What you probably don’t know about that little grain that so regularly graces your plate is that there are thousands of different types cultivated around the world.
But luckily we can find the most common ones, with no effort at all, on our local supermarket shelves.
There are a few practical things you need to know to make the right choice for your rice based dishes, so if you’re not quite up to speed on your rice facts, here’s the low down.
What’s the main difference between rice varieties?
Rice is either short, long or medium grain, each of which has a different shape and consistency. The short grained ones stick together easily (they have more gluten in them), while the longer grained varieties are fluffier, with the grains falling away from each other more easily.Should I go for short, long or medium grain?
It depends what you like really, and what you’re cooking. The longer grains are good with a lot of Asian dishes like curries, whereas the medium ones, somewhere between long and short on the stickiness factor, are better for Mediterranean rice dishes like risotto and paella. The short sticky kind are good for Japanese sushi, dim sum dishes, and in making sweet desserts.What’s the difference between brown and white rice?
- This is where is gets slightly technical. Brown (or wholegrain) rice is the way the grain grows naturally, with only the husk removed but the kernel (in three layers) still intact
- The white stuff has had the outer layer of bran milled (or polished) until white. It does mean that a large part of the nutrients are lost, but it’s more tender to eat
- Brown rice is nuttier in taste than white, with a lot more fibre, vitamins and minerals
- You’ll also find ‘light brown rice’ on the supermarket shelves, which is something in between wholegrain and white; about half of its bran element has been taken out
- Brown rice takes roughly 45 minutes to cook,whereas white generally takes about fifteen, and light brown twenty to twenty five
What are the most popular choices?
- Top picks on the rice shelves usually include basmati or jasmine. Both are naturally aromatic and each with a very particular taste and fragrance when cooked. They are both long grain, and therefore non glutinous (the fluffy type that doesn’t stick together). You can generally find them in both brown and white form in Irish stores
- Jasmine is very popular in Thailand, so most Thai dishes you’ll find are served with it
- Basmati, on the other hand, is king in Indian cooking
- The plainer variety of long grain rice is common in lots of European recipes
What about easy cook rice?
For convenience, many rice varieties are available in ‘easy-cook’ version. This means that the rice has been parboiled (sometimes called ‘converted’). It is steamed and dehydrated before milling (the regular stuff is milled straight from the field) which makes it quicker to cook at home. The process does lead to some loss of flavour though.
And the specialist stuff?
The most common ‘specialist’ choices you’ll see in Ireland are:- Arborio rice. This is the one mostly used when making risotto, the delicious slow-cooked Italian rice dish. It is a medium grain variety with a lot of starch, known for absorbing the flavours it’s cooked with, which is why it’s the choice for risotto. It was first grown in the Italian city of Arborio.
- Wild rice. The grain from a grass that grows wild in shallow waters, it’s more like a ‘rice cousin’. There are some lovely recipes available online for wild rice casserole. Another popular choice is to cook it ‘pilaf style’ mixed with a long grain variety.
- Sushi rice. Lots of supermarkets now sell a packet marked “sushi rice”. This means it’s a short grain variety with enough gluten to make it “sticky” and ideal for preparing Japanese sushi.
- Mochi (or sweet) rice. This is also a sticky Japanese variety, high in starch and used in traditional sweet Japanese recipes like rice cakes and desserts.
How nutritional is rice?
High in carbohydrates and low on fat, it also has a good amount of protein, scoring high on those all-important amino acids. Brown is better than white, with higher amounts of nutrients and minerals concentrated in the layers that are removed from white rice.Top tips for cooking rice
The best way to cook rice differs according to the variety and the different ways they are sold (for example ‘easy cook’ rice is harder to over-cook than the other types). However, a general rule is:- Before you cook, rinse the rice to remove any starch or impurities, letting the water run until it moves from cloudy to clear
- When boiling rice, never be over-generous with water. Too much water makes for a soggy meal!
- Make sure the saucepan is covered tightly with a lid, and don’t remove this until the water has been fully absorbed.
Hopefully the next time you’re facing multiple shelves in the rice section you’ll know exactly what to reach for!