as polished white rice, brown rice, or red rice. Red rice is distinguished from brown rice by the removal of only the husk, whereas brown rice has both the husk and several layers of bran removed.
Calasparra and Bomba Rice
Calasparra and bomba are the two short-grain rice varietals most commonly used in paella recipes. Despite being short-grained, both of these types are likely Indica cultivars, which explains some of the characteristics that make them ideal for paella: their ability to absorb a lot of liquid and the fact that, due to their low amylopectin content, the rice grains remain distinct and un-sticky when fully cooked. Calasparra or bomba rice should never be substituted for other short-grain kinds due to these particular characteristics. If you must substitute, long-grain rice, such as jasmine, is preferable.
Japonica Rice Varieties
Because of its high amylopectin content, Japonica rice varieties are mostly short- to medium-grained, with little overt scent and a distinctly sticky texture when cooked. Despite the fact that japonica rice is grown all over the world, its consumption pales in contrast to that of Indica rice variants.
Sushi Rice
Sushi rice (also known as Japanese rice) is a sort of short- and medium-grained rice popular in Japan, and it’s the kind you’ll most often encounter in a sushi restaurant. The most important feature for sushi-making is how easily this variety of rice sticks together, making it excellent for producing small vinegared pillows to hold sliced raw fish. As a result, this sort of rice is normally polished and pearly white, but you may also find brown variants, as well as germinated ones—dubbed “GABA” rice since the germination process increases the quantity of nutritionally accessible gamma-aminobutyric acid. California produces the majority of short- and medium-grain Japanese rice in the United States, which is usually of the Calrose or Koshihikari kind. This is the kind of rice you’ll need if you’re cooking Japanese food, such as a Japanese breakfast.
Wild Rice
In the United States, there is no such thing as wild rice, nor is there such a thing as rice.
True rice comes from the genus Oryzae, while wild rice is from the genus Zizania. However, because we refer to it as rice and consume it as rice, it should be mentioned here. Wild rice cooks into chewy, multicolored grains with a vegetal, seedy flavor that is nonetheless palatable.
You can use it to make wild rice salad with mushrooms or with cranberries and pickled apples. Baked acorn squash stuffed with wild rice goes well with fall ingredients and frequently appears in Thanksgiving-appropriate meals.
Sticky/Glutinous Rice
This variety contains a high level of amylopectin, making it extremely sticky. It’s most commonly found in Asian cuisines, both as a sweet dish (as when served with mango and sweetened coconut milk, or when used to make mochi) and as a side dish (as when used to make mochi) (as when served as part of a Thai or Lao meal, or when wrapped with a bunch of flavorful ingredients for the dim sum staple lo mai gai). Sticky rice, like dried beans, needs to be soaked to guarantee consistent cooking. Sticky rice is also used to manufacture toasted rice powder, adding a nutty, toasted flavor to Thai meals like larb.
It, too, is unpolished, but instead of the dun hue of other rice kinds that keep their bran, sticky rice is purple and black. When cooked, black rice takes on a reddish color and is commonly used in sweets.
Arborio and Carnaroli Rice
Arborio and Carnaroli (as well as the lesser-known Vialone Nano) are Italian short-grain rice varietals famed for recipes like risotto alla Milanese. The comparatively high quantities of amylopectin in these cultivars give risotto its characteristic creaminess, similar to the stickiness of Japanese rice.
Carolina Gold Rice
Anson Mills has revived the Carolina Gold rice variety from extinction; you can read everything about the history of this heirloom grain in Keith Pandolfi’s tale about why Carolina Gold is so popular. Carolina Gold is a nonaromatic, long-grained japonica cultivar.
Now that you know everything there is to know about rice varieties, you can figure out which flavor profile, color, length, and texture will work best for your next signature dish.