Blending rice

[Fat Guy]

A while back, we ordered takeout from a local Chinese place and one of our crew asked for brown rice. The rice turned out to be exceptional: it had some grains that looked normally brown, and some reddish grains. It made for a wonderfully nutty, hearty rice that was actually better than the white rice even if it wasn't necessarily a better match for Chinese food. I wondered what kind of rice they were using.

Next time I was at the restaurant (Empire Szechuan on Columbus Avenue in Manhattan) I asked the chef's wife what the deal was with the rice. She sent someone to the kitchen and he returned with two bags of rice. One was brown jasmine rice. The other was something called red cargo rice. She said they mix the two in approximately a 75-25 brown-red ratio to get the speckled, nutty rice they serve when people ask for brown rice. She said they have the same cooking times and required water ratios (2:1 water:rice), so the process is seamless.

I filed this knowledge away until I found myself in a big Asian market in New Jersey and saw both brown jasmine and red jasmine rices available (the red jasmine is not identical to red cargo, but a knowledgeable salesperson told me it was an acceptable and less expensive substitute). I bought both.

Because of the difference in bag sizes, I was able to combine one entire bag with the other to get, if not exactly the same ratio Empire Szechuan uses, something pretty close.

This has become my standard house-blend rice. Everybody who tries it is amazed at the flavor, aroma and texture and asks what kind of rice it is. (I have since acquired some legitimate Thai red cargo rice and it's not noticeably -- to me -- better than the cheaper Chinese stuff I bought.)

Is the idea of blending different rice varieties something that I'm the last to hear about, or is it an innovation I can get credit for telling you all about?

[andiesenji]

Your blend is probably unique to you and if it satisfies your palate then that is the most important criteria.

Lundberg, a California company that has developed and trademarked some exclusive varieties, has been selling blends of various rices for quite a few years. http://www.lundberg.com/

Black Japonica, Jubilee and Christmas are my favorite blends. I especially like the fact that they are dedicated to sustainable farming since before WWII.

I am very partial to all their blends but I also combine their Wehani and some other varieties for my own blends.

I buy several rice varieties from http://www.indianharvest.com/Products/Specialty-Rice;jsessionid=0a0104471f43de85348fc73e4808844ad68acfcbeed5.e3eSbNqNc38Le34Pa38Ta38SaNz0

including Chinese Black (which is not a sticky rice like the south Asian type), red Colusari and the green bamboo rice.

I order Carolina Gold rice from Anson Mills: http://www.ansonmills.com/products-page.htm

This is an extremely versatile rice - depending on how it is cooked and it blends extremely well with wild rice.

[torakris]

I often blend rices. My husband and I really like brown rice but our kids prefer white so a couple times a week (depending on the meal) I mix white and brown (short grain rices) in a 2:1 ratio. This makes a a wonderful slightly nutty "white" rice. Sometimes I add a tablespoon or two of a Korean black short grain rice to 3 or 4 cups of my blend for a beautiful color and even more nutty flavor.

[dougal]

... She said they have the same cooking times and required water ratios (2:1 water:rice), so the process is seamless.

...

Is the idea of blending different rice varieties something that I'm the last to hear about, or is it an innovation I can get credit for telling you all about?

While I have sequentially added different rice varieties to a pot, I've never done a 'dry blend'.

That's because my different rices have ostensibly had different requirements.

However, seeking out varieties to make a compatible 'dry blend' does sound like a very nice idea. Thanks for sharing!

[Ruth]

I routinely blend my rice - usually 2/3 Jasmine or Basmati white and 1/3 long grain brown. I cook them together in a rice cooker. The texture of the brown rice remains a little firmer than the white and makes an interesting contrast as well as adding a nutty flavor. White rice alone can be boring at times. Now I plan to try Fat Guy's combination.

[Darienne]

There are several rice,lentil, etc, blends for sale at our local Bulk Barn...a Canadian chain...Don't know whether it's a USA chain or not.

The DH has taken to dropping me off at the Bulk Barn while he goes to the ReStore...a 'guy' kind of store...and I wander around looking at all the stuff. I am amazed at what they actually carry that I did not know about. I usually run in to get whatever it is that I am specifically looking for...

Yesterday I bought a couple of cups of this mix, Jade Blend, simply because it looked so pretty in the bin, a blend of soft greens, ochers, and tan. But there were several other ones. The Jade Blend contains: bamboo rice, wheat berries, basmati rice, green lentils, split baby garbanzo beans, Daikon radish seeds. A single set of directions.

It's for lunch today with Scalloped Tomatoes (accidentally bought tomatoes twice), and the rest of the roasted fall vegetables.

[Darienne]

Yesterday I bought a couple of cups of this mix, Jade Blend, simply because it looked so pretty in the bin, a blend of soft greens, ochers, and tan. But there were several other ones. The Jade Blend contains: bamboo rice, wheat berries, basmati rice, green lentils, split baby garbanzo beans, Daikon radish seeds. A single set of directions.

It's for lunch today with Scalloped Tomatoes (accidentally bought tomatoes twice), and the rest of the roasted fall vegetables.

The Jade Blend was very tasty. Alas! The pretty green color was no more.

[nakji]

Rice dope! That's what I call it. When I first moved to Korea, I was so ignorant, I thought people really liked to feed birds, and that's why they were all buying tub after tub of mixed grains. I know now that the "birdseed" is an excellent way to improve the taste and healthiness of white rice. The rice additives "bar" at my supermarket is now one of my favourite places. I like to mix red rice or millet in a 80:20 ratio, and have never worried about cooking times. I like beans in rice, but can never get the cooking times sorted out, although I understand modern rice cookers can deal with this. Occasionally I'll buy a pack of pre-mixed rice dope that can be dropped into the rice before cooking.

The rice "bar", just to tantalize you, has:

green soybeans

millet

some sort of corn flakes

rolled oats

barley

mochi rice

red rice

dried corn

adzuki beans

big white beans

kidney beans

dried green peas

And so on. Barley mixed with rice is great, but I've never enjoyed brown rice.

[Fat Guy]

Lundberg, a California company that has developed and trademarked some exclusive varieties, has been selling blends of various rices for quite a few years. http://www.lundberg.com/

Black Japonica, Jubilee and Christmas are my favorite blends.

Interesting. They carry several Lundberg products at the market where I shop, and I've often bought their brown rice, but they carry no blends.

[weinoo]

Lundberg, a California company that has developed and trademarked some exclusive varieties, has been selling blends of various rices for quite a few years. http://www.lundberg.com/

Black Japonica, Jubilee and Christmas are my favorite blends.

Interesting. They carry several Lundberg products at the market where I shop, and I've often bought their brown rice, but they carry no blends.

Whole Foods sells several of the blends; I've enjoyed them over the years. But it's no doubt MUCH cheaper to blend them at home...Kalustyan's sells many of these varieties in smaller quantities.

[Darienne]

I shall certainly blend rices and other bits and bobs from now on. Never heard of it or thought of it before. Embarrassing.

Like Nakji, neither the DH nor I really like brown rice...and we don't like it cooked the same way...and blending offers so many possibilities.

Thanks to you all.

[andiesenji]

Lundberg, a California company that has developed and trademarked some exclusive varieties, has been selling blends of various rices for quite a few years. http://www.lundberg.com/

Black Japonica, Jubilee and Christmas are my favorite blends.

Interesting. They carry several Lundberg products at the market where I shop, and I've often bought their brown rice, but they carry no blends.

