White Rice Types

[Shel_B]

I'd like to experiment a little with white rice. I'm far from familiar with all the options that are available. I'm familiar with basmati, jasmine, arborio, as well as standard long grain rice, but not much else.

I read a reference to coconut rice, which I never heard of, and that's what prompted my question.

So, what's out there, what's it like, and where can I get it? And what'd coconut rice like?

Thanks!

[liuzhou]

So far as I know, coconut rice is a dish of rice with coconut rather than a type of rice. Google has many recipes.

That said there are literally dozens of varieties of rice beyond the ones you mention. My local supermarket has about ten different varieties (and I mean varieties - not brands/packers) and that's just southern China.

Long grain, short grain, glutinous, coloured etc.

They don't have any of the Indian varieties, for example.

.

Edited December 23, 2013 by liuzhou (log)

[weinoo]

I like Uncle Ben's. Try Safeway.

Edited December 23, 2013 by weinoo (log)

[jayt90]

My favorite white rice is medium or short grain Calrose sushi rice. I started with a small Japanese package, just for sushi or sashimi. but now I buy large California sacks in the supermarket or Asian store for general use.

There is a brown version but I'm not fond of it. White Calrose has a unique if bland flavor and reheats well.

Many long grain rices like basmati seem to go dry and mealy on reheating.

I use a small Tiger rice cooker. There are lots of good brands available, mostly designed in Japan, and they simplify the cooking process considerably.

Edited December 23, 2013 by jayt90 (log)

[Norm Matthews]

The most likely place to find different kinds of rice is in Asian Markets. The Japanese Kitchen cookbook talks about a lot of different kinds, some of which are different because they are more newly harvested, etc.

For the most general part white rice is divided into long, medium and short grain rice. Like Jayt90, I only use medium grain rice for everyday cooking. My former Korean in-laws did not like long grain rice, to put it mildly. They and Japanese people I know use short grain rice for kim bob, sushi and rice candy type dishes. I also use a Japanese made Tiger rice cooker.

[liuzhou]

The most likely place to find different kinds of rice is in Asian Markets.

But that would be to ignore all the European varieties.

Italy: Carnaroli, Arborio, Baldo, Maratelli, Padano, Roma, Vialone Nano etc.

Spain: Arroz de Valencia, Arroz del Delta del Ebro, Calasparra

etc

[rotuts]

as I recall, you might be near the Berkeley Bowl

If they dont have the rice there what ever kind its going to be hard to find.

googling white rice varieties points you in the right direction.
\
the BB might even have some ' in bulk ' saving you big $$ to try just a bit

some of these rice's 'packaged' can be way over priced.

a book like this talks about the and how to cook them:

Amazon Link

a zillion years ago this book when new was on 'display' at my local library. checked it out and got a fuzzy rice cooker based on what I learned

tried a lot of different rice varieties over time from this book.

there are many good books on rice.

[Darienne]

And wild rice which the Canadian aboriginal peoples harvested from the lakes.

[patrickamory]

We currently have:

- Cock glutinous rice (Thailand)

- Elephant jasmine rice (Thailand)

- Bineshii wild rice from Lake Ojibwe in northern Minnesota

- Carolina brand standard American medium-grain rice

- Anson Mills "Carolina Gold" heirloom rice

- Tilde basmati rice (India)

- Bel Aria carnaroli rice (Italy)

- Kalustyan's black rice (China)

in the house.

[Shel_B]

But that would be to ignore all the European varieties.

Italy: Carnaroli, Arborio, Baldo, Maratelli, Padano, Roma, Vialone Nano etc.

Spain: Arroz de Valencia, Arroz del Delta del Ebro, Calasparra

etc

Very helpful - a good start!

[Shel_B]

We currently have:

- Cock glutinous rice (Thailand)

- Elephant jasmine rice (Thailand)

- Bineshii wild rice from Lake Ojibwe in northern Minnesota

- Carolina brand standard American medium-grain rice

- Anson Mills "Carolina Gold" heirloom rice

- Tilde basmati rice (India)

- Bel Aria carnaroli rice (Italy)

- Kalustyan's black rice (China)

in the house.

Thanks for the helpful reply. Just the kind of info I'm looking for.

