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
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