You can go to their website, contact them and they can give you the names of retailers in your area that carry their products. As mentioned above, Whole Foods Markets carry their products (as well as some unusual varieties in their bulk foods section) and one of my friends, who lives in the West Village, buys it at a nearby health food store. They began carrying it some ten years back after she "discovered" it on a visit out here for a string of dog shows. She is a vegetarian and I took her shopping where she could find some vegetarian snacks. She spotted the Lundberg display and bought a supply to take home. Subsequently I sent her a couple of "care packages" until she was able to get a local store to stock it.

[jmolinari]

Is it just me or does brown jasmine rice take about 3 times longer to cook in a rice cooker? It did when i made it, and in fact, i gave up b/c it make it impossible to have brown rice on a weeknight. How can you mix white and brown and have them come out OK at the same time?!

[Fat Guy]

It has been my experience that brown rice does indeed take forever in the rice cooker.

[jmolinari]

So, how do you handle the cooking time difference when making mixed rices? It looks like you're using a rice cooker.

[Fat Guy]

The brown and red rices that I've been blending call for the same cooking times and water ratios. I'm actually not sure how the people who blend white and brown are pulling it off.

[jmolinari]

oh i see, and you're just waiting the eternity it takes to cook in the rice cooker Got it.

[Richard Kilgore]

How long is an eternity...in the life of a brown rice? Is that eternity shorter and more easily endured in an IH rice cooker? If so, how long is an IH eternity?

[Fat Guy]

In my Zojirushi "fuzzy logic" rice cooker it takes nearly 2 hours to run through the whole brown-rice cycle.

[andiesenji]

Here is my "solution" to the brown rice "problem" which works also with mixed grains, etc.

My rice cooker, as have many of my earlier model, has a "Keep Warm" mode and I have been doing this for years.

I cook the rice earlier in the day, sometimes in the morning, and leave it in the "Keep Warm" mode until evening.

Or for mixed grains that I intend for breakfast, I start it in the evening and it stays in that mode overnight.

This is the ONLY way to adequately cook whole red wheat that has not been "processed" or pre-steamed.

I love the way it turns out. The texture is chewy, without the fibrous sensation that one gets with regular cooking.

I think the flavor is enhanced also.

Try it with a very small batch and see how you like it.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I usually cook large batches of rice and freeze the "leftovers."

If I want to include white rice in a brown/black/mahogany rice medley, I simply pull a portion of pre-cooked white rice out of the freezer and add it to the mix in the rice cooker about half an hour prior to serving. That is just enough time for the white rice to defrost and come up to serving temp.

[baroness]

In my Zojirushi "fuzzy logic" rice cooker it takes nearly 2 hours to run through the whole brown-rice cycle.

It's only 65 minutes in my 'fuzzy' Sanyos and perfect every time.

If I'm making brown glutinous rice, I choose the Quick setting and have that in less than an hour!

[nakji]

My Korean friends also swore by their pressure cookers for cooking rice - mixed or not. I tried it a couple of times before the seal on my old pressure cooker broke, and it worked a charm. 15 minutes, and the rice was on the table. I imagine it would help with the speed of brown rice, too.

[jmolinari]

i never timed my brown rice, but it must be at least 2 hours.

Starting it in the morning and leaving it on keep warm i guess would work.

[Fat Guy]

Rice, especially non-white rice, is surprisingly durable. You can cook it in the morning, or make a big batch and reheat throughout the week, without noticeable loss in quality. It seems even to improve a bit if it sits in the rice cooker on warm for a while. It also freezes really well. If you've tried Trader Joe's frozen brown rice you'll surely agree.

[nakji]

Rice, especially non-white rice, is surprisingly durable. You can cook it in the morning, or make a big batch and reheat throughout the week, without noticeable loss in quality.

I've known a lot of people, especially single people or people with small families, that do this. The theory is that cooking a too-small batch of rice in the cooker doesn't work as well as cooking a regular-sized batch. I've heard some people say they do it to save power, although I'm not sure how accurate that is - I guess the microwave for five minutes would draw less power than 20 minutes of the rice cooker.