[Hassouni]

I keep the following white rice on hand:

Japanese style short grain (koshihikari or similar) - for Japanese, Korean, and usually Chinese cooking

Basmati rice - for Middle Eastern, Indian, etc.

Jasmine - for pretty much everything else - Southeast Asian, Cajun (I'm sure this is not considered kosher but whatever)

I don't have sticky rice on hand, because I don't cook much food that uses it (there's a a cracking Lao resto near me, so that's where I consume 95% of my sticky rice). However, if I were to start cooking Lao food, I would definitely get sticky rice.

[Katie Meadow]

Great selection of Asian rice varieties can be found at Tokyo Market on San Pablo in Berkeley. I'm partial to Lundberg basmatti, grown here in CA. I used to buy bulk basmatti at Berkeley Bowl, but the Lundberg is superior, I think, to just about any basmatti I have tried. But of course I've only tried a small percentage. Other places to check out around the East Bay include some of the Indian markets, on University near San Pablo. Or the market that is attached to Vik's Chat House.

The most awesome selection I've seen in one spot was Kalusyan's in NY. They do mail order if memory serves.

[Shel_B]

Great selection of Asian rice varieties can be found at Tokyo Market on San Pablo in Berkeley. I'm partial to Lundberg basmatti, grown here in CA. I used to buy bulk basmatti at Berkeley Bowl, but the Lundberg is superior, I think, to just about any basmatti I have tried. But of course I've only tried a small percentage. Other places to check out around the East Bay include some of the Indian markets, on University near San Pablo. Or the market that is attached to Vik's Chat House.

The most awesome selection I've seen in one spot was Kalusyan's in NY. They do mail order if memory serves.

Don't know why I didn't think of the Tokyo market. Thanks for the kick in the butt!

I don't know if I've tried Lundberg basmati, although I know I tried their brown basmati. I used to get my basmati in large bags from

India. The stuff was aged and it was superior to any other basmati I'd tried. Be interesting to see how the Lundberg compares. Thanks!

[Hassouni]

I'd stick with the aged stuff from India

[jayt90]

I'd stick with the aged stuff from India

Yes, there is something special about the best Indian basmati, aged in caves, like Tilda.

[djyee100]

The Spanish Table in Berkeley has Valencian and bomba rices for paella.

I like the Lundberg basmati rice also, and I cook with it frequently. It's sold at Whole Foods. The Lundberg Farm first caught my attention years ago for its pro-conservation and ecological farm practices. More about that here:
http://www.lundberg.com/Commitment/Egg_Aid.aspx

[Shel_B]

The Spanish Table in Berkeley has Valencian and bomba rices for paella.

Thanks! That's good to know.

[liuzhou]

By coincidence, my local newspaper has a front page story in today's edition about a tasting of 25 rice types which was held by the local Agricultural Technology Promotion Center.

Basically, they are looking for high yield varieties which retain good flavour and fragrance. The article doesn't list the rice types or say which came out best. I'll try to find a better source.

Article and photo here (in Chinese)

[patrickamory]

Tilda basmati (not Tilde, as I mis-spelled it above) is really great, and comes in very convenient resealable blue plastic sacks. The seal keeps pantry weevils out.

Kalustyan's is a few blocks from here and we shop there all the time, but I would not use them as a source for non-Indian rices if there are alternatives. Their own-brand jasmine rice, for instance, is nowhere near as good as the Elephant sacks I get in Chinatown, and even that is not on the top brands recommended by Kasma Loha-unchit.

Also, as much as I love the place, Kalustyan's is extremely expensive. They are a one-stop emporium with a national reputation and the prices reflect that. For any Indian staples, right next door Foods of India (Sinha Trading Co.) you'll often find the same rice, ghee, whole spices etc. at 50-75% of the cost. The people and the ambiance are not as friendly, and they don't have the wide selection of non-Indian/Pakistani foods, but you can't argue with the price. No idea whether they ship though - I'm going to guess not.

[huiray]

I find the notion of using specific types of rice for specific cuisines to be unconvincing. Jasmine rice (for example) for E/SE asian cuisines, Basmati (for example) for Indian/S Asian cuisines...and never the twain shall meet...is for the birds. I myself prefer relatively non-sticking rice for any meal of mine, whichever cuisine is involved, and thus usually use Basmati for almost all my Chinese-type meals, for example. I do use Jasmine, sticky Japanese-type (e.g. Hitomebore) rices & etc on occasion and as I find myself in the mood for; but I return to Basmati-types more frequently than not. Very specific types of dishes might call for very specific types of rice (Arborio for risotto, for example) but even there I find - for myself - that it is not an inviolable rule. The tastes of them do vary - but that is but one component in the overall profile of my meals.

Oh - yes, I rarely buy rice from Western-type supermarkets or places like Kalustyans. (In fact, I've never bought rice from places equivalent to Kalustyan's or Fresh Mart or Whole Foods etc etc) I've bought my rice from Indian or Pakistani or Chinese/E-SE Asian groceries basically always. [p.s. USAmerican "long grain" rice I find to be, um, not a preferred type]

Edited December 24, 2013 by huiray (log)

[ojisan]

FWIW, I'm having good results making risotto in a pressure cooker, substituting Koshihikari (Tamaki Gold brand) for Carnaroli or Arborio.

[Hassouni]

I find the notion of using specific types of rice for specific cuisines to be unconvincing. Jasmine rice (for example) for E/SE asian cuisines, Basmati (for example) for Indian/S Asian cuisines...and never the twain shall meet...is for the birds. I myself prefer relatively non-sticking rice for any meal of mine, whichever cuisine is involved, and thus usually use Basmati for almost all my Chinese-type meals, for example. I do use Jasmine, sticky Japanese-type (e.g. Hitomebore) rices & etc on occasion and as I find myself in the mood for; but I return to Basmati-types more frequently than not. Very specific types of dishes might call for very specific types of rice (Arborio for risotto, for example) but even there I find - for myself - that it is not an inviolable rule. The tastes of them do vary - but that is but one component in the overall profile of my meals.

To each his own. I grew up on Basmati (because of my Iraqi background), and although I love it to death, and as much as it's my desert island rice, I intensely dislike having it with anything requiring chopsticks, because of its a) extremely non-sticky nature and b) signature taste. Similarly, Middle Eastern or Indian food with Japanese rice wouldn't feel right to me either.

[CeeCee]

I find the notion of using specific types of rice for specific cuisines to be unconvincing. Jasmine rice (for example) for E/SE asian cuisines, Basmati (for example) for Indian/S Asian cuisines...and never the twain shall meet...is for the birds. I myself prefer relatively non-sticking rice for any meal of mine, whichever cuisine is involved, and thus usually use Basmati for almost all my Chinese-type meals, for example. I do use Jasmine, sticky Japanese-type (e.g. Hitomebore) rices & etc on occasion and as I find myself in the mood for; but I return to Basmati-types more frequently than not. Very specific types of dishes might call for very specific types of rice (Arborio for risotto, for example) but even there I find - for myself - that it is not an inviolable rule. The tastes of them do vary - but that is but one component in the overall profile of my meals.

To each his own. I grew up on Basmati (because of my Iraqi background), and although I love it to death, and as much as it's my desert island rice, I intensely dislike having it with anything requiring chopsticks, because of its a) extremely non-sticky nature and b) signature taste. Similarly, Middle Eastern or Indian food with Japanese rice wouldn't feel right to me either.

Although it makes me feel like a snob, I'm with Hassouni on this subject. It just doesn't feel right to me to use some varieties on some occasions. My SO was shocked to see how many bags of rice are in my pantry, especially since I buy basmati in bulk which seemed like a very sufficient amount to him. He has been succesfully converted now, he just never knew what's available and what difference they can bring to the table.

Though he wouldn't as mind as much to eat basmati with a Chinese stir fry, but that's also because he just loves basmati.

Not mentioned yet, I found a smoked basmati rice that I haven't tried out yet. Not white, but still interesting (at least to me it is): Camargue red rice and Sri Lankan red rice. I have a Turkish red and a black one which I found in Turkey, but they're originally from Italy. Need to do some translation on the subject, because I'm not sure if the black one has been coloured with squid ink or if it's a natural black type.

I guess this will be my new years resolution, trying even more (and not so much white) rice...

[Panaderia Canadiense]

For me, it's Conejo Dorado (Golden Rabbit), a type of locally-grown rice that's a brilliant orange colour. For those of you with Latin American groceries available, I'd recommend looking at the varieties - they're different from the old-world rices and some of them, the Conejo Dorado included, make amazing tahdigs.