In many countries, specially Asian countries, rice is the essential ingredient in many dishes. Apart from the obvious cooked rice there is an unlimited range of delicious dishes that will satisfy your taste buds and persuade you that rice is far more than just a side dish. Just make sure to use the right rice for the various cuisines and dishes.
To generalise about the matter, short thick rice usually contains more starch, which is required for dishes that need to be relatively sticky , while long thin-grained rice has less starch and is also more easily digested. This grains of this variety of rice don’t stick together, and the rice is fluffy.
Arborio Rice
Basmati Rice
Japanese rice
Risotto (Aroborio, Carnaroli, Vialone, Nano, or Baldo rice) / Italy
Pumpkin Risotto
Paella (Bomba rice) / Spain
Sushi (Higher starch content rice, Japanese rice japonica, or medium-grain California rice) / Japan
Meat or Vegetable Biryani (Basmati rice with low starch content) / India
Curd Rice (Basmati rice) / India
Biko – Sweet Sticky Rice Dessert (aka sticky rice) / Phillipines
Rice Pudding (Pudding rice, Arborio, rice with a higher percantage of starch) / All around the world
e.g.
Lebanese Rice Pudding with Pistachios
Risalamande / Holland
Jiuniang / China
Doodhpak / India
Rice Balls (not specified) / Japan, Italy
Arancini di riso (fried risotto rice balls)
Onigiri
Greek Dolmades
Korean Fried Rice
Rice Dumplings / China
Zongzi, Nyonya
It wouldn’t be a complete list without mentioning the secondary products made of rice: Rice flour, Rice noodles, Rice paper, Rice oil, Rice vinegar, Rice milk, Rice syrup, and Sake – a rice alcohol typical of Japan)
Rice noodles
Sake
Read also our articles about eggs, potatoes and milk.
Photos: Shutterstock
Support us!
All your donations will be used to pay the magazine’s journalists and to support the ongoing costs of maintaining the site.
Share this post
Interested in co-operating with us?
We are open to co-operation from writers and businesses alike. You can reach us on our email at [email protected]/[email protected] and we will get back to you as quick as we can